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So i have between 50-100k to start a vending business. What machines would you recommend i get. My thought was to get combo machines and try and find a market in dance studios and martial arts places, but im quickly seeing not too many people like the idea of combos. So please send me some advice.

 

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Stay away from combos, I find they're very ineffective for vending. Stick to commercial grade, US Made machines. Lookup National and Dixie Narco vending machines online.

The other guys on here will give you good advice and some of them can sell you parts/machines. You'd have to ask them.

Goodluck!

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With the type of investment you are willing to make, you would be better off purchasing full size, dedicated product machines, because they are the most common machines to find.  If you get deep into vending you will understand that dedicated soda and snack machines are the mainstay of this business. 

 

With that size investment, you have two choices to begin with.  One direction is to grow slowly, purchasing a couple of soda machines and find blue collar accounts to place them into.  Once you are comfortable with your toe in vending, then you can purchase more machines to put into more accounts.  Growing slowly will allow you to learn the business as you go so you are better prepared for the pitfalls down the road. 

 

Your second option is to find a local vending company/route that is for sale and purchase a going concern that will provide you with instant cash flow.  The learning curve is very tight doing it that way, but it is the only way to have income right off the bat.

 

If you think you may end up investing all that cash into vending, you could lose it very quickly by trying to get into combo machines.  If you really want to be a full line vendor, you will have to use the proper full size equipment which will get you the best return on that investment.

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My preference AP 112 or AP 113...... Good buys and can't go wrong.... Good field ready. You will pay from $800 to $1300.....

 

Nothing but D/N 276  D/N 276 E and up. Vendo is my next choice if D/N aren't available.  Expect to pay for good field ready. $600 to $1300.

 

Until you are familiar with Vendors find someone you can trust. Set 1 or 2 locations. 

 

$100 a week account is $5200 a year gross. 1/2 of that or $2600 is what that account will be worth if you were to sell it. I wouldn't put more than $2600 in it. 

So a nice AP 112 or AP 113 would cost you $1300 and Nice D/N 501E will cost you $1300 or $2600 total. You can expect to get your money back if you were to decide to get out. 

 

Combos don't hold enough. You want to collect $100 every time you service the account.

 

If you are buying accounts make sure the equipment is worth the purchase price. You can loose the account if you don't service it well.

 

You will never loose a account from good service but you will for bad service.......

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First off congratulations on finding this place before making huge mistakes, many don’t.

 

Stay away from combo machines and away from karate studios and dance studios and any similar type locations is my first advice. Second advice is to stay away from bizops and some locator services. Some locator services work out well many do not. The ONLY machines to buy are National, USI, AP, and AMS machines.

 

Like others have said another option is buying an existing route but that usually is not a good deal based on most routes I have ever seen for sale. They are some good ones out there but it is few and far between.

 

Be VERY careful with your money and don’t rush to buy machines, locations, etc without educating yourself and without a solid plan.

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My preference AP 112 or AP 113...... Good buys and can't go wrong....

Absolutely!! I bought a 113 a few months ago, and that thing is awesome. built like a tank and looks nice and works flawlessly all the time.

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Hey Roger,

 

If you like those Vendo's so dang much I could make you a "two for one" deal - two 511's for one 660, come get em

(please)

 

I agree with most of the above - combos can't hold enough product to handle a profitable account (the only kind you'll want - trust me )

 

I personally prefer the AP and Royal machines - both rock solid

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So i have between 50-100k to start a vending business. What machines would you recommend i get. My thought was to get combo machines and try and find a market in dance studios and martial arts places, but im quickly seeing not too many people like the idea of combos. So please send me some advice.

Read and learn. I'll go ahead and plug RJT's book because its very good for a beginner. Get it and read it before you buy any machines.

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If you want dependable machines you can't go wrong with Ap 113's.  My 113 has the Vendors Exchange kit w/guaranteed delivery with Mars 7512 and mars validator that accepts $1 -$20 bills and have one tube of dollar coins for change.  Definitely increased sales.

If you want to go a little more late model on candy, I would look for AP 933D (studio 3 series) which are MDB and have golden eye. That is what I try and buy when looking for machines.  I also have quite a few Rowe 5900's, but parts are getting harder to come by since that is an obsolete machine.  Other than board conversions to MDB on the 5900's there isn't a guaranteed delivery system for them.  Guaranteed delivery is definitely the way to go, it saves service calls, which saves the machines from get mis-treated, which saves money!!!  Bottom line...good equipment, less service calls, money in your pocket.

 

If I was buying soda machines for a start up I would buy Vendo 621 or 721's.  They vend everything from cans to 24oz without shims or anything extra.  I just love mine.

 

Dixie Narcos were a great machine until Pepsi changed their bottles.  Now the double columns jam too much.  I don't think Dixie did enough research on those bottles to make them work correctly.

 

Royal GIII's are a wonderful machine also, but are hard to find other than from Coca Cola and they don't sell them, they either rebuild them or junk them.

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Hey Roger, If you like those Vendo's so dang much I could make you a "two for one" deal - two 511's for one 660, come get em(please) I agree with most of the above - combos can't hold enough product to handle a profitable account (the only kind you'll want - trust me ) I personally prefer the AP and Royal machines - both rock solid

I would take you up on that if I had royal 660. nothing wrong with vendo 511if it is used for cans. get rid of the fluorescent bulbs and put LEDs in it. just bought 64 inch LED lights for $50.

how many 5 11 do you have

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I strongly recommend you start out by investing about $3,000 or less on a decent USED snack and soda machine from a distributor AFTER you find a decent location.

 

The fact that you brought up karate and dance tells me that you might have no idea how much people buy on vending (or don't buy for that matter).  One thing you CANNOT do is to simply make up numbers as to how much an account could make (ie. pretend that a karate place with 20 adults would each spend $5/day, 6 days each week for a total of $600/week.  That place might do $15/week in reality).

 

After you have found a decent location (30+ employees), and AFTER you have purchased 2 quality used machines from a DISTRIBUTOR, you can have them deliver the equipment and set it up for you.  This will save you a LOT of trouble.  All you will have to do is stock up the machines and fill the coin mechs.

 

The reason why I would prefer that you do this first is because you could get seriously burnt trying to buy a business and you could easily spend 50-100k on equipment at locations that don't make enough money.  Let's just say you bought 60k worth of machines.  You could get about 20 brand new full-size snack/soda machines.  Let's also say that you got 10 accounts that averaged $100/week at each account (pretty decent account, but not for new equipment).  Assuming your prices are good, you might bring home maybe $40/week per account (if you are lucky).  Those 10 accounts profiting $40/week [each] would net you about $20,000/year.  That's pretty good as it would only take you 3 years to pay itself off, BUT that is ASSUMING that you don't lose any accounts and each count grosses at LEAST $100/week.  

 

Honestly, if you did a decent job, you might keep most of these hypothetical accounts for 5+ years and profit $100,000 but you will really regret this if you find that you don't really care for the business after lets say 3 years.  You may have broken even (maybe) and you may even profit if you sold the business later, but you might have trouble selling out too.

 

On the flip side, you could buy a business for about 100k that might already have about 50k+ in annual cashflow.  You would most likely be working full-time and deal with a variety of equipment and have to learn REAL FAST how to operate everything, but you could also hire a driver to do everything for you and live with passive income.  It's just a gamble because you can get burnt by the owner who is exaggerating (or just telling complete lies) about his numbers.  

 

If I had the type of investment you had (and I had it right now, with my knowledge of the business), I would buy a business.  I would also take out a loan and use my cash as collateral, but that's my financial ways of doing things.  The reason why I would buy a business is because I have the knowledge (vending knowledge in general) and the business mind to know I could handle it.  Also, a typical vending business that is reasonable worth that type of investment is going to have probably well over 50 machines, and it may be grossing 150k/year  This is useful because losing one or two accounts from the get go won't destroy your business.  I would NEVER bet on the idea that I will have the same amount of accounts going into a deal as I would six months after I bought the business.  You're going to lose something, but the existing business will be full of contact information and possibly an employee or two that will be able to handle everything.

 

Seeing that you appear to be a baby to the industry, I really advise you to start out very small first (and possibly buy a really small business for a few grand as well with some machines on location) so that you won't risk all of your investment.

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I would take you up on that if I had royal 660. nothing wrong with vendo 511if it is used for cans. get rid of the fluorescent bulbs and put LEDs in it. just bought 64 inch LED lights for $50.

how many 5 11 do you have

Too many - actually there's 6, 511's and a couple of 601's. Between the sticky inner doors, weak gauge bars and shaky plastic coin chutes I'd be glad to done with all of them.  And how could I forget all the shims and various motors that should be interchangeable but often aren't and the flavor strips you can barely access and that stupid "sold out" paddle that won't let the last 5 cans vend and if you do empty one for moving purposes, you have to remember to prime all the columns or it will shoot blanks for the first two or three vends. Oh yeah,  the only way to actually empty one is to remove all the gauge bars and hope you can catch the cans before they do the suicide dive all over your customer's floor.

 

It's seems like Vendo built the machine before they finished designing it.

 

You still want them ?  ;D

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Too many - actually there's 6, 511's and a couple of 601's. Between the sticky inner doors, weak gauge bars and shaky plastic coin chutes I'd be glad to done with all of them.  And how could I forget all the shims and various motors that should be interchangeable but often aren't and the flavor strips you can barely access and that stupid "sold out" paddle that won't let the last 5 cans vend and if you do empty one for moving purposes, you have to remember to prime all the columns or it will shoot blanks for the first two or three vends. Oh yeah,  the only way to actually empty one is to remove all the gauge bars and hope you can catch the cans before they do the suicide dive all over your customer's floor.

 

It's seems like Vendo built the machine before they finished designing it.

 

You still want them ?  ;D

Just say you hate Vendo's moondog!

 

;D  ;D  ;D

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Next time you unload a 511 take the motor cover off. Stick your foot in the can chute push the motor switch down on column #1 and push the door switch in. Those last two  or three will fall and while the motor is turning to reload release the switch and push #2 motor switch down and then the next. Usually after about 3 columns you will have to stop and remove the cans/bottles out of chute. Then start over where you left off.

 

After filling the vendor take the motor cover off and hold #1 motor switch down and push the inner door switch after #1 loads move to #2 switch and hold it down while #1 is still finishing its vend. As soon as #1 is done #2 will start its cycle and load the cans/bottles. Do this for each column until all columns have primed. Takes about 30 sec. You have learned one good thing all your motors work and you won't have to return.

 

As for leaving cans and bottles past the sold out paddle. It was done with the customer in mine. That way your customer never ever gets a hot drink. It is always read to serve a cold beverage to that paying customer.

 

If you don't try and jam that last can bottle in at the top you know that spot that you only have to push it in they are not as prone to jam.

 

The Vendo 511 came out while D/N was still trying to make a bottle vendor that worked. At the time it was the best made until the 501-E was perfected. Royal was behind the times and Cavalier was junk.

 

I make my money selling D/N's and AP's I make the rest working on Vendos, National, USI, and Royals.  ;D  ;D  ;D

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Next time you unload a 511 take the motor cover off. Stick your foot in the can chute push the motor switch down on column #1 and push the door switch in. Those last two  or three will fall and while the motor is turning to reload release the switch and push #2 motor switch down and then the next. Usually after about 3 columns you will have to stop and remove the cans/bottles out of chute. Then start over where you left off.

 

After filling the vendor take the motor cover off and hold #1 motor switch down and push the inner door switch after #1 loads move to #2 switch and hold it down while #1 is still finishing its vend. As soon as #1 is done #2 will start its cycle and load the cans/bottles. Do this for each column until all columns have primed. Takes about 30 sec. You have learned one good thing all your motors work and you won't have to return.

 

As for leaving cans and bottles past the sold out paddle. It was done with the customer in mine. That way your customer never ever gets a hot drink. It is always read to serve a cold beverage to that paying customer.

 

If you don't try and jam that last can bottle in at the top you know that spot that you only have to push it in they are not as prone to jam.

 

The Vendo 511 came out while D/N was still trying to make a bottle vendor that worked. At the time it was the best made until the 501-E was perfected. Royal was behind the times and Cavalier was junk.

 

I make my money selling D/N's and AP's I make the rest working on Vendos, National, USI, and Royals.  ;D  ;D  ;D

 

Well that certainly explains why I don't have most of these problems with my 501e's - Vendo got to be the guinea pig.  That said, my deal still stands  ;D

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Well that certainly explains why I don't have most of these problems with my 501e's - Vendo got to be the guinea pig.  That said, my deal still stands  ;D

 

I might have to come back out to Cali next summer to get my trailer extended. If I do I will call you and we might be able to come up with a deal.

 

I believe it was the late 90's Pepsi was going to set a university here and they needed 75 bottle vendors and D/N couldn't fill the order fast enough and Vendo had just what we needed. That was the first ones we got. 

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I might have to come back out to Cali next summer to get my trailer extended. If I do I will call you and we might be able to come up with a deal.

 

I believe it was the late 90's Pepsi was going to set a university here and they needed 75 bottle vendors and D/N couldn't fill the order fast enough and Vendo had just what we needed. That was the first ones we got. 

Yep, Pepsi is big on Vendos - don't know if I can stand them til next summer tho, I really need some bigger, better machines.  The Vendos only vend 450 cans and that's not cutting it with some of my accounts

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This is full line vending, not bulk, if you would service more than once a month the 450 can capacity would be plenty. Lol

 

Full line you say - maybe that's why I can't get those "eggs" to vend too good  ;D   In all seriousness here, I have several Vendo's that are requiring once a week service and I really need to get some bigger equipment in there.  If the other machines in these accounts merited once a week servicing, it would be no big deal but right now it's extra stops I shouldn't be making.

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Hey Roger,

 

If you like those Vendo's so dang much I could make you a "two for one" deal - two 511's for one 660, come get em

(please)

 

I agree with most of the above - combos can't hold enough product to handle a profitable account (the only kind you'll want - trust me )

 

I personally prefer the AP and Royal machines - both rock solid

 

 

I'm with you, man. I can't believe all the hate I hear for the Royals. I love 'em. They're awesome. Vendos are great, too. As long as you vend the right product out of them. And if one gets accidentally tipped over, trash it. It'll never ever be reliable again.

 

Now Dixies? Those things give me fits. Can't stand 'em.

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I just wanted to thank everyone for your time and opinions. One thing I left out is I bought in to a vending business op and just won’t see my ROI so I already have it stuck in my head I need the nice new combo machines but I have taken every thing everyone said in to consideration and hope to build a profitable vending route. At first I was looking at quantity not quality but you guys deff changed my mind on all of that. I still wish someone would say yes go buy the cheap combos but one day ill get that out of my head.

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