ANDCvending Posted April 11, 2018 Share Posted April 11, 2018 Hello Everyone! Me and my husband are just new to vending machine business. We currently have 2 combo (snacks and drinks) machine that is ready to be shipped out as soon as we secure a location for the machine. With that being said and as a new in the business i think we are going to hire a Vending locator to help us find locations for those 2 machines. As me and my husband are currently has a fulltime job too. Anyone who have use www.ablhome.com owned by Richard Campbell. He charge 600/machine. The other locator i was planning to hire is www.qualityvendinglocations.com by Peter (i dont know his last name) but when i did some research it looks like Peter is the also the Peter from Prime Vending locations which has tons of complaints from ripoff site, BBB. as well as here in vendiscuss. Anyone can recommend a trusted locator? We are very excited about this business as my husband is somehow mechanically knowledgeable and very interested in venturing this business. I would greatly appreciate all your inputs.. thank you in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacanteen Posted April 11, 2018 Share Posted April 11, 2018 Welcome to the forum. If you had come here first and searched "combo machine" you would quickly find out that most combo machines do not make money. The reason is because they don't hold enough product to satisfy a busy location. The only combo machines that make money need to be filled 2 or more times a week, and the cost of filling hits the bottom line hard. The sweet spot is $100 per week per machine, but that's for full sized machines. Your drink capacity above is 150 drinks, and snacks are 180 capacity. The optimum fill level is 65% depleted. In your case, that's 97 drinks and 117 snacks. The reality is, drinks normally sell twice the volume of snacks. So this machine would look empty way before the 65% depleted threshold. That said, paying a locator $600 sounds high to me, but realize, your machine must sell $1,500 in product just to pay him. That's not paying anything else, like inventory, change fund, gas, sales tax, product liability insurance, general liability insurance, cost of moving the machine to the location, to name a few. Who's the manufacturer of that machine? It doesn't look familiar to me. Again, welcome, and now that I've broken the ice, the rest of our comrades will hopefully chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDCvending Posted April 11, 2018 Author Share Posted April 11, 2018 9 minutes ago, lacanteen said: Welcome to the forum. If you had come here first and searched "combo machine" you would quickly find out that most combo machines do not make money. The reason is because they don't hold enough product to satisfy a busy location. The only combo machines that make money need to be filled 2 or more times a week, and the cost of filling hits the bottom line hard. The sweet spot is $100 per week per machine, but that's for full sized machines. Your drink capacity above is 150 drinks, and snacks are 180 capacity. The optimum fill level is 65% depleted. In your case, that's 97 drinks and 117 snacks. The reality is, drinks normally sell twice the volume of snacks. So this machine would look empty way before the 65% depleted threshold. That said, paying a locator $600 sounds high to me, but realize, your machine must sell $1,500 in product just to pay him. That's not paying anything else, like inventory, change fund, gas, sales tax, product liability insurance, general liability insurance, cost of moving the machine to the location, to name a few. Who's the manufacturer of that machine? It doesn't look familiar to me. Again, welcome, and now that I've broken the ice, the rest of our comrades will hopefully chime in. Thank you lacanteen! I bought the machine brand new at the discount vending store they have their warehouse at Colorado. It is a DVS Duravend 5C Our plan is to locate it somewhere close to us (either close to our jobs or close to our home) and see how it goes first. And also if it needs stocking we can maybe do it 2x a week as what you think might happen. You are right the $600 per location seems too high that’s why I am having my second thoughts about it, plus I just spoke to the locator and the only mode of payment he can do is by check or cash deposited to Wells Fargo acount. Meaning I can’t use my credit card. I am thinking if it is a scam I can somehow dispute the charge thru my credit card. But with depositing thru bank account I am not sure....Should l worry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57thTom Posted April 11, 2018 Share Posted April 11, 2018 Why can't I find a page showing what company makes Duravend vending machines? I find that the name Duravend is a registered trademark of Vendors International, Inc., but I can't find the corporate page of Vendors International, Inc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted April 11, 2018 Share Posted April 11, 2018 Cancel the purchase and do your homework here first. Otherwise you are sure to never make enough money from it to pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57thTom Posted April 11, 2018 Share Posted April 11, 2018 Hunan TCN Vending Machine Co., Ltd Hunan, China perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDCvending Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 24 minutes ago, 57thTom said: Hunan TCN Vending Machine Co., Ltd Hunan, China perhaps? It might be. The one I bought it from is discountvendingstore.com but we actually went to their warehouse at colorado and purchased it there. It might also be the change the name of the actual machine to DVS thus initialized the name Discount Vending store Here is the link https://discountvending.com/shop/new-vending-machines/new-combo-machines/dvs-duravend-5c-combo-vending-machine/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDCvending Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 1 hour ago, AZVendor said: Cancel the purchase and do your homework here first. Otherwise you are sure to never make enough money from it to pay for it. Aaawww.. I already paid for it https://discountvending.com/shop/new-vending-machines/new-combo-machines/dvs-duravend-5c-combo-vending-machine/ I think they would have to take 20% restocking if i cancel the order even though it’s not shipped out yet. Do you think i better to ask to exchange it to a different machine? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57thTom Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 It looks like this machine..... http://tcnvending.manufacturer.globalsources.com/si/6008853009218/pdtl/Hot-cold-beverage-vending-machine/1157676679/Vending-Machine.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDCvending Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 7 minutes ago, 57thTom said: It looks like this machine..... http://tcnvending.manufacturer.globalsources.com/si/6008853009218/pdtl/Hot-cold-beverage-vending-machine/1157676679/Vending-Machine.htm Yes i think that’s it. We were taught how to manipulate and troubleshoot the machine in Colorado. But they also offer lifetime support thru phone is something comes up with the machine. Do you recommend that I exchange the machine? They have Seaga Infinity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orsd Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 In a few years, that machine will be worthless. It will break, and no one will have parts for it. Seaga's are not much better. Ask if they have any Dixie Narco, Vendo or Royal soda machines you can exchange those for. For snack, get Crane, National, AMS or AP. If not, just cancel the order and eat the 20%. You will save money in the long run. If you get these instead: https://www.vendingworld.com/automatic-products-lcm3-mdb-board-1-candy-shelf-snack-machine-euro.php https://www.vendingworld.com/dixie-narco-501e-20-oz-bottle-machine-pepsi-globe.php You will be miles ahead. Not only are they cheaper, they will last longer than the machines you were going to buy, even though these machines are refurbished. Also, when they do break, literally any vending supplier will have parts for them, and any tech will know how to work on these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Please don't buy anything from them as all they seem to sell is crappy imported garbage. Or is that garbagy imported crap? And just because Seaga is based in Minnesota doesn't mean all of their machines aren't imported crap. The assemble the machine here but they are built from imported parts and then they have horrible support. Also, anyone who offers lifetime support is lying and they are also hoping that you fail and don't end up calling for help. For just starting out you never want to buy new because your chances of success are tiny and most new vendors end up selling their machines for pennies on the dollar. This is not just a flippant answer but rather the truth. I've seen it hundreds of times in the last 33 years. Combo machines are also not the way to start because they only lend themselves to small locations that the machine can support. You want big locations so you can make money. Now, if you'll instead be smart and read this forum and search through it for a few weeks then you can get a grasp of what it takes to be successful. Just wanting to be successful doesn't make it happen. Smart business and hard work makes it happen. Get yourself a simple used single-price can machine and find a blue collar place to put it. Once you get a handle on how it works and how to service it then you can add more to it or sell it because you realize it's a lot of work for little reward. You won't make much, if any, money until you have 25-50 machines out so you need to plan long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDCvending Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 1 hour ago, AZVendor said: Please don't buy anything from them as all they seem to sell is crappy imported garbage. Or is that garbagy imported crap? And just because Seaga is based in Minnesota doesn't mean all of their machines aren't imported crap. The assemble the machine here but they are built from imported parts and then they have horrible support. Also, anyone who offers lifetime support is lying and they are also hoping that you fail and don't end up calling for help. For just starting out you never want to buy new because your chances of success are tiny and most new vendors end up selling their machines for pennies on the dollar. This is not just a flippant answer but rather the truth. I've seen it hundreds of times in the last 33 years. Combo machines are also not the way to start because they only lend themselves to small locations that the machine can support. You want big locations so you can make money. Now, if you'll instead be smart and read this forum and search through it for a few weeks then you can get a grasp of what it takes to be successful. Just wanting to be successful doesn't make it happen. Smart business and hard work makes it happen. Get yourself a simple used single-price can machine and find a blue collar place to put it. Once you get a handle on how it works and how to service it then you can add more to it or sell it because you realize it's a lot of work for little reward. You won't make much, if any, money until you have 25-50 machines out so you need to plan long term. Thank you for the the advice. You think it would be best to cancel the order?... deal with the 20% restocking fee (almost $2k) ..now i am thinking to start small with maybe couple of refurbished soda machines and some bulk candy vending.. as it will be easier to maintain and if locator is needed it would be cheaper than the locator for combo (who is asking 600/machine) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDCvending Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 6 hours ago, orsd said: In a few years, that machine will be worthless. It will break, and no one will have parts for it. Seaga's are not much better. Ask if they have any Dixie Narco, Vendo or Royal soda machines you can exchange those for. For snack, get Crane, National, AMS or AP. If not, just cancel the order and eat the 20%. You will save money in the long run. If you get these instead: https://www.vendingworld.com/automatic-products-lcm3-mdb-board-1-candy-shelf-snack-machine-euro.php https://www.vendingworld.com/dixie-narco-501e-20-oz-bottle-machine-pepsi-globe.php You will be miles ahead. Not only are they cheaper, they will last longer than the machines you were going to buy, even though these machines are refurbished. Also, when they do break, literally any vending supplier will have parts for them, and any tech will know how to work on these. Thanks for the advice and heads up! I will call the warehouse tomorrow and find out of i can exchange them...if not maybe we’ll try to buy machine which is already on a location and see how it goes...and maybe just start low and small first with bulk candy....in the end if you guys think it would be waste of money..then maybe it’s more acceptable to lose $2000 (the restocking fee) than to have headaches and spend more in the long run....plus the locator is asking 600/machine. Have you heard about Richard Campbell (locator)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57thTom Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacanteen Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 I hate to say I told you so, but................i told you so. The only viable new equipment is made by Crane, Royal, AMS, or USI. Used equipment will also include National, Dixie Narco, A/P. Start with good used non-combo equipment. If unsure, ask us about what else you are looking at, you will get honest opinions. Would you buy a new car or truck made by JD & Associates? Of course not, because you never heard of them. As for this restocking fee, I would argue how can they restock something they haven't delivered? It would be worth $100 or so to ask a Colorado attorney. We veterans call these outfits "Blue Sky" operations, because that's how they sell it. Vending business opportunity scams have existed for decades. You will not get rich working 4 hours per week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABCVending Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Whoaaa.... Welcome to the vending biz - I don't know as much as these guys about vending in general, but I do know something about vending in Seattle.... It's a tough row to hoe - you do know about the Sweetened Beverage Tax the flying monkeys on the City council imposed in Seattle on Jan 1? $.0175 per ounce on just about everything you want to vend out of a beverage machine - pop, gatorade, energy drinks, etc.. - brutal. I am not accepting any new locations within city limits and taking a hard look at some existing locations to see if we want to keep operating in the city at all. Work on finding locations just outside the city - if you are South, Renton, Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, etc. If North, Lynwood, Everett, Mukilteo, etc. I have a few locations that I could sell if you are interested, (PM me) - but they are bottle drops and may not be the best for someone just starting out. ABC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Welcome to the forum and the vending business! I can't really improve on the earlier replies, will just say "yep, that's good info". I would be checking with a contracts attorney about that restocking fee, it's a big hit and I'm sure that is why it was put in there, to keep the buyers hooked when reality sets in.... don't wait, you may only have a few days to legally cancel the purchase. You say you both work - normal schedules, or do you have time off during the work week? If you can only service machines evenings and weekends, that will limit you in taking on locations that aren't open when you can be there. Locators - not usually. Maybe Bev will reply (she is on the forum) and might be able to help in your area, but you can and should be your own locator if possible. If you do sign with a locator, be sure that you have approval over any location before you have to pay for it. Best of luck, hope to see more of you on the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discount Vending Store Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 So I realize I'm a little late to this post, but a customer of mine just told me that folks were bashing my company in order to promote their agendas. I have been a member of Vendiscuss for quite a few years and have helped hundreds of people buy good quality new and refurbished machines. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion as to what is a good machine and what is junk, it's obvious that many of the comments in this string of posts were only submitted with the intent to promote their own products and not to truly help the person submitting the query. What a shame!!! At The Discount Vending Store, we are one of the only vending distributors that invite our customers to come and see the machines, and get trained on them before they put any money down. We show our customers everything about them before they buy so they can be educated on the decision they are making. We don't hide anything from them. They know exactly what they are getting when they see the machines in person. Too often I see new vendors spend $50,000 on 5 machines that they've never seen before and put all their faith in one vending franchise. We are here to offer affordable alternatives and real training that lasts the life of the machine. Yes we call that our Lifetime of free tech support. We've been offering it for the 11 years we've been in business and will continue to offer it as long as we are in business. Lately we've been helping our customers even more by offering customized wraps to go on their machines. We design and print those 3 sided vending wraps in house, and it has been a huge success. They not only provide a new look to the machine that is personalized, but they also protect the machine from scratches. Look folks we don't claim to be perfect at everything, and we aren't going to "guarantee" that one machine will be better than another, but we do strive to be open and honest in all that we do. You can see from our good reviews on the BBB and Google that we have satisfied many customers and offer tangible results. If you are promoting your own business with your posts on this forum I would tell you to own up to that because people have real questions that they need answered, so shame on you for using them to sell your product!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe101us Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 29 minutes ago, Discount Vending Store said: So I realize I'm a little late to this post, but a customer of mine just told me that folks were bashing my company in order to promote their agendas. I have been a member of Vendiscuss for quite a few years and have helped hundreds of people buy good quality new and refurbished machines. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion as to what is a good machine and what is junk, it's obvious that many of the comments in this string of posts were only submitted with the intent to promote their own products and not to truly help the person submitting the query. What a shame!!! At The Discount Vending Store, we are one of the only vending distributors that invite our customers to come and see the machines, and get trained on them before they put any money down. We show our customers everything about them before they buy so they can be educated on the decision they are making. We don't hide anything from them. They know exactly what they are getting when they see the machines in person. Too often I see new vendors spend $50,000 on 5 machines that they've never seen before and put all their faith in one vending franchise. We are here to offer affordable alternatives and real training that lasts the life of the machine. Yes we call that our Lifetime of free tech support. We've been offering it for the 11 years we've been in business and will continue to offer it as long as we are in business. Lately we've been helping our customers even more by offering customized wraps to go on their machines. We design and print those 3 sided vending wraps in house, and it has been a huge success. They not only provide a new look to the machine that is personalized, but they also protect the machine from scratches. Look folks we don't claim to be perfect at everything, and we aren't going to "guarantee" that one machine will be better than another, but we do strive to be open and honest in all that we do. You can see from our good reviews on the BBB and Google that we have satisfied many customers and offer tangible results. If you are promoting your own business with your posts on this forum I would tell you to own up to that because people have real questions that they need answered, so shame on you for using them to sell your product!!! I have one of your machines and it’s a Peace of golpher 💩💩💩 All your machine to belong in the scrapyard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 1 hour ago, Discount Vending Store said: So I realize I'm a little late to this post, but a customer of mine just told me that folks were bashing my company in order to promote their agendas. I have been a member of Vendiscuss for quite a few years and have helped hundreds of people buy good quality new and refurbished machines. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion as to what is a good machine and what is junk, it's obvious that many of the comments in this string of posts were only submitted with the intent to promote their own products and not to truly help the person submitting the query. What a shame!!! At The Discount Vending Store, we are one of the only vending distributors that invite our customers to come and see the machines, and get trained on them before they put any money down. We show our customers everything about them before they buy so they can be educated on the decision they are making. We don't hide anything from them. They know exactly what they are getting when they see the machines in person. Too often I see new vendors spend $50,000 on 5 machines that they've never seen before and put all their faith in one vending franchise. We are here to offer affordable alternatives and real training that lasts the life of the machine. Yes we call that our Lifetime of free tech support. We've been offering it for the 11 years we've been in business and will continue to offer it as long as we are in business. Lately we've been helping our customers even more by offering customized wraps to go on their machines. We design and print those 3 sided vending wraps in house, and it has been a huge success. They not only provide a new look to the machine that is personalized, but they also protect the machine from scratches. Look folks we don't claim to be perfect at everything, and we aren't going to "guarantee" that one machine will be better than another, but we do strive to be open and honest in all that we do. You can see from our good reviews on the BBB and Google that we have satisfied many customers and offer tangible results. If you are promoting your own business with your posts on this forum I would tell you to own up to that because people have real questions that they need answered, so shame on you for using them to sell your product!!! So you came on here to shame anyone trying to promote their products, which no one seemed to do seeing as i'm pretty sure no distributors have commented on this topic, then you promote your company lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discount Vending Store Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 After people have been bashing on my product that they have never seen just to promote their own product through the links they have been providing, I think it would be reasonable to promote our services in an attempt to inform the public what we are really about. I could have sat back and just ignored the lies that are being said, but I chose to confront them instead. I would invite any of you to come out and see the products that we offer for yourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 What you assume about agendas and other product lines to sell is incorrect. No one posting in this thread is a new machine distributor. While some might sell used machines that doesn't mean that we haven't had experiences with machines like yours. Speaking for myself as the only repairman in this thread, I will say that I have worked on many Seaga machines and far too many machines that are made in foreign lands. That experience is entirely why I recommend that any vendor stay away from Seaga or imported machines. I know how poorly they are made and supported and the fact that you are selling them doesn't make them any better. While you have a right to sell whatever you want, I and we have a right to give our opinions. I understand that you are selling to new vendors and it's our desire that they get off on the right foot as I'm sure you desire as well. There will always be new and naive customers for you but I also know that many will become jaded by the problems they encounter. This forum exists solely to give solid guidance to all vendors and we will continue to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacanteen Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 See, this is why we can't have nice things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mage Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 Quit trying to get around the profanity filters. I will be adding that in, but comments deleted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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