1. "Same here." In response to Reply # 0 Fri Dec-02-11 12:04 AM by rambunctious
I am really considering starting a vending machine business for supplemental income, but I have done minimal research in this area, mostly cause I am not sure where to look. I was >< to making a post, but I didn't. I'm glad you did! Hopefully, this post gets a few insightful replies.
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3. "the payoff isn't all that great to be honest. " In response to Reply # 0
i haven't done this, but i've looked into it extensively a couple times in consideration. i met to guys who claimed to be doing pretty well off of this, but they each stressed that they wound up with perfect timing- being able to snag a slew of brand new offices and businesses early on, but once those new venues dried up, getting new clients and locations was a grind and a half. both guys said that if they had to do it in the climate at the time, it would've been a bitch to make anything worthwhile. i've spoke with three other cats who got started and only one was making anything decent in terms of extra cash, around $900 a month, but he had to hustle his ass off for that.
so if you live near a growing community of businesses to solicit, you might be able to break some worthwhile bread. the investment plus time spent doesn't equal enough to make it worthwhile.
if you have a long term plan, say, a three year window, you might be able to slowly build something. most new businesses get setup with machines quickly, and it sounds as though a lot of them know right where to go. IMO it's too much of a grind for too small a real reward.
4. "LoL me and my boy had some machines this summer" In response to Reply # 0
he came up with the idea and found some used 3-bin snack machines on craigslist you know the ones that vend M&Ms, skittles, chiclets, etc when you put in a quarter and turn the knob? he works in a hospital/doctors office so he just stuck the machine in a corner of the waiting room
that shit was wack and aint make any dough you need MAAAJOR turnover in order to make any money on 25 cent candies our biggest problem was the employees who'd mainly buy from us were complaining that they weren't getting enough product for their quarter. so we had to adjust it to where they got 6-7 M&Ms per quarter profit margin wasn't that high then the damn machine would give FREE CANDY if you turned it real fast two times!
you know, i never seen any money back from that the machine was like $35 we spent about $40 on candies i was really just trying to go along with the thing to help my boy out i think i lost $30 or $40 in the thing but all them hours i spent cleaning and fixing the machine i can never get back
then after the snack machine we found a Sprite soda machine on craigslist:
we copped for $200 it was in a office/warehouse and they were closing the business and needed to get rid of it so we bought it it had maybe like $10 in coins in the machine but it took us like maybe another $150 getting it setup and vend ready it needed a new dollar bill acceptor and i still have the old COINCO BA30B laying here on my bedroom floor anyway we would hit the local supermarkets when they had pepsi/coke 12packs on sale 5 for $11 or whatever we had HUNDREDS of cans of soda $1 per soda the hospital he work in sales them for $2 per soda we were a INSTANT HIT! until the "higher ups" got wind of this and made him get the machine out of the office you ever have to move a 900 pound vending machine 200ft? that shit aint easy
anyway, we had nowhere to put it so it sat in my boys driveway while we tried to sale it on craigslist (thats the pic you see above) we sold it to some mexican that owned a grocery store and he put it in front of his store. i think we sold it for $170 but we had to deliver it or it couldve been $270 i dunno after that shit i was threw with throwing away money on my boys hairbrained ideas where i was just trying to help him out
but, dude that lives around the corner from me has like 30-40 soda machines in his yard and he said he USED TO make $100,000 a year on the machines but businesses started not renewing their contracts with him so sales dried up. he also said it IZ a FULLTIME job going to all your different locations and replenishing product
oh shit, wait! we had a HELL OF A TIME opening our soda machine because it was sold to us WITHOUT A KEY so it took me like 3 weeks, 2 broken dremels i dont know HOW MANY broken high impact drill bits and then finally $80 to a professional vending machine servicer to get the lock out! then the new circle-lock was like $30
i know this is a lot but have a entrance AND exit game plan before you get into the shit i also run across dudes at Sam's Club that be stocking up on shit and i'll ask if they have machines and they'll say yeah and we'll chop it up for a bit we had a Royal vending machine lotta dudes these days like to go with VENDCO
