Vending Machines. Where do i start?

Question

I always hear about people making a fortune selling vending machines, but i have always been curious about how people get started in this. Who do i call, what products would i need, and how do i get my vending machines into public places?

Answer 1

I've been a vendor for over three years now and I can honestly say that it has been one of the best things that I have ever done. I like it so much that it is the only thing that I do now. It is more work than most people think it is and you most likely will not make a fortune. In fact, 99% of people who enter the vending business will never have over 50 machines and will not be able to make a living from it.

Most people will just quit because the money isn't what they thought it would be. It just takes time to get the money coming in. You have to learn what locations produce good and which ones do not.

It is a great part time, on the side business but it is very difficult for people to make it a full time business on the basis that you cannot make enough to live on only doing it part time. So one day you will have to quit your normal job and expand your business by twofold (if not more). But this can be done with proper planning.

Here is what you need to do.

1. Decide what area of vending you like or want to work in the most. There is entertainment vending (pool tables, jukeboxes, cranes), full line vending (snack, soda, coffee) and bulk vending (racks [stickers and toys], pan candy and gumballs). I do all three but you will want to start in one area and learn it. Bulk vending is by far the easiest way to get into the business and probably the area with the most free time. It is what I still do the most. The other two areas will bring you better money but you will have less free time and more (and sometimes devious) competition.

2. Find a mentor. Having a person who you can call on the phone and ask questions is the number one thing that helped me. They have been in the business for a while and can tell you what equipment you need for the area of vending that you are interested in. Most vendors have also been burnt. That is, screwed over by some product supply company so they know who to buy from and who not to buy from. For instance, never buy vending equipment from an 800# in your local classifieds or a business opportunity magazine. Doing that will raise your chances of being in the 99% of vendors who will never own over 50 machines.

3. Make some friends with other vendors. The best way to do this is to join some vending forums. I want to you be aware though that most vending forum owners are machine sellers or have some other slick way of taking money from your pockets. The best two forums imho on Yahoo are:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BulkVendorsAnonymous/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bulkvendingclub/

I also have a forum but we also talk about other businesses and investments. It is at http://bretcharlton.com/forum We are also members of the two Yahoo forums mentioned above. We are just a group of people who have become friends over the years and have a place all to ourselves. We like helping out new vendors if you are not out to put the old guys out of business (there is plenty of room for everyone), we will phony up our phone numbers once we get comfortable with you.

The best way to learn about the business is the join the forums and read the back posts. Learning this business is not hard but you will soon find that it is more work than what you first thought. For instance, you have to learn how to locate your vending machines. You can use locators to find you locations but to make it on your own you will have to learn to locate yourself. Locators just cost to much money in the long run.

So join all three forums. The Yahoo ones are more active, but are mainly the same stuff over and over because of all the newbies. They do however have the more experienced vendors. Be sure to post an introduction of who you are and where you live ... other vendors like to know this stuff. Plus vending can have different results sometimes based on where you live. The three forums that I have mention deal with vending in the US.

The number one thing is to know what you are doing BEFORE you start to do it. It will save a lot of headaches and more importantly .... money.

Answer 2

Associations may be a good avenue to explore. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* Start Your Own Vending Business (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Up) by Anne Rawland Gabriel
* Vending Business-In-A-Box: A step-by-step guide to starting a profitable vending business without getting burned by Bryon Krug
* Vending Success Secrets - How Anyone Can Grow Rich In America's Best Cash Business! by Bill Way
* The Vending Jackpot by Ronnie Talent
* Cash Locations: A step-by-step guide to securing the best money-making locations for your vending machines by Ronnie Talent

here are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 3

I always hear people who own vending machines selling chips and candy make the money. Maybe leasing machine to people like that make some good cash. But selling vending machines cannot be all that profitable. Or should I say more so then selling lets say gas pumps for a profit.

Answer 4

Article i found:

About the Author


Mary Hanna
Mary Hanna has traveled the world by Air and Ship while writing eBooks, Software Reviews and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.CruiseGold.com http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com

More about Mary Hanna

If you want to make money you can start a vending machine business. Americans are known to feed vending machines money to the tune of $22 billion dollars every year; for coffee, sodas and other quick snacks that people eat often. This is a nice chunk of change. .

When you start a vending machine business, it does not require a lot of effort and you can earn money easily. It also gives you an ideal way on how to ease into your own business. The maintenance if you want to start a vending machine business is set at a minimal cost so anyone can easily start it up.

The biggest part when you start a vending machine business is refilling the machines and collecting your money. You can start a vending machine business either out of your home, or part-time, placing a few machines in the local businesses. When your customer base increases, you can invest in more vending machines. After that, you can grow your company as large as you like.

When you start a vending machine business, you can buy an existing vending machine business and use it as a start. Or you can start it from scratch. You will need to find your own niche in order to set your goals in the field of business. You will need a business permit and business insurance, as well as those documents to prove that your business is licensed.

When you have your vending machine, you can start by finding suitable locations for your machines. In considering this, you need to find the best location to maximize your sales.

There will be times when the sales are low but it does not mean that it stays that way. Always keep you machines stocked so you will not lose sales.

When you are considering options for businesses, vending machines are a good choice. The machines work for you, 24/7 and you keep the profits.

A vending machine can be owned by anyone. Someone who owns a store may buy one for his employees or he can have someone else place the machine and keep it stocked. An entrepreneur can distribute vending machines through the store locations. The trick is, when you have acquired the vending machines that you want, you must find good locations for them and keep them supplied with merchandise.

If you own the vending machines, a percentage of the profits that you make out of them are given to the business that is housing the machine for use. The business owner collects a commission on the profits not his employees.

Once you have set your perspective or plan, you can now start focusing on the best location for your machine. This will help you in optimizing your sales and revenue. The exits and entrances are great spots for your vending machines. The lunchrooms are also good spots. You can also put your vending machines next to other vending machines.

John Hanna was in the Vending Machine and Vending Route business for 15 years until last year when he sold his business and moved to Tampa, FL where he runs a successful consulting business. Visit his other Websites at: http://www.VendingMachines-ForSale.com http://www.VendingMachines-Business.com and http://www.VendingMachine-Sales.com

here is a book on it
http://www.smallbizbooks.com/cgi-bin/SmallBizBooks/00103.html?AID=10306928&PID=2172

Hope it helps..i got a similar book on commercial cleaning industry and their books are VERY thorough..plus the book can be a tax write off..

Answer 5

Vending machines are the most easy to use produce of the recent years. A cashier is ultimately unnecessary when it comes to vending machines, and yet it delivers food of all sorts. All you have to do is to fill the coin slot with the right amount of money, press the button according to what you desire to obtain, and then it comes right out of the machine. Pressing some button is all that it takes for you to gain satisfaction whenever you are hungry.

Answer 6

You should work with a vending machine company to learn and to know what your costs.
Then, find new customers and show them your beautiful vending machine catalog.
Start selling. Every sale of a new customer you can purchase the vending machine for him and start giving him a service.
Wishing you success.