Helpful information for our members from other countries.

[nam]

It seems our members from other countries all pretty much have the same issues.  Everyone likes the quality of our machines made in the USA but not sure how to handle the coin mech. issues or the shipping cost issue.

I spent some time today talking with the Craig over at Brand Vending Products.  His company sells to vendors in countries all over the world.  He is very knowledgeable about both of these main issues concerning you guys from other countries.  I recently tried to ship a small package 12" X 12" and 7" high weighing in at 6.7 lbs.  Fedex wanted $148 to ship this little box overseas.  If I had wanted to ship your basic triple head machine it would have been over $600 which blows any savings on the machines for sure.  Until we build some bridges across the ocean there is no ground shipping.  lol  Well, in talking with Craig he says the only way to go is shipping by ship and paying for a pallet which wasn't to bad.  He could ship 10 machines on a pallet for the same thing or less than shipping one by air.  Of course you have to be willing to wait 4 6 weeks for your ship to arrive with the machines but normally buying new machines is something you can wait to get.  Craig said alot of destinations would run in the range of like $600 for 10 machines on a pallet.  That really isn't too bad considering what it would cost to ship them even across country by ground here in the USA.

Abdon,  he said the cheapest way to ship to Mexico is to ship to a border town on the Mexico side and pick them up there.  He has been to your town himself and said if you could drive up to the border and pickup the machines on the Mexico side it would save 3 to 4 times the price of shipping it all the way to you.  Can't explain it but guess shipping charges in Mexico must be very high.  So what you would do my friend is pick up the machines directly at the trucking companies loading dock there on the Mexican side of the border.

thenwho,  Craigs example of shipping 10 machines on a pallet to you was ballpark $600.  Once he knows someone in another country wants to buy machines he then gets an exact shipping quote for you so you know the total amount before ordering.

Next the coin mech. questions.  Craig said the best way to go is use the Greenwald or ESD coin mechs in a flat vendor - sticker/tattoo machines.  He can set the machines up ready to accept your countries coins before he ships the machines.  So when you get the machines they are all ready to be placed and start making money.  The reason this type of machine is the best to build your business using quality USA made equipment is the different type of coin mechs used in them.  It can be set to change the size of coin or even the number of coins from 1 to 5 coins.  They can setup the machines for any countries coins for you.  You send him the coins you want to use and they set the mechs to accept them.  Pretty cool, huh?

Now for the advantages of using sticker/tattoo machines as opposed to bulk candy.  First without naming names other than my own, many of us here in the forum are already changing from bulk candy and sticker/tattoo machines are one of the best routes to go.  Tattoos especially are so popular all over the world.  Look at all the movie stars, popular singers, sports stars, etc. that are all wearing tattoos.  The kids see this and they want to have them too.  The tattoos in this country sell from 50 cents to a dollar.  The average is probably 50 cents at least in my area.  So your cost per vend is higher and so will be the profit per vend.  The tattoos or stickers don't melt in the heat or spoil in the machines.  If the price goes up you can raise the price on the mechs in these machines yourself.  These machines are heavier duty than bulk candy machines and also more trouble free.  They will give you 15 to 20 yrs of service and longer.  I see ads on these machines that say the machines are 15 yrs old and in very good condition.  They are simply much heavier than other types of machines.  No globes to get broken, cracked, discolored or scratched up. 

You can buy these machines in 2, 4, or 6 column which means you can vend that many different products in the machines.  So if you have a 4 column which is the most popular you can have product for boys or girls and even different age groups.  As with all vending the volume and how much you can make depends on the locations, type of product just like with any other bulk vending machines.  But to give you a reasonable average here in this country I would say you can make $10 and up per column.  Like with bulk candy it can vary but I think you could expect a 4 column machine in the USA to make from $40 to $100 a month and more in the best locations.  Numbers are really hard to come up with as it can vary so much but sure this is something you want to know so I've made an attempt at telling you.

Well, I was very pleased that Craig took his time to answer some of my questions on this so I thought I'd take my time to try and share it with anyone in another country that might need some answers.  Craig was telling me about a vendor in Ireland that now has over 500 machines since his first order with Brand.  He started with just a few and I'd say has done very well.  If your country has alot of bulk machines and not so many with stickers and tattoos you should give this some thought.

If you would like to speak with Craig directly you can call him at 1-800-967-3048 and here is Brand Vendings website  www.brandvendingproducts.com

nam

 

[nam]

I just wanted to let everyone know that Steve has added a new list with all our vendors from other countries. If you go to the new member section you will see in addition to all the US states listed you will see alot of other countries and our members from those countries can be found by clicking on their country.

Nice having you guys here and love reading your posts so keep it up.

nam