antoniocinisi Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 what do you guys think? kyle?? are those plush worth 400 bucks??is this overall a good deal?my rack location said I could put my own crane in and this guy said he would deliver to the location for free!!! used crane machine ebay item 220219981909 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220219981909&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D220219981909%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1 Antonio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Antonio, The plush is no way near 400.00 in that machine. That is a generic medium sized mix of crap. The price of the crane 1295.00 sounds decent for a jumbo. Smart from what I hear makes a sound crane. I will let you know further about Smart Ind. cranes later.(I Have 9 on order) Older cranes can run forever as long as there are parts available that suit that particular manufacturer. Smart seems like they will be around a while, so they should be able to help you if the crane malfunctions. I would think it would be a good buy for you for your first location plush included or not. I would also suggest that you fill it with some better merchandise than what is pictured. Ask some questions though...the seller doesn't seem to be in the amusement business. How did he obtain the crane? Just some thoughts... Zeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share Posted April 6, 2008 anyone else have an opinion on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecoastvending Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 These is no way there is $400 worth of anything in that machine if I was you I would tell the guy to drop the price $200 and you will buy it now because that’s about what the items inside could be worth. The bonus wheel thing really will not increase your sales at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 well I went ahead and bought this machine today and put it on location.It is in good condition and worked well for the 15 min my wife played on it.the claw did get stuck when he first turned it on but then worked well the rest of the time.does it need lube on the rails to fix this?what other maintenance should I do to it?also where can I get a manual possibly for free?? I intend on checking on it in two weeks,to see how it does,where do you crane guys buy your plushes at?lots of questions for you guys,I apreciate your answers!! thanks. Antonio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Antonio, I would suggest stopping at the location more than once every two weeks. I service my cranes at least 2 times a week, sometimes 3. It all depends on the location traffic. For a manual contact smart industries, or go online. I believe that they have manuals online. www.smartind.com As far as plush, there are a number of sources. since you have only one location so far, I would suggest getting a prepak kit to fill your cranes. They are priced accordingly to what you want to flash your crane with. When I'm in a jam and need plush quick I will get locally from United Textile. They can be reached at 1800-833-4667. I've gotta run , but I will try and get you some more info if you need it. Good Luck! And welcome to the crane business. Zeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 BTW do not put lube directly on the rails! if it seems like it is getting stuck, it could be that the bridge is misaligned or it could be a problem with the bridge itself. Keep a good eye on it and check (play) it everytime you service. Also a good way of collecting these machines without counting at location is to go by the meter #'s. Zeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 zeke:first of all thanks a lot for the help. I looked up the site you mentioned and I like thier prices. what size should I order?just by guessing 11 inches is what seems to be the average size in there,do you agree? I was thinking about ordering a cheap mix and tieing an ipod to one of the toys on the bottom of the crane and put a sign up that says something about it, or ordering a premium mix. I like how they mix up the toys with 50/50 licensed-not licensed but I think it would make more sense to buy them seperate and mix it myself .I like the idea of 75 licensed 25 not,what do you think? untill the end of the month there is another crane in there with small plush from chinda,must be a chinese plush store. thats another thing I might put up: plushes dont come from china!! thanks for all your help.I wanted to stick to toys and candy but this location is a gold mine and would rather diversafy and try to learn about the other types of vending then not make that piece of the pie. the owner of the location said in the first week the other crane made 400 bucks,so I should order more plush and will do so as soon as you advise me on what I should do. thanks again for the help. p.s. the crane was played twice while I was there!! also have to give him 30 percent commission. Antonio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Antonio, 75/25 is a solid mix. I would make sure 1.00 play is set. Especialy if you have an I-pod. Also make sure your crane pays out. Atleast 30% of the time. More winners mean more players! You will make money, as long as you have winners. The moment you get greedy, you will see your profits go down. let the players win and you will see a nice return on your machine over the long haul. Zeke BTW all plush is coming from China...even the Licensed stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 ok thanks!!what size plush?? antonio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Right now I am running (Med) sized plush along with some higher end items. You also might want to get some puffer balls. They are a really top draw right now. Zeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcinnick Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 So if you play, the machine should put out 3 items for every $10? I thought 1 or 2 per 10 would be good, as most I have ever played seem to put out once every 20 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 3/10 is the goal. Sometimes it will be higher sometimes lower. If it stays consistent you will create more players in the long run. Which in turn will create more profits over a longer period of time. If you don't payout you will lose customers and the crane will never make money after your first couple of collections. It's all about merchandising. Keep it fresh if you can. Zeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 Zeke:the company you buy from told me that I need to order 7 cases to get free shipping,I thought that was standard at most places?in the meantime the crane is already half empty!!I ordered 1 case from this company :http://www.logobear.com/cranemerch.html because of the distance for lower shipping. next time I might try:http://www.discountplush.com/plushmixes.html. you ever use either?? I recieved the mix on sat and was a bit disapointed just by looking at it.for 300 bucks I think I got only 15-20 percent licensed toys. this may not be an issue though as the mix looks good just a little on the pricey side perhaps.I will go tomorrow to top off and see whats in it money wise and make any necessary adjustments. I intend on calling smart,maybe they can help me over the phone on makeing any adjustments. Antonio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcinnick Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I have been on the lookout for a used crane machine for the past two months, noone near me wants to sell one of these guys. I really want to buy one and get it on location to see how it does. I just can't see spending $2K to try one out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted April 17, 2008 Author Share Posted April 17, 2008 I have been on the lookout for a used crane machine for the past two months, noone near me wants to sell one of these guys. I really want to buy one and get it on location to see how it does. I just can't see spending $2K to try one out. I see that you found what you were looking for! ZEKE:I ordered my plush thru ald services 300 bucks for what apears to be a good mixnot good but not bad.I went thru this guy becauseyour guy said I had to buy seven cases for free shipping which I wasn`t prepared to d,and this guy is real close to me. unfortunately the location is getting a namco arcade and I can do only pizzaeria/chef /magic related items from next month on in order to keep my crane on location.I need to work out something with the owner who is willing to work with me . we are going to figure out what kind of pizza merchandise he wants to have in it.I dont think his merchendise alone will be able to fill the crane,is there any suplier you know that sells pizza/chef plush?? Antonio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Sorry to say...pull your crane and look for another location. I would never let anyone tell me what to put in my cranes. Again Merchandising is the key to a succesful crane location, so if they want to handcuff you you'll have no chance to see a good return on your investment. Also $300.00 seems way too high for one bag of plush. I pay 110 for med sized plush which has a decent mix. I will try and post later some other company's you could try. Zeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted April 17, 2008 Author Share Posted April 17, 2008 well zeke this guy is actually a friend of mine and instead of kicking me out he is willing to let me stay.I really dont have a problem selling his stuff out of my crane.if we both benifit from it.then I dont have another location so Im kinda stuck for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronzo Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Was wondering on the cranes, is $900 too much to pay for a I.C.E. crane. And are they worth that much? Also the guy has a smart crane both 42 in and 54 for around 5-600 hundred. Is this about the right price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted August 26, 2008 Author Share Posted August 26, 2008 if the smart crane works good I would yes.I paid double that for mine,although it was still cheaper then most I had seen online.also I have the bigger one,if I had a choice I woulda got the smaller one.most locations will have limeted room. it is also easier to remove and relocate a smaller machine if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecoastvending Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Where do you guys buy your plush? Who has the best price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronzo Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 thanks for the info. Just putting out several racks and would like to put a couple of cranes in addition. Always wondered what the average take was on it if it is set up in a super market or where there is quite a bit of traffic. Someone I believe on this post mentioned it could be about $400 a week, is that right? If not what is the average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 hey crane guys I need your help(again).is the dbv the same in this smart jumbo machine as what they have in megatouch video games?I believe it is a 2000 series. I am not sure if they are compatible since the crane ight have a down stacker as oposed to the upstacker they have on megatouches,but I didnt check since I had no tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Sorry to say...pull your crane and look for another location. I would never let anyone tell me what to put in my cranes. Again Merchandising is the key to a succesful crane location, so if they want to handcuff you you'll have no chance to see a good return on your investment. Also $300.00 seems way too high for one bag of plush. I pay 110 for med sized plush which has a decent mix. I will try and post later some other company's you could try. Zeke actually the price was for a case of plush not a bag.(144)I am in need of new plush,what suppliers do you reccomend?I am asking in case in the mean time you might have another source for plush. there was a member here that sold the stuff but I can`t remember who. btw I can sell whatever I want out of the crane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spdydre Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Is there a certain good manufacturer for the crane machines? How do you guys get these located? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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