NewVending11 Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Hi everyone, I am new to the forums and am located in Columbus Ohio. I am glad i found your forums a few days ago and began browsing. I almost invested 25k in purchasing 30 machine locations and contracts with pepsi or coke from metro-vending. I saw that you already had 2 threads open on this topic, and have decided that it is not worth it. Honestly, i took their minimum estimates that 30 machine would atleast make a profit of over $2500 a month. However, i was not aware that there was minimum sales requirements that would need to be ordered from coke and pepsi or they would pull the machines. I mainly liked the idea that i would not be responsible for maintanance/vandalism on the machines. We would only be stocking and collecting. Your forums have been very informative so far, but i guess my question invovles if i should still enter the vending business. There are 3 people involved with a total investment of 30k. One of the partners would service the route 1-2 days a week. Let me know if you guys have any tips. Also, is there a way to rent machines so we would not be liable for the equipment? Thank You. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Welcome to the forums, and good luck in your vending business! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdendy Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 From what I have read and learned so far I like the vending industry, but it seems like the best route is to start small and see if it's for you. You don't want to make a huge investment to realize after only a couple of months you made a huge mistake. Also realize it's real work, people call it passive income but from what I have seen and read, there is nothing passive about the amount of time to locate, service, and deal with getting equipment and product. At the end of the day it is your choice, does it suit your expectations and what you are willing to do for the return are the real questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewVending11 Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 I think i am going to move forward very slowly. I still haven't decided if i want to go full line or bulk. Maybe you guys could give me a little advice regarding which one works best for different people. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdendy Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 The main differences, from what I have garnered, bulk requires more locating and more locations and machines. Full line requires more start-up money and work, lot easier to service a few pounds of gumballs or candy versus cases and cases of drinks and snacks. Plus I can carry all my bulk machines in my car, I wouldn't be able to fit a soda or snack machine in it, meaning I better have a truck or some other usable vehicle for full line. Full line requires service more often, but has greater sales normally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I think i am going to move forward very slowly. I still haven't decided if i want to go full line or bulk. Maybe you guys could give me a little advice regarding which one works best for different people. Thank you Just go and read a lot of the older threads in both bulk and full line. IMO deciding what kind of vending you decide to do, if any, is a personal decision that you will have to be the one to decide. If you have questions, there are many around here that will be happy to answer your questions so you can get to the decision point. Glad that you found out about TVF before wasting all that money with Metro Vending Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shauna Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 In regards to your concern about minimum orders with Coke and Pepsi, I just started a third party contract with Coke. They provide the machines to the locations I identify, and I am required to purchase the inventory from the machines from Coke. They don't have a minimum case order per machine, but they do have a minimum of 10 case orders to receive free delivery (otherwise, they charge $15). It's not 10 cases per week, it's not 10 cases per machine, it's just 10 cases per order. I place orders on Thursdays, and they are delivered to my storage unit on Mondays. Different bottlers have different requirements. For my business, it makes sense to utilize the bottler to help expand. Call the bottler in your area and start asking questions. It never hurts to have a lot of information specific to your location before making a decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hello and welcome. I'm also new to the forum and yours is the first post I've read. I grew up in Ohio not far from Columbus so I know your area. Moving forward very slowly sounds like a wise choice. My experience with vending has taught me that "part-time jobs" or "side-jobs" are full-time commitments. Having a plan to pace myself works best for me. Good luck with whatever you decide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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