leftyvendor Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Coke/Pepsi or buy my own? Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Coke/Pepsi or buy my own? Any thoughts? Buy your own - the cost of a good soda machine is minimal compared to the problems dealing with bottlers. By the time you sell 10,000 cans you'll have paid for your own machine versus paying bottler prices. You should be able to sell that many cans in a year and you won't be restricted as to what you can sell or how much to buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Coke/Pepsi or buy my own? Any thoughts? IMO you should buy your own, this will force you to learn how to work on your machines and not be dependent on the bottlers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyvendor Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Thanks for the advice. Although I am just starting out, I have been attempting to do my due diligence. I have been asking a lot a questions to locating services. They have been giving me advice as starting with 6 combo machines or setting up 10 locations with Coke/Pepsi (free) machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orsd Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 No Don't buy combos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 No Don't buy combos Compost, Combos -same thing. Steer clear of the locators Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orsd Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 You saw me screw up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyvendor Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 I didn't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 As stated here, do yourself a favor and try hard to avoid locators. They generally only get subpar locations for soda and snack vending and they charge a fortune. You need to learn from experience and trial and error how to determine what a good account would be, how to approach it and how to secure it. Locators won't teach you this, they will only give you locations they may or may not have visited, locations they may or may not have followed your instructions on as to area located, vend price, type of machine, etc., and these locations will be crappy, leading to them maybe or maybe not replacing them for you. Please don't try to get into vending without doing the legwork associated with it, as this will lead you to a very long and disappointing learning curve. I know how hard it is to imagine walking into a business unsolicited, hoping to find someone to give you the time of day and then to say yes to a vending machine, but this is how you will learn to do it. Try to think of locations where friends or family can give you a contact name at least. If you don't have the time to build the business up yourself and you are bound and determined to get into it, then you need to find an existing route for sale that can support you, but you will need the cash to buy it. Nothing in this business is free except your time. One alternative available to you is to scour Craigslist in your area and sooner or later you will come across ads for vending machines on location. You can buy one or two at a time this way, or maybe even several machines, but you must do your due diligence before plopping down the money to ensure you don't get taken. If you do the Craigslist thing, post a link to an ad you're interested in and we can all help you evaluate it. Craigslist is also a good source for used machines you can buy and prep for eventual accounts you will find. The last thing you want to do is win a new account and then not have a machine available to put in it. You must be prepared in advance so you can act quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Thanks for the advice. Although I am just starting out, I have been attempting to do my due diligence. I have been asking a lot a questions to locating services. They have been giving me advice as starting with 6 combo machines or setting up 10 locations with Coke/Pepsi (free) machines. If you are amenable, I would be interested in learning which locator you are talking to. There are many out there, some are outright scammers, others that can sell but are incompetent at other aspects of running a true locator service which leaves a trail of unsatisifed customers in their wake. Finally, there are a VERY FEW that are actually worth a crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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