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Buzz Bites Vending Machine


mvalanoski

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I didn't see any thread based off of this machine from Mad Dog Enery Products whom have exclusivity to distribute Buzz Bites in it, so here are my impressions.

I found out about this machine from my boss whom I work with at steakhouse chain. There was talk from the waitresses and whatnot about this neat little energy gum the boss was handing out to try so I went to have a look at it. At first, the thing that caught my eye was the display card. The machine is shaped somehwhat like a pentagon so there were information at quite a few angles which compared Buzz Bites which was neat. The comparison to namebrand products such as Starbucks coffee, RedBull energy drinks, and Coca Cola soda was smart in my eyes. This also was what got my interested in bulk vending, which by the way, I am focusing on solely instead of these speciality vending products.

So, to start, I ordered one machine from Mad Dog. You can actually only order like 30 at a time for a premium of $10k but my boss got good talks from the owner and was able to set me up to order one machine and one case product [1440 BBs]. The machine does have a very sturdy makeup for the most part. The lid, base and mech are all metal with the "globe" being an unbreakable plastic material [cannot recall name]. It came preassembled so I was to do nothing with it except setup the additional suction cups used for both security and to prevent it from accidentally moving, which for the most part, work fine. They were extremely difficult to assemble being attached via very small nuts in tight corners not easily reachable. Another aspect of the machine comes from the vend itself. The mech, which is made by an unknown company to me, seems very hard to turn and when it does vend out the product the BBs come shooting out and 9/10 times do not land in the tray but the floor. I'm not sure if this is a mechanical error or not but it ocurs on my bosse's as well. Other than those minor things, I'd rate the machine a 3.5/5. Also, this is my first machine so my rating is based off of no prior expierence with machines. Do I plan on buying another? No. Demand for this product was very low in this area and if working on a commission based account, the profit margin is as well. The BBs themselves vend for .50 and cost .15 a piece.

The BB product itself is great in my eyes. I've heard mised opinions about it but I do think it tastes fine. It is a chewy consistency and "dull" flavored by some, but if you check the nutritional values, it isn't that bad of a product for your body.

As stated though, I do not see myself investing much more into Mad Dog or Vroom. Interest in the product isn't very high and it seems very expensive. I am more interested in the DI machine and product due to the machine quality and the interest in the gum, sugar-free be it I think.

Overall rating for this venture: 3/5

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Appreciate your sharing that for us.

Reminds me of this guy in Canada that is trying to market a gum and mint which are very hih energy.  Its a 75 cent vend.  I tried the gum.  Its very strong.  Same with the mints.  His machine has a lot of razzle dazzle to it.  I told him a 75 cent vend will not go over big here in the states and told him thanks but no thanks.  I knew right away this guy was a character.  When I called to inquire about his machine and product?  He sent me stuff OVERNIGHT FED EX!!

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Yea, the thing that got me interested in the product was the energy factor. Seems like there is an energy drink for every mood you could think of and then some, as well as bars, foods, etc. The portable concept for the BB was very appealing. I still think the product could take off, but not in the locked up distributorship it's in now.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Matt, Have you reordered product yet?  The reason I ask is that I was on a BB forum and somebody there said that if you do not purchase a 30 machine package they will not sell you any product on down the road.  Tom

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  • 4 weeks later...

Mvalanoski,

I was just wondered, where did you place the machine?  I was just wondering because if you only purchase one machine, then you are only counting on that one spot.  Other spots do better than others, it sometimes is just luck that you get it in the right place.

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So, to start, I ordered one machine from Mad Dog. You can actually only order like 30 at a time for a premium of $10k but my boss got good talks from the owner and was able to set me up to order one machine and one case product [1440 BBs].

 

Holy cow! $330+ per machine! I don't know a whole lot about energy gum vending, but to me this sounds like a "business opportunity." I don't want to sound mean, but it sounds like an overpriced gumball machine to me. Then again, I could be completely wrong.

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JoeBob,

It is not an energy gum, in fact no energy gum even comes close to the amount of caffeine that is present in a Buzz Bite.  Yeah they do sound expensive, but when it comes to business everything usually is expensive, which really sucks. 

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 There was talk from the waitresses and whatnot about this neat little energy gum the boss was handing out to try so I went to have a look at it.

There are just some serious red flags that pop up in my head with Mad Dog and BuzzBites. Minimum orders, and a privlege to buy 1 at a time, expensive machines, and the exclusiveness of where to buy the product. To me those red flags mean "business opportunity (aka get rich quick scheme)."

The equipment I use for vending is not nearly that expensive. I could purchase Northern Beavers, which are quite expensive, for much less than $330 for a single head machine. I can buy a 3 head canister XYZ Easy Pro for $150 which get very good reviews on here.

Joe 

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  • 1 month later...

Appreciate your sharing that for us.

Reminds me of this guy in Canada that is trying to market a gum and mint which are very hih energy.  Its a 75 cent vend.  I tried the gum.  Its very strong.  Same with the mints.  His machine has a lot of razzle dazzle to it.  I told him a 75 cent vend will not go over big here in the states and told him thanks but no thanks.  I knew right away this guy was a character.  When I called to inquire about his machine and product?  He sent me stuff OVERNIGHT FED EX!!

Vending is about having several machines. Your not going to see any real profit from one machine. Some location do better than others. The trick is finding the best ones, high traffic areas, and easy access for your customers.

Don't give up, buy 2-3 more and work them, the right way. I bet that you will do better, and you will find that the wiil get use to your product you just create a small demand for it, WHICH MEANS $$!!!

 

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  • 1 year later...

Since this is a thread on BB machines and reviewing the equipment I will put in my 25 cents worth. I bought A bunch of these machines earlier this year. My intention was to sell the machines and keep some for my route to see how they would do. I got plenty of product and plenty of machines for a really good price. I had a few of them located and the first location did very well for a while. Problem was the machines jammed up ( I put 2 heads on a wood stand, one mint and one chocolate it looked great but with the machines jammed up I lost a bunch of sales.) I unjammed the machine and went back a couple of weeks later and one of the machines was jammed. I decided to resolve the issue by vending Buzz Bites in capsules out of my 1800 machine. That  worked but I had some issues. There was a thread listing those details as well.

I think the Buzz Bite machines look nice but they don't perform very well (mechanically I mean) They jam up a lot and they don't hold the product very well. I have gone to locations before and found as many as a dozen or two Buzz Bites on the sides at the bottom of the canister instead of the "chute" where you place them to fill the machine. "Preachaman" gave me a good tip on preventing the jamming (you load the BB upside down and face the fold so it won't catch on the "delivery chute") but they can still jam. The machines are coming out of my fleet completely and I am just going to use capsules in my 1800 machine or in an A&A capsule head. (I finished setting up one of the A&A machines to vend Buzz Bites this weekend, maybe I will post a pic somewhere this week)

The BB machines are a 1 on a 10 scale in my opinion.

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  • 7 months later...

I bought my 2 buzz bite machines for $40 including shipping off ebay. I figured at the time this was a good deal. I thought about putting one in my moms real estate office but havent bought product yet (as the cases are expensive, and its atleast $60 to order BBs for a machine).

Can these machines be altered or are they best left as is?

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Those machines can only be altered with a baseball bat!  And that is about it.  The landfill awaits!

As I have said many times.  You will rarely hit a home run (baseball humor) with food products and bulk vending machines.  Vendors HAVE HIT HOMERUNS with toys and gumballs.

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  • 1 year later...

I bought 5 of these for $35 each and a case of the Buzz Bites from Vroom Foods in California about a year and half ago and I can definitely tell you that the product is OK but the machines are crap and are to be avoided all together! They look cool but each one of them has jammed at least once and the servicing is a hassle since you have to slide each candy (upside down to help avoid jamming) down chutes, about 10 candies each chute and there are 8 of them. I still have them out on locations but once the BB's are gone I'll pull these and replace them with something similar to the NW Triple Play and never try this again! I'd appreciate any input on triple head type machines since all I've done to this point is research. Thanks for the forum!

Sammy

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I bought 5 of these for $35 each and a case of the Buzz Bites from Vroom Foods in California about a year and half ago and I can definitely tell you that the product is OK but the machines are crap and are to be avoided all together! They look cool but each one of them has jammed at least once and the servicing is a hassle since you have to slide each candy (upside down to help avoid jamming) down chutes, about 10 candies each chute and there are 8 of them. I still have them out on locations but once the BB's are gone I'll pull these and replace them with something similar to the NW Triple Play and never try this again! I'd appreciate any input on triple head type machines since all I've done to this point is research. Thanks for the forum!

Sammy

When you pull them off the route, you can take out the 50c mechs and sell them to people who have 1-800 or Pro-Line machines. You will be able to recoup some of your money that way.

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When you pull them off the route, you can take out the 50c mechs and sell them to people who have 1-800 or Pro-Line machines. You will be able to recoup some of your money that way.

and Forged aluminum is 45 cents a pound. Those machines are worth more in pieces.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have a couple Buzz Bite machines that vend the chocolate fudge candies, and I've never had a day's problem with them. They sell well, Vroom Foods is more than happy to sell you a case lot of the candies (I spoke to the owner himself). I have had a couple of issues in which the machine jammed, but that was because someone (my nephew) shook the machine, which makes the candies fall out of their sleeves. One did jam, but that machine wasn't in service at the time, and the candy was the victim of heat and had gotten caught under the carousel and at the chute. Required disassembly and a little cleaning, but nothing more. Plus candies are subject to heat and may occasionally need to be reformed before placing in the sleeve.

I don't know about this "shooting out" thing, I've never had more than one candy come out at a time and it lands nicely in its little tray.

I just placed one in my other nephew's pizza shop, in a week it pulled in close to $10, in a small podunk town with not much going on.

If anyone has the machines and wants to unload 'em free or cheap -- and they work -- I'll happily take 'em.

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  • 4 months later...

Does anyone know how to convert the buzz bites machines for anything else? I have heard of people converting them for bouncy balls, So i took one of my buzz bites machines apart & tryed testing it with gumballs (the same size as 27mm bouncy balls, just to test it) but multiple gumballs come out at once, instead of one like its suppose to, im obviously doing something wrong, any help would be greatly appreciated!

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I saw your pictures in the gallery. What you really don't have is a proper wheel and brush housing. If you can devise one from your existing wheels, that would be helpful. The brush housing is used to block the extra product from falling out the hole. And you need a wheel that is deep enough that it will hold one of the gumballs in the wells.

Cut the 8 clear plastic square tubes down to about 1in in length, then reinsert them into the bottom wheel, and put the top wheel back on. Now the whole wheel assembly should be a bit over 1 in tall, instead of about 10 inchs (or what ever it is). This could then serve as your "gumball wheel". Check to see if the gumballs, bouncy balls or even capsules can fit through the resulting 8 holes of the wheel.

For the brush housing, cut a piece of 1/8" plexi to fit horizontally inside the head. Cut a large hole centered around the center rod, but large enough to expose the 8 holes of the wheel, but small enough to not expose the edge of the wheel. Then also leave some of the hole to cover up the drop hole.

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