Reviews/thoughts on these brands?

[Glitch]

Brand new here.  There aren't any decent used machines in my area, so I'm kinda being forced to go with a new machine.

AMS 5-wide combo single spiral (2 snack,1 candy, 2 bottle)

I have a choice between:
CPI changer and validator +$880
vs
Conlux changer and validator  +$660

I've been having trouble finding reviews on these, so any advice on your experiences would be appreciated.

If you want to throw your opinions on cantaloupe vs nayax while you do, go ahead.  They seem very comparable - I've head good and bad about both.  If you've seen a clear winner - I'd be very interested.  Apparently, Crane (CPI) has credit card solutions.  If you know anything about that and how dependable crane is, I'd like to hear about it.

Thanks.

Edited August 24, 2023 by karrak

[Gizmo Vending]

Is this your first machine?   New prices are way too steep for a beginner.  Try online.  Vending is just like any other industry, new stuff is for the larger operations and us mom and pop get the used stuff.  

[Vendo Mike]

As much as it pains me to say as a manufacturer, unless you've landed a high end C-Suite account where a used machine would look bad in a new building and immediately get booted,   you should consider keeping your costs to enter the industry as low as possible.   This is not a "get rich on your free-time" type of industry.  

If you're just getting started, it will take quite a while to recoup the cost of the equipment and peripherals.   Locate vending equipment distributors in your area and start to build a relationship.  They can help with used/rebuild equip and payment systems as well as helping with support after the sale and any subsequent parts needs or advice. 

Get your feet under you so you can start to profit as soon as possible so you do not lose interest and drive to succeed. 

[tblake05]

To the OP, where are you located?

[AZVendor]

Crane is not a good credit card choice.  The AMS machine is a good one, if you have to buy new.  What kind of location?  How many people and what work do they do?  That all plays into whether new machines are warranted.  They usually aren't.  Generally, if a new vender wants to fail as fast as possible, they should buy new equipment.

[Glitch]

Thank you all for responding.

I'm in Oklahoma and I am new to vending, but not new to life - if ya know what I mean.

I do have some startup cash and I want to have quality vending machines to push branding.  At least a flagship for advertising and such.

I've watched a ton of videos and it seems AMS would last a long time and give me the least amount of problems including a 3 year warranty.

I want to target larger places first, and then work my way down to smaller businesses until they start saying "yes".  I'll let you know if it works. haha
This means I'm going against at least one large vending company in the area and I'm willing to challenge their high prices to do so.
I understand that this strategy combined with a new machine would make it take longer paying off the machine, but I want to make sure the brand doesn't suffer for machines that may or may not have problems.

I'll scour your forums for the newbie section to find out where you guys buy online to try and get more affordable pricing.  There's probably a list somewhere in here.

I totally expect to take 2 years to pay off the first machine.  This is going to be my back burner business until I hit 40 machines.  So, completely agree this is not a get rich quick scheme.

I have trust issues.  I don't know if I can pull the trigger on used machines just yet until I get more experience under my belt.  I think I may just need more information and reference points to know if a used machine is going to bite me in the butt.

I know about the MDB connector that I will want in all used machines that I would buy, but I keep hearing about the disabilities act and need to do more research on that to figure out what used machines I shouldn't get.  Lets be honest - they're selling them for a reason, and probably not the reason they tell you to your face.

 

[tblake05]

Going to take longer than 2 years to pay off your first machine if its a new one.

You can find refurbished or used machines around for a better price (shipping included).  I've been doing it for just over 5 years and have yet to buy a new machine.

Try a google search for vending suppliers in your area.  Most even deliver.  I have a guy who always treats me right.  He flips machines.  Very good prices and delivers and places.  Can't beat it- though the machines are used, they always work 100%.  No idea what I'll do when he retires.

[AZVendor]

Eff the disabilities act and that only applies to newly built machines.  So if your account requires that the machine comply then you'll have to buy new.

[Vendo Mike]

Aeco sales and service is a vending distributor and repair facility in Tecumseh, OK.  (Or that's where that office was last time I visited).   They offer new/used equipment as well as coin/dbv repair. They're a CPI certified repair center and can handle in-and-out of warranty repairs.  Mendy would take good care of you.

[Lbfrozen]

Hi k,

AZ is right on ADA. Do not bring it up, unless you are selling to a hospital or some other potential account you should avoid.

Lowballing a potential account may cause problems, for more reasons than I will state here. There are past threads on pricing. Also, are the prices high b/c of a commission paid by the current vendor? Also, do not bring up commissions, especially if you are new to vending and vending sales. Also, nvm.

I am sure there are exceptions, but the videos are mostly bs. I mean that in the best possible way. I mean it like the way cute girls (with filters) in videos are mostly bs. Same with the CNBC stories of clean, well-rested, young go-getters who are making a killing in their spare time with vending. (Stop being poor, they tell you. Sheesh, why did I not think to stop being poor when I was young? It could have been so simple.) The actual numbers do not work in any of those stories I have researched, and the same goes for most of the videos. They want clicks and views, not necessarily thankful and successful readers and watchers. The exception may be videos from manufacturers, their endorsed resellers, or some service provider (who actually found time to make a video).

I start every conversation or phone call with a potential machine buyer of my machines (or someone who was referred to me by a friend b/c they already bought or signed a purchase contract, and now they realize they have $20,000 of unplaced machines at a local warehouse with monthly storage costs) by telling them that it is my intention to talk them out of vending (and that is not b/c I am worried about them becoming a competitor). Forget that dude featured in a CNBC.com, Entrepreneur magazine, or Startup magazine article. Clean and well-rested? I cannot think of a two day lucky streak of having both of those simultaneously in many years.

Things have only gotten worse with the supply chain and inflation issues of the past few years. Also, if a location (or government) decides to try one of those Covid lockdowns again (already happening with some school systems and corporations), you will lose half of your inventory in machines and on your storage shelves within two weeks. In 2020, that put several small and medium-sized vendors out of business almost immediately, especially those who came to depend on office coffee sales to supplement location revenue. Our group was very fortunate to actually grow during that time, but I do not know other companies that had that scenario. Most vendors suffered when the offices closed, the malls were empty, and the schools went to remote.

I think nearly every small to medium-large company member on this forum will agree that new machines, or even professionally refurbished machines, are purchases that we make when we are forced to do so (adding to an existing big account, or a major time crunch). That said, I do like the people I know at two local machine suppliers. I have bought several new and refurbished machines over the years. If you are buying quality refurbished machines, you can expect that some of them will have parts fail under warranty, maybe up to half of the time. That is how you got the discount from $7,000 new to $5,200 refurbished. The same machine, used, might cost $1,500 - $3,000, maybe less, if you are buying several. Once you know the basic operation and service of your machines, you can deal with basic stuff that happens to them. If you are trying to avoid the hassles of service calls by buying a machine under warranty, please allow me to introduce the concepts of a bent quarter, trashed dollar bill, electrical surge or outage, vandalism, prank service call (public machines), perceived problem (nervous Nellie who has you on speed dial), or several other service call categories.

Btw, good place to remind you to have liability insurance in place, for a lot of reasons. You should also probably consider commercial vehicle insurance.

(I apologize in advance for how harsh this next part sounds.) The TikTok and YT video watchers who have contacted me about buying machines, or who were referred to me by a friend, have a vibe similar to the biz opp victims from years ago (before they were victims). There are always exceptions and success stories, but I do not know of anyone who bought a $10,000 mechanical vending machine (plus, business advice included!) and made money. I do know several who lost money - on multiple machines. Some lost everything they had - not just money. Want to know why I am not worried one of those people will eventually see my comments here and feel I violated their trust? Easy - it is b/c I have had those conversations so many times that I have multiple versions of each one. Many of us here have similar experiences with those stories and conversations.

Vending is a slow-growth business, and some people become mildly successful doing it in their spare time (we all hope you are one of them, if you decide to do it). However, when they made the jump to full-time, they were watching every expense, and they knew a new machine would need 10,000 to 20,000 items sold through it to pay it off (which may be the right fit for you). That is a lot of items to pick up and place, one by one, from a climate-controlled storage space, to a climate-controlled vehicle, maybe up or down stairs (backwards, if on a hand truck), always worrying about exp dates, ants, moisture, temperature changes, jerks, traffic, jerks, price changes, supply chain, other jerks.

I can give you my number, if you want me to try to talk you out of vending sometime. I assure you that the old-timers on here are not just waiting for the next “city-slicker” to show up to “their ranch” with “brand new boots” and some “cockamamie shenanigans” in their “soft heads”, even though it reads that way sometimes (either through your, or, their “judgmental, squinty”, eyes). They just want to tell you what they have seen work - or fail - over many years.

Btw, I do not necessarily consider myself to have reached the level of old-timer around here.

Also, I apologize to anyone who actually read this far - I have a keyboard, and I cannot go anywhere while puppy-sitting (if the kid moves away, how do you end up watching their dog while they travel??).

Also, much of my sentence formation and word choice is intentionally chosen to create slight tension in the reader - hopefully, not enough to anger them. Like a long Norm Macdonald joke - except my shtick is not funny.

-LB

[Lbfrozen]

Also, please do not suggest a “Longest Post” badge - even as a joke. I occasionally over-achieve, and I do not want to get banned from the forums.

Edited August 26, 2023 by Lbfrozen