sbreland84 Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Hi, Im new to these forums and i just started my vending business. Ive been wanting to start this business venture for some time now but never found the money nor confidence to take the plunge. But this year i decided to try it out. I bought 2 Antares mechanical combo machines for $200 each, I have secured what i believe to be good locations, an apartment complex laundromat and a tire shop lobby. next week ill get my business licenses. Does anyone have any advice for a new startup like me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKK Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 sell those machines and do it right. ur gonna hate those machines. really. just look for a FULL SIZE single price coke machine, buy 2-3. cheap. for $200-$400 a piece. PLACE them in those 2 locations. the apartments will do good if they are big and if they all have to do laundry there. if they are newer with individual washer/dryer hookups they wont do as good. start getting the hang of it buy ur cokes at sams, or walmart get pricematch deals for now to keep ur low COGS now. you can register ur business and all but id wait. dont wait as much as i did lol, but wait til u know its a business you want to start. if they start doing good buy a real snack machine. used. craigslist. a trie shop WILL NOT DO GOOD. trust me, i didnt listen to people on here on the tire shops, and they make me like $40 a month on a coke machine. they suck! dont even put a coke machine there, maybe a bulk candy. good luck, but dont get those machines! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparta_Automation Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Try to upgrade to full size machines as soon as possible. The machines that you purchased, while useable.....and just barely. They are known to have issues, not all that reliable and basically a pain in the ........ With all that being said, congrats on your new adventure. Don't expect it to be easy, but it can be rewarding. Once you have your business license, look into the requirments for a reseller permit (tax exempt status) so that you are not paying taxes on your purchase of items for your machines. Be mindful of spoilage...and provide the best customer service as possible. Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbreland84 Posted February 23, 2013 Author Share Posted February 23, 2013 thank you both for the quick replies and advice, i intend on upgrading the machines ASAP and to be honest, the construction of the machines i have make me a little wary of putting them in certain locations, however assuming i keep with these machines until i can afford to upgrade, what locations should i look into for them, both profitable and relatively safe? Also how do i find out about a reseller permit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Hi, Im new to these forums and i just started my vending business. Ive been wanting to start this business venture for some time now but never found the money nor confidence to take the plunge. But this year i decided to try it out. I bought 2 Antares mechanical combo machines for $200 each, I have secured what i believe to be good locations, an apartment complex laundromat and a tire shop lobby. next week ill get my business licenses. Does anyone have any advice for a new startup like me? Glad you decided to make the jump into vending, its hard work but can also be rewarding. Antares machines IMO are not a good choice, Antares is out of business and probably the only way to get get parts is to buy other machines and part them out. You have them now so I would suggest either selling them or working them until you are sick of them or they break and then replace them. Fortunately its a relatively small amount of money involved. Take some to read and learn and we will be more than happy to provide advice as needed. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparta_Automation Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Reseller permits is a function of your state department of revenue (tax office). I will tell you though that once you get your license and reseller permit, you absolutely have to ensure that you file taxes and pay them regularly..... Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbreland84 Posted February 23, 2013 Author Share Posted February 23, 2013 i found a small vending repair shop near me this morning that sells lots of the antares parts, also they are super cheap. I figure that that will help me until i can get better machines, but i only have a small investment to use and most of it is already gone. Also full size vending machines are difficult to find for under $1000 in my area even on Craigslist. can anyone tell me where i can find cheap machines near the Mississippi gulf coast? i can travel to Louisiana, Alabama, or Florida. BTW im an electric engineer so i repair all my own machines so broken machines with cheap repairs are ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbreland84 Posted February 23, 2013 Author Share Posted February 23, 2013 okay got some info on the laundromat location. the apartment complex doesnt have washer/dryer hookups, its low income, and 36 units with roughly 100 occupants, the laundromat is also 24/hrs and public so they get alot of traffic from the neighborhood. now the catch, they have a coca cola machine maintained by the local coke company, but the landlord wants commission, so she's dropping the coke company in favor of me if i give her a cut. also the laundromat is same building as landlords office with a security guard/police officer living upstairs in same building. What are everyones thoughts on this location and what % should i offer her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 okay got some info on the laundromat location. the apartment complex doesnt have washer/dryer hookups, its low income, and 36 units with roughly 100 occupants, the laundromat is also 24/hrs and public so they get alot of traffic from the neighborhood. now the catch, they have a coca cola machine maintained by the local coke company, but the landlord wants commission, so she's dropping the coke company in favor of me if i give her a cut. also the laundromat is same building as landlords office with a security guard/police officer living upstairs in same building. What are everyones thoughts on this location and what % should i offer her? Unfortunately, the chance that those Antares machines would last a week in either a laundromat or low income apartment building is slim to none. These can be great accounts but you need rock solid equipment. I'd offer the laundromat 25% of gross on the sodas only and jack your prices to a buck a can. On the bright side, if you do place your Antares machines in these accounts you'll soon be out of your misery with them. The "catch 22" with these low end combo machines (Antares being about the lowest) is that the only locations suitable for them are not economically feasible if you actually plan on making any money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparta_Automation Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 25% of gross.....they are not getting any commission now it sounds, so why go in at 25% of gross....I would start at 10 - 15% and work up from there if needed. Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbreland84 Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 okay now ive worked up a new plan, I can see the antares machines were a bad idea so im still going to locate them to an office environment, if they dont prove marginally profitable then ill sell them locations included for what i paid for them and 3 months revenue (projected if need be) while at the same time get a few good brand soda machines on the cheap, $400-$600 each and set up in the complex laundromat and other locations, using my profits to buy snack machines for all locations then moving on with soda/snack machines in more locations. From what ive read on this forum and the great help ive gotten I think this is a better idea from my original Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparta_Automation Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 That is a much better plan. Keep visiting the site....ask questions as you need. Before long, you will be answering questions as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Reseller permits is a function of your state department of revenue (tax office). I will tell you though that once you get your license and reseller permit, you absolutely have to ensure that you file taxes and pay them regularly..... Travis It's been my understanding that laundromats are kind of greedy Travis. 10% would be better but 25% of gross at a buck a pop still leaves you 75 cents which is what most of us charge anyway. I don't do laundromats so I'm going on some of Dogcow's posts I've read - it sounds like he's got several of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparta_Automation Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 You know.....I can't disagree with you on anything that you just said...... Travis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunCandy Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 i found a small vending repair shop near me this morning that sells lots of the antares parts, also they are super cheap. I figure that that will help me until i can get better machines, but i only have a small investment to use and most of it is already gone. Also full size vending machines are difficult to find for under $1000 in my area even on Craigslist. can anyone tell me where i can find cheap machines near the Mississippi gulf coast? i can travel to Louisiana, Alabama, or Florida. BTW im an electric engineer so i repair all my own machines so broken machines with cheap repairs are ok That is the hard part to find cheap machines! I search CL daily and all I find is the junk manual machines for $1000 plus! I find small coke machines all the time and they think they sitting on a pot of gold! $500 plus or will swap for guns! I called a seller for a large Pepsi machine in New Orleans and he told me I was to far, wanted to keep machine local?. Came across a guy wanting to sell a new bottle coke machine for $200, I told him it's not worth going to jail for it, Thanks! Yes I'm ranting, but if you look long enough, you will find machines. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 That is the hard part to find cheap machines! I search CL daily and all I find is the junk manual machines for $1000 plus! I find small coke machines all the time and they think they sitting on a pot of gold! $500 plus or will swap for guns! I called a seller for a large Pepsi machine in New Orleans and he told me I was to far, wanted to keep machine local? . Came across a guy wanting to sell a new bottle coke machine for $200, I told him it's not worth going to jail for it, Thanks! Yes I'm ranting, but if you look long enough, you will find machines. mike Yep Mike, That's why when you see a good deal, you have to be able to jump on it and be able to store it until you need it - even here in the land of a million unused vending machines, the good deals are few and far between Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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