Popular Post The Mage Posted December 2, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted December 2, 2015 5 years ago, I noticed that I would say hi to the new members, but I found I kept writing the same thing over and over. With the full intent of being lazy, I decided to make a single post, and simply share the link with the new members. I didn’t expect what happened next. It was pinned, and stayed at the top of the forum all that time. (And mocking me with the misspellings.) I also didn’t have the slightest inkling that I was going to take over this forum 5 years later. So I’ve decided it was time to update this message. Welcome to VENDiscuss. This has been, and still is a great resource for learning about the Vending Industry. How to get started, how to be successful, and how to save money. There are plenty of experts here in many fields, not only are they willing to help, they have helped so much that practically any question you might have is probably already on this forum. They all have their own opinions, and ideas, and that is a good thing. There is more than one path to success, and you can choose what advice to take. I would say read the forums. Search them for the questions you have. They have been asked dozens if not hundreds of times. And interact, ask new questions. We all have to start somewhere, and if you are new to the business, this is my advice: Avoid Biz Ops. Maybe you never heard that term before, but it is short for Business Opportunity. Unfortunately I have yet to see any Biz-Op actually help anyone in the vending world. Maybe a good one will actually come around in the future, but I haven’t seen it yet. The problem is they are more interested in making that sale than helping anyone out. Their goal is to sell you, take your money, and they're gone. They tell you that you can make more than you actually can. Then they sell you too many machines for a person starting out, and at an inflated price. You’ve never seen these machines before, so really don’t know what they’re worth. But then they tell you they will place them into businesses for you. Unfortunately in the worst possible locations. And if they train you at all, what they will tell you is too often wrong. What you end up with is a load of debt to pay 3, 5, even 10 times the actual value of the machines you purchased, and an under-performing business to pay it off. I almost got suckered into one of these, but something didn’t seem right, so I didn’t take the “plunge”. Not too long after that I saw the same machines for sale, brand new, in an ad for less than half that price. I got lucky, and hopefully you are reading this before you got suckered in. If not, it might be possible to turn things around. I hope you are reading this before signing up with one of these companies. Start Small. For most of you, this is a brand new experience. As much as many of us enjoy the business, there are plenty of people who would hate it. It does not matter how successful you are if you dislike what you are doing. It’s also possible you could buy a hundred machines, and just let them sit in storage for years. This is an unfortunately common occurrence. It’s best to “test out the waters” first. See not only that it is something you might enjoy, but can do, and like to do. If you end up not following through with just a couple machines, than you are out so much less than if you bought a couple hundred bulk, or a couple dozen larger beverage and snack machines. I recommend buying just one machine, maybe 2 or 3 at most. You might want to buy a used one, and figure out how it works, as well as how to fix it. Then find a location for it. See what it’s like running a couple machines, and if you like it, buy some more. At this point you are buying machines with a little experience, and those located machines can help pay for your expansion. This is work. Some people get the idea that all you do is put a vending machine out, and the quarters just start rolling in. This is not exactly true. Sure the machines make money while you are not there, it is not really a passive income. (Partly, but that is another complex discussion.) You will need to get to the machines regularly, fill them with product, empty the money, fix them, clean them, and move them in and out. You are taking on the job of maintenance, sales, janitor, delivery and accounting. Maybe as you grow you can hire out some if not all these jobs, but most do it all themselves. Money will not magically appear in your bank. This can be fun. I am worried what I have posted can turn people off. And honestly there are some people who should be turned away, if they are not willing to commit to doing it right. But there are plenty of people who love this. You get to drive around, open up a machine, put stuff in it, and take money out. Spend a few minutes cleaning it, and it’s off to the next one. I enjoy driving. I like listening to pod-casts as go from location to location. I like talking to some of the people on my route, and I like opening up the machines, and pulling out the money. It can be frustrating to find your machine broke down, or getting that call to remove the machine(s). But this exists in any business, or job. If you are willing to put in the work, and effort, you can make decent money at it. It scales to what you make it. It can be a hobby, or a source of extra income. You could do it, and another part time job, or it can be a full time job in itself. You could grow to have employees, and manage them as they run the business. Choose the field that fits you. In my original post, I recommended that people start out in bulk first. (Gum ball types of machines.) I had sound reasons for it, the first being one of the cheaper ways to go, and second a little easier than say beverage, and snack machines. Takes up less space in storage, and a lot easier to move. But I now believe this was bad advice. While there are similarities in the different fields in vending, they are different animals. And we are all different, so I now believe it makes more sense to do what fits you. What I gave were my reasons for choosing bulk, but we all have different goals and desires. In the vending world, there are the bulk vendors, the full line (snack and beverage,) coffee, honor box, atm machines, amusement, and others. (Hey, the categories in our forum.) Bulk is a common starting place, but it doesn’t have to be if something else fits your interest. My advice. Again, start small. Why invest a lot of money into a business before you know it’s right for you, especially when you don’t need to. Plow all that income into the growth of the business. Now you are in cheaper, and the business is helping fund it’s own growth. Maintain a separate bank account with a growing minimum balance. You need an emergency fund, as well as the funds to grow your business. Refine your route. This isn’t just about placing machines, and taking care of them. You might find another machine works better at a location. You might be able to add machines at a location. Some locations may not be producing enough income, so you would pull that location. Decide how big you want to be. Every once in awhile check if your goals have changed. Maybe you want to be bigger. Maybe you’re too big. Maybe you want to sell your route, or buy somebody else’s. It’s good to evaluate your life and goals every now and then. This is a simple formula for making a success in this business. Low risk, time to learn, and as it grows, it is either partly, or even fully funded by itself. Take other people’s advice. I am one voice, one person, one group of ideas, so don’t just listen to me. I want to be as helpful as possible, but I am sure there are some on this forum who completely disagree with me, or just part of my advice. There are plenty of perspectives here, and if you listen to many, you will find the one that fits you. Here is the link to the old post: http://vendiscuss.net/index.php?/topic/7539-welcome-new-members/page-0 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erugalde Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 I've found routes for sale in CL's, I'm thinking of buying a small vending route, there is one that the guy claims 3 machines are making around 200 /month ,any recommendations,questions I should ask the seller, is it a good idea?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mage Posted December 15, 2015 Author Share Posted December 15, 2015 Hey erugalde. Search the forum, and make new posts. Not very many people are going to find your post here. Right now I don't know what types of machines you are talking about. Bulk, beverage, snack... Again this is just a forum for telling people hi, and this thread is specifically for saying hello to the new people, and giving a little advice. (Very little.) So post in the other forums, and you will get a lot more pros helping out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbenterud Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 I am brand new in the vending business (as in... just bought 10 machines today!!!!). Yikes...looking forward to finding lots of good help and advice here. Especially looking for some inventory spreadsheets and advice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmeister Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 I am new to the site and looking forward to any information that may help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mage Posted January 12, 2016 Author Share Posted January 12, 2016 I am new to the site and looking forward to any information that may help! Finally got the posting to work, that's good. Welcome to VENDiscuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidlogan13 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 New to the site new to vending Ready to get started Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
providencevending Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 hi, am new to the sit and i really appreciate your write up cos it gave more knowledge about the vending business here in dallas texas. am about starting the beverage and snacks vending but could not get good location yet. what can i do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treatvend Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Hi all, this looks a really helpful and friendly site. Im glad i found it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raytraci Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 looking forwared to learning many new ideas using this forum. Ray "Victoria BC" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwc31015 Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Just starting out with one drink machine and one combo machine. Yes, I know, I hear the catcalls regarding the combo, but it's my decision. I am fortunate to be able to purchase these used from a local vending machine company and install them at a hotel where I work. I am looking forward to this venture and think I will learn a lot on this site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clinketyclink Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Hi all, I recently bought a mini-route with 2 machines, 1 soda and 1 snack, which was the easiest way I could find to ease into the business and learn the ropes. Found this site (vendiscuss) when I was googling how to troubleshoot one of the machines earlier today. I hope to spend some time reading old posts, and then once I'm up to speed start contributing where I can. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamie haught Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Hi we have 10 vending locations, and currently look to buy 2 machines in dance school, but are worried about finding health snacks. Location does have glass front pop machine that sells mostly water. any suggestions where to buy these snacks and what kind would be the best. Thanks Tamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Proctor Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Hey everyone! New to the forum but not so new to vending. I hope to learn and help others here. I am now returning to vending to help raise money for disabled Veterans. See ya' around the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afitz30 Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Hello All!, New to the forum and new to vending, hopefully will get a chance to know everyone in the future! AF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanapult Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Been operating a small number of amusement machines for awhile now and looking to expand. Glad I found this forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Txfalcon923 Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 hI, new here and to vending.i have 10 honor box now. have had them about a year now. go to start doing snack and drink machines.Will have a meeting next week with first possible loc. that a friend told me about.They currently dont have any vending at all.What can i except from this type of meeting? Should i take a box of different snacks for the employees.Also, if i do get should have a contract signed that says we give each other 30 day notice if things dont work out? From what i understand they ask other vending service to leave couse they did not keep machine serviced.thanks for any and all pointers. p.s. i have heard alot of good things about vendiscuss. b.g. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJLVend Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 Hello; New to this forum. It looks like a good place to learn more about vending business. I have 11 snack/beverage machines and have been doing vending since May of 2014. I am doing as a part time hobby after retirement. I enjoy the ability to service the machines on a regular basis and look forward to a stress free work schedule. FJL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlivolsi Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 Hello. New to vending concerns. Interested in learning the finer points of inventorying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mage Posted August 8, 2016 Author Share Posted August 8, 2016 I'm locking this thread up. If you wish to introduce yourself as a new member, post a new topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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