drummermike Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 (Sorry for posting more questions so soon but I really need more answers.) So yeah, I'm 14 trying to get into vending on my own. I've got about a thousand dollars capital and I need help deciding how to spend it. I'm planning and starting with one machine to make sure I enjoy the biz before blowing a thousand dollars but that is all I am sure of. I'm getting a bit over whelmed these are the options of come up with for about one thousand dollars ... 1 - beaver 5 head rack 5 - high quality 1 head machines (such as beaver) 10 - 1-800 vending triple head machines 20 - vendstar 3000 machines Which one should I go with and how do you decide which locations get doubles compared to singles etc. Any good rule of thumb? Also I feel being 14 gives me a heavy disadvantage in securing locations. I can't pitch someone face to face and be takin seriously. And over the phone is hard for me not to sound like a 14 year old. What you professionals do in my situation, send letters, hire locators? Thanks in advance for any help I get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Profits Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Here's a game plan for you to follow: - Buy 1 A&A 7-way rack. Order the machines with .75 mechs on the 2" machines, and .50 mechs on the 1" machines. - Buy compelling 2" and 1" capsule toy products. - Hire face to face locator. Or learn how to write compelling letters, and include a great photo of the machine with product inside. Ask your English teacher to do the final edit. That should maximize your $1k budget. Don't go with single heads, or Vendstars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainor5251 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 First whatever machines you can get used the cheapest, are the best ones. Can normally find good deals on vendstars, but make sure you get them at the right price. Second, don't look at being 14 a disadvantage, look for your advantages and exploit them. Friends and family will probably go out of their way to help you find locations when they see you are serious about trying to operate a business at such a young age. Professional locators are also a great option to get you started, you will find plenty of info on Rob(kickstart locations) and Eddie Bauer Locating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpvnc Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Another thing you may want to think about with your locations is what hours you can service them. Us part timers with Full time jobs have to acquire locations with hours in the evening or open on weekends. I have a couple machine shops I can only service during business hours. It is kind of tough when you are working or in school during most of those hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Here's a game plan for you to follow: - Buy 1 A&A 7-way rack. Order the machines with .75 mechs on the 2" machines, and .50 mechs on the 1" machines. - Buy compelling 2" and 1" capsule toy products. - Hire face to face locator. Or learn how to write compelling letters, and include a great photo of the machine with product inside. Ask your English teacher to do the final edit. That should maximize your $1k budget. Don't go with single heads, or Vendstars. This is not good advice for starting out in my opinion. You'll have cash tied up in product with no where to rotate it. If you get duds than it will be worse. Then you'll be spending more cash. Start with a couple of used machines to see if you like it. I'd suggest gumballs that you can pick up at Sam's or BJ's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will.vend Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I would buy single machines and sell gumballs at first, dont even bother with candy, with your young energetic attitude I would do all the locating myself, I would play the age thing up, you will be surprised how many businesses will let you put in a machine because they will admire your enthusiasm. buy from a&a and get single head machines, you can buy brackets and make them into doubles or triples if you ever need to grow a location, get capsule wheels and a riser, use the riser with the cap wheel for gum, and if you get into capsule toys then simply remove the riser. good luck to you and let me know if I can ever help. btw my dad started when he was 15 he is 80 now and still has about 100 machines located that he putters around with. He made a very good living and always was his own boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrGranger Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 This is not good advice for starting out in my opinion. You'll have cash tied up in product with no where to rotate it. If you get duds than it will be worse. Then you'll be spending more cash. Start with a couple of used machines to see if you like it. I'd suggest gumballs that you can pick up at Sam's or BJ's. I agree. Unless you've already got a location for a rack then it's hard to locate and you can't rotate stock. If I had $1000 then I'd buy a bunch of double heads (Whatever I could get with around $700). Stick with A&A, Northwestern, Oak, or Beaver. One 1" capsule and 1 gumballs. Then spend the rest of the money on gumballs and capsules. After you've located those you can start re-investing the $$ for more machines. My .02. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mike Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Get a few new PO89 cabinet heads from A&A for all the reasons I mentioned in the PM I sent you. If you don't like vending you can sell them on Ebay easy. If you do like it you don't have any mismatched keys. Machines that don't match. Machines to paint. You can use them for anything from single head gumball machines to 9 way racks someday. Keep it simple. Racks are a bad idea for you right now. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEREMYTINA Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I agree. Unless you've already got a location for a rack then it's hard to locate and you can't rotate stock. If I had $1000 then I'd buy a bunch of double heads (Whatever I could get with around $700). Stick with A&A, Northwestern, Oak, or Beaver. One 1" capsule and 1 gumballs. Then spend the rest of the money on gumballs and capsules. After you've located those you can start re-investing the $$ for more machines. My .02. I agree with the above comments on purchasing used equipment to start out. A lot more bang for your buck, plus you'll get the experience of cleaning, and taking apart the equipment before you ever have a service call. Any machine you buy you should take into account that you will need 10 to 30 bucks worth of product to fill it depending on how many heads it has. You should try and locate them yourself first through networking with family and friends, and try placing machines where they work if its close enough to service easily. I wouldn't place just one machine, but all that your budget allows you to buy. If you decide it isn't your cup of tea after you get 10 machines or so out there, you can sell the whole thing as a route, and easily make your money back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrGranger Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I agree with the above comments on purchasing used equipment to start out. And you don't have to spend your $1000 all at once. You could buy machines as you go. Buy 1 or two machines, a stand and then the product. Get it ready and locate that one. After you've got one setup then buy another set. Locate that. Then keep buying that way until you've spent the original $1000. You can put your profits into savings and you may find yourself making a profit sooner than you'd imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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