Anybody own vending machines?

I've had my money "stolen" a few times from vending machines, and I'm sure there's quite a lot of money to be made from these "technical problems." I bet less than 40% of the people who lose their money even call the number to get their money back. :smh:

If you're starting this business, please make sure your machines work properly or you're gonna have to pay some damage costs.:lol:
 
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rn23 said:
Its def got unlimited potential financially.  When i first started a couple of years ago i had 2 machines and it took a lot of work believe it or not running those machines.  I had 1 soda and 1 snack machine, i had to figure out what drinks people wanted and what snacks people wanted.  Believe it or not there is a lot of studying that goes on.  Yes peanut M&M the yellow bag sells every where but thats only 1 of 40 snacks.  Now what else are you gonna put in the machine.  For example i have a machine in a rich neighborhood.  In that machine there is not very many junk snacks.  There a lot of baked lays, baked doritos, peanuts, trail mix, pretzels basically wannabe healthy snacks.  While then in the hood i have sour patch kids, swedish fish, double chocolate brownie cookies and more sugary snacks like that.  It all depend not saying that rich people dont eat that or vice versa but you go by what sells in the demographics.  Another tip is in the rich area you can get away with charging more common sense again.  Slowly and slowly i built up my machines saving money finding used machines buying more products so im not saying i make 400 a day like the person i know.  But it takes time you just have to be patient and study the game wisely.  

Freak destroyer- Putting machine in the club isnt the best area bc not many club owners/bar owners will allow that bc now they are competing with your machine for what.  As a club owner will say y should i give this guy space to sell a drink for a dollar when i sell the same soda for 4 dollars and all i get is a dime.  F that he not gonna let u put it in there.  Recently speaking i have seen many bars put lottery vending machines in there but thats run by the state so not a vending business.  You really have to try to get a location like a barbershop or pharmacy auto shop some place where people stand and wait around.  Then they walk over to the machine boom u got them.  Ask any person in the vending business laundry mat is golden 24 hrs and people always waiting around.  But the problem is is i owned a laundry mat i would have my own machines put in and collect 100%.  

I honestly dont want to detour anybody from this business its great, it really is.  But its not as simple as im gonna put a machine here and just collect and become a millionaire.  Thats how some people mentality works please dont think like that.  When u think like that u will flop trust me.  Basketball seems like a easy game from the outside.  So u mean to tell me all i got to do is put this ball in that hoop.  Hell no it sound simple but far from it.  More detail is involved then just a orange ball in a hoop.  Let me know if you guys have any more questions i will gladly answer them to the best of my knowledge.
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Thanks a lot for dropping the knowledge man.

I don't know if this has been answered yet (still reading) but how long did it take for you to turn your investment into profit?
 
Well from my personal experience i started seeing a little money after 4 months bc u have to factor that i paid almost a grand for 2 machines.  Then it cost me about 200 to fill the machine with everything.  The vending machine obviously cost more to fill so it took about 3 months to get even business was slow in the beginning but after the 2nd month it started picking up.  After month 3 everything i had was profit.  So thats my personal experience others can make money sooner but some take longer to make money.  It all depends on your location.  My first location was a pharmacy which also just started up.  So there was really no customers in the store.  As the store got busy the machine emptied out faster.  Just study the area u wanna put a machine in and be very patient.  Money will come to those are patient, its only a matter of time.
 
Like the one guy said a connect on candy is the way to go. You gotta keep your snacks up to date to keep the Gov off your back. You cant sell expired food. You stil need to abide the food laws in your local district.
 
oh most def you need to keep ur snacks up to date.  Thats the trial and error run, you buy certain snacks and u figure out what is selling.  Ask the owner of the shop or the person who works at wherever your machine is "listen is there any snack people are requesting"  I do it all the time.  Since u cant be at all your machines at the same time you gotta get info somehow.  Chips have about 3-4 month expiration dates, but not even soda has expiration date, keep a eye out for that.  The goal is to get people who frequent the establishment to stay loyal to your snack machine.  If rumors start flying that ur machine sells expired snacks u might as well pack up shop and find another location.  

People ask me all the time "well what sells i dont wanna carry something and it dont sell then it expires"  Well the the tough side to the business, thats where u have to put in work and research what is moving in ur area.  Like i said before hood people dont want granola bars, and soy snacks.  Same and rich community dont want honey buns, and grape soda.  You have to research, ive always said that nothing is as easy as it looks.  Same way companies like nike, M&M mars, apple, etc pay marketing researchers or analyst millions of dollars to do what?  Find out what people want simple principle that is always overlooked.  People who live by mountains chances are there not gonna buy a pair of nike free mesh running shoes, there gonna buy some acg shoes.  Same here in the hood biggest soda seller is usually grape soda.  I cant even sell 1 can in the rich areas.  In the hood i have poland spring water, hell no in the rich community they want smart water or something like that.  RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH.  That way u can prevent 2 bad things 1 wasting money on goods that get expired, and 2 getting fat bc hey somebody gonna eat those expired stuff!!!!lol

Any other questions let me know i encourage people just to try the business.  How many businesses can say invest 700 and become a owner/BOSS/chief not many.  U make your own hours, while ur sleeping if u have in a 24 hr location ur making money.  All i ask is just dont jump into something ur not gonna give ur all to.
 
I'm glad this thread popped back up. Does anyone know if there's an insurance program for repairs?

I'm afraid of buying one and it becomes a lemon
 
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