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Do I need a warehouse for full-line vending?


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This might be a stupid question, but I've been looking everywhere and can't find the answer.

I've seen used coke machines for $500 to $1,000, but I know they weight a lot, and since I live in the 4th floor of an apartment building, I don't exactly have a garage to place them while I find a location for them.

So my question is, should I find the location and then buy the machine? Should I rent space in a warehouse? 

Or should I stick to bulk vending which is what I've been doing so far? 

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It's up to you. A mini storage will work but you'll need to pay someone to move them in and out.  If you don't have a way to move machines then find someone to buy refurbished machines from and have them deliver them to your accounts for you.

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Thanks for the tip, I like your idea. I found one near my location for $75 a month, it's 5' x 5' Unit. 

I also like your other idea. Moving those machines is complicated, so if I can find a seller that doesn't mind storing it until I find a location, that could work. 

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A mini storage unit should be ideal for your needs at this time because you really want to get your machines on location as soon as possible. I'd suggest finding someone to buy refurbished machines from ( as suggested above ) , they will usually move the machines to your location for a fee .
I'd look around to find a few people that refurbish machines in your area and see what you think about their work and prices and then find you a location and get them to move the machine from their shop to your location. Finding locations isn't difficult but it does take time and commitment and I wouldn't want to be paying storage fees when you don't have to ( that's $75 that could be invested into your business in other ways ) .


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If you are storing machines I would shoot for at least a 5x10. If you get the two piece dolly you move them yourself, but the dolly runs $5-600. You will need a truck with a liftgate. I recommend finding a reliable mover. That way any damage is covered by the movers insurance, and it will save your spine. Figure about $1-200 per move. Go for it, if you can get a machines located an install for less than $1000 all in, you will pay it off in less than a year.

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Yes, you need a 5x10 minimum.  A 5x5 will only store one large snack machine and practically nothing else due to the dimensions.  Ideally, a 10x10 would be able to hold around 9 machines whereas a 5x10 might hold 3-4 and a 5x5 might only hold 1.  Usually, a 5x10 is not much more than a 5x5.  Also, it could really be worth it for you to find a garage for rent, unless you live in a congested area... then that's probably not an option.

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  Thanks for the tips, at this point I'm earning $40 to $50 from two bulk vending machines, I just bought two additional machines. I want to get into full-line vending because I assume the profits are higher, but maybe I should wait until my cashflow increases to $500-$1,000 a month. 

What are the profits of a soda vending machine in an average location? Who pays for the electricity? 

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The business owner who hosted the machine pays the electrical. Some places you will paying a 10% or more commission back to the host for operating your machine their. Sometimes you get really lucky and the business you over top of your sales. I had a friend with to combo machines in a high end architectural firm who didn't want any prices higher than $1.50. They also liked energy drinks and fancy bottled water stocked. They would pay him $1 per drink sold at the end of each month. The place was a goldmine, but that isn't the norm. Good luck

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I started in bulk vending. I built a small route is 20-30 machines, and after a few months decided to give full-line a try. I bought my first couple locations from a local vendor, but I started buying my own machines and finding my own locations after that. My driveway at my house is gravel and I don't have a garage, so I found a guy who had some garages built to rent out. So I use a 23x15 garage to store and refurb/repair my machines(both full-line and bulk).

I do both bulk and full-line still. They have they're own pros and cons. I will say, once I had a few soda and snack machines in decent locations I was able to grow my business much faster. 

If you do end up jumping in, go with a decent can machine and find a tire shop or something similar, just so you can familiarize yourself with the machine and how to operate it. Once you get into snacks, you'll have a hard time seeing profit unless you have 5 or more machines.

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17 hours ago, QuikVend said:

Once you get into snacks, you'll have a hard time seeing profit unless you have 5 or more machines.

So cans pay more than snacks? That's surprising. But then again, I'm more likely to buy soft drinks than snacks. I consume a lot of Diet Coke throughout the day. 

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Well, when you have a snack and soda machine on location, typically the soda machine will account for 60-80%of your gross sales. Although, I do have 1 or 2 where snacks match or outsell soda.

Also,when you're dealing with cans, they're way to get, you can always find them on sale, easy to handle and store plus your looking at around an 8 month shelf life. As long as you don't go crazy, you really shouldn't see too many expired.

With snacks, to get the better prices you'll want to buy the bulk packages. If you only have 1 or 2 machine, you're going to see a lot of waste,which kills your profit. That's why it's a good idea to start with soda. If the location is doing well with that, a snack machine might be viable.

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