pp47021 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I am new to bulk candy but have been doing soda machines for awhile. Bulk vending has caught my attention over the past 4 months and I have been looking for a good deal. Recently I found a route that consists of 45 vendstar 3000 and 6000's on locations and making money. I traveled the route and confirmed that it is making about $500-$600 a month. Many of the locations are very poor some machines only had $2 or $4 dollars in them while others had over $60. I expect to have to move at least half of these machines that are currently on location. In addition there are 20 more machines in storage along with three other machines that are not complete and have been saved for parts. The machines on the route are about half full of candy as well. I can pick them up for an average of just under $54 per machine including the ones that are not on the route. So 65 machines for about $3,500 45 on route and have candy. I know many people are not huge fans of the vendstars and I have read you should only pick them up if they are a really good deal. This seems like a really good deal to me but I am new so I don't want to get burned. Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 For good-earning locations, $54 each isn't a bad deal in my book. If you are comfortable with the current numbers you are getting, and think you can increase it by relocating various machines, I think it would be a good move- but it could take you a bit to get your money back. If you are familiar with the vending industry, and can self-locate, than you should be okay. Also, should that fail, you could get rid of the machines on eBay for $65+ each and still come out ahead. But that's time and effort. It's all a tradeoff, but I'm glad you've done your homework so far. Hopefully some more experienced members will chime in with their opinions. Good luck pp47021! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pp47021 Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 How hard is it to find good locations? I know it is really hard to locate full size soda machines but they are huge take up lots of floor space require electricity etc. I would think these are easier but is that true? How many doors do you have to knock on to place a machine? What kinds of places seem to be the highest profit producers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Restaurants and other high-traffic venues are best. Now, this may just be my region, but I've found more and more people are hopping into vending as a "get rich quick" sort of endeavor. Lot's of A-grade spots I've hit will tell me they'd let me in, but they couldn't because such and such relative has one little machine in the corner, and it'd upset them if I stuck a professional setup in there. I used to be pretty much bent on self-locating everything I was using, but eventually turned to locators after hitting more than 100 places without any luck. While it's definitely easier than placing a soda machine, you have a lot more "small" hurdles. If you can muster the will to move forward though, there isn't anything the bulk side of vending can throw at you that you can't handle. The machines are pretty straightforward, products are relatively easy to acquire, and short of theft and vandalism, most machines will last a very long time. Whatever you choose, good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedvender Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Pull out the Dead weight and slowly work on the good earners and maybe if you have some doing real good Add a second machine with diffrent products to offer more selection. Helps keep others out. Good luck If your Cashflowing Your averaging 11-13 a machine pull the dead and get your average up to 18-20 range. Then use then work on self locating and if need be use a locater to get better ones as your cash will allow. With a lot of work and some luck Wich comes from a lot of work you should just about double the cashflow with just the 45 and the extra will be gravy when you can get them placed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedvender Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 While I am New to bulk vending I have ran a route before. Did the Mini Mart sandwiches. Argued with the boss a few times when your on commision it was worth it unless the stop made a certian dollar amount. 30 dollar stop 2.10 4 stops like that an hour 8.40 an hour Min wage was 4.25 then. 15 dollar stop 1.05 4 stops 4.20 Less them Min. That wasn't even accounting for shrinkage. It wasn't worth anyones time. The math just didn't work out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pp47021 Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Pull out the Dead weight and slowly work on the good earners and maybe if you have some doing real good Add a second machine with diffrent products to offer more selection. Helps keep others out. Good luck If your Cashflowing Your averaging 11-13 a machine pull the dead and get your average up to 18-20 range. Then use then work on self locating and if need be use a locater to get better ones as your cash will allow. With a lot of work and some luck Wich comes from a lot of work you should just about double the cashflow with just the 45 and the extra will be gravy when you can get them placed. I plan to work on getting the 20 in storage out first, even if they are at bad locations at least I will not have to store them and they will be making something instead of costing me something. Then I will start identifying my lowest preforming 10 machines each month and attempting to move them until I get all my machines at an average I like. Does this sound like a good plan? When you say 18-20 is that per week or per month? Per week sounds a bit high to me but maybe it is not. I was thinking if I could get 10 per week 40 per month I would be killing it. What locator have you used in the past? Is SAMS the best route to go to buy the candy or is there someplace cheaper online? Thanks for all the help and advise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedvender Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 that was I plan to work on getting the 20 in storage out first, even if they are at bad locations at least I will not have to store them and they will be making something instead of costing me something. Then I will start identifying my lowest preforming 10 machines each month and attempting to move them until I get all my machines at an average I like. Does this sound like a good plan? When you say 18-20 is that per week or per month? Per week sounds a bit high to me but maybe it is not. I was thinking if I could get 10 per week 40 per month I would be killing it. What locator have you used in the past? Is SAMS the best route to go to buy the candy or is there someplace cheaper online? Thanks for all the help and advise... Sounds like a good plan The 18-20 was a per month. I used All vending locators. They were not to bad. I am just starting out myself I got 13 vendstars and then plan on branching out from there. 40 a mont for a spot would be killing it have heard of some doing 80-100 but most of those are few and far between. For candy Sam's seems to be the Best I have found. Costco is a little Cheeper on nuts and Trail mix ect. But candy I would give it to sams. Some have said they are paying more then I am for M&M's my sams the 56 oz are 6.46 Although if your not carefull you could grab the 48 oz bag and those are 9.89 Also that is what the Dark Pretzel and Peanutbutter ones sell for. So I have just Stuck with the Plain and Peanut. Key to making money is keeping you vend cost to .08 cents or less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerformaVending Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Another option is to find a restaurant or grocery wholesaler. They sell me the same bags of candy you can get at Sam's a little cheaper, and they deliver to my door for free if I order enough each time. They aren't too hard to find, just check a phone book for wholesalers. Just don't let them bully you around because you're "small client". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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