Are vive vending machine good?

[TurboMathieu]

Title is pretty self explanatory, but let me give you some background on me. I’m a young student who love running and managing things. Eventually, I want to be my own boss. I thought I would start by creating my first company, a vending machine service. However, I have trouble finding good and not too expensive machine. I found some distributor, but they are either really expensive or too ugly and old for my client. Today, I was approached by one of my potential distributor who recommended me an other distributor who had more combo in stock. The one that interested me the most was a VIVE combo machine( i don’t have the reference I’m still waiting on her quote). Do any of you have any experience with this company? Are they good? I want to make sure as it is still a pretty big investment. Thank you 

[lacanteen]

I've been in this industry for 43 years, most of it in the equipment service side. I've never heard of that company. Search this forum for combo machines and you'll discover that full time vending operations use combo machines to supplement a larger account, such as a small office area in a large manufacturing facility. Additionally, the combo machines do not hold enough product to be profitable. Our vending operation has almost 3,000 machines and I can count on one hand how many are combos. 

[TurboMathieu]

But what if your location is a gym and you don’t necessarily have space for 2 machine? 

[lacanteen]

3 hours ago, TurboMathieu said:

But what if your location is a gym and you don’t necessarily have space for 2 machine? 

If this is a gym, as in where people go to work out, they certainly are not going to buy snacks, and they usually bring their own water or other beverage. You're losing money and you haven't started yet. Even glass front drink machines do not make money at these locations. 

[tblake05]

Same reason healthy vending machines don't do good.  Anyone who eats healthy, wouldn't buy from a vending machine.

[AZVendor]

Vive is just another ripoff imported machine.  Don't be a victim.

[AngryChris]

A company I used to work for has a bunch of gyms at one point but they dedicated one guy to doing the entire chain about two or three times each week.  Despite the drive time, the money was supposedly decent.  But I guess the chain was upset about not getting the commission they wanted or something like that.  I don't know the details but I believe they decided to get coolers and sell everything themselves and "we" were left with thousands of dollars in inventory that we couldn't sell anywhere else.  Basically, gyms are quite the niche thing for vending and you need very specific products.  It's nearly impossible to make it work unless you have a lot of gyms.  In other words, even if the machine was FREE, it's possible to make nothing and even LOSE money from a gym.

I'm guessing here.. but are you offering the gym a commission?  From my experience, they tend to be very greedy.  I pay commission to less than 10 locations all but one were part of a package deal where they had previously gotten commission and I had to continue it.  Otherwise, I don't usually pay commission.

[TurboMathieu]

Actually, they don’t charge me anything. The owners are also the coach and they would have placed a machine themselves, however they don’t want the hassle of restocking and servicing it.

[AZVendor]

Then put in nice looking used machines.  No need for new machines at all.  Then, when it goes south, you won't be out as much money.

[tblake05]

Plus if you buy a good used machine, it will have better resale value than a new junky off name brand machine.

[TurboMathieu]

Alright thanks a lot