How to Purchase Vending Machines

Dr. Pepper vending machine

Vending machines can be a great small business opportunity for an enterprising individual. Once the machines are set up and running, they can be a great way to earn some passive income that could require minimal to no maintenance depending on which vending company you use.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Determine where you may want to place your vending machine. Some vending machine vendors, such as 1.800.Vending and www.usedvending.com, offer services to assist you in finding vending locations. Areas with high foot traffic are great locations. For example, vending machines on college campuses near the bookstore or in employee break rooms are great locations. You can also hire a vending machine locater to assist you if you don't already know where your machines will go. Vending Connection can help you find a vending locater.

2. Decide which type of machine you'd like to place in each location. According to 1.800.Vending, there are three types of vending machines--mechanical, electronic or all-soda/all-snack machines. Each machine has different pros and cons. Mechanical machines can jam easily but newer ones have been designed to fix that issue. Electronic machines can't always accept five-dollar bills which can limit income, but newer machines have been created to accept both new and old five-dollar bills. All soda machines can limit the type of products you are able to sell, but small to medium-sized businesses may only want one machine so you could target those locations.

3. Determine what you want to go inside the machine. This may depend on the location, which you should have already chosen. If your vending machine was placed in a high school, you should consider putting snacks in the machine for those kids that may want a bag of chips with their sandwich.

4. Create a plan before you purchase your first machine. Your plan should detail how you want your vending business to grow. Some people may only want to have a few machines, while others may want to have a lot of machines in a wide variety of locations. You should make this type of decision before you start investing to get a good idea of where you want things to go.

5. Consider your purchasing options once you finish your plan. Some vending companies offer financing, which is useful if you want to purchase multiple machines at once. Vending companies like Vending Connection help with finding financing for vending machines. Other companies offer the ability to purchase the machines outright using a credit card.

6. Determine whether you want to purchase new or used machines. Used machines tend to cost less and may come with a previously established location. New machines will more likely come with a warranty.

References

• Used Vending
• Vending Connection
• Vending Solutions

Resources

• Vending Connection
• 1.800.Vending
• Vending Solutions