Article: Vending Machines

Flip over at The Double Challenge asked a few questions about vending on my comments. They were very good questions for anyone thinking about vending.

Vending is a great starter business. It is cheap, easy to maintain, easy to build upon, and an all cash business. Finding a location is the hardest part, you can either hire a professional locater or go out and find them yourself. There is one more option but it tends to be more expensive. That is buying existing routes already set up on location.

When buying an existing route you might think they are being sold because they are not making any money. Usually, that is not the case. They are usually sold because the owner needs quick cash, is moving, is starting another business venture and doesnt want to deal with it anymore, or any other number of reasons. As with any other business, ask for proof of what the route makes and try not to pay any more than what it brings in in a year.

Filling the machines yourself is the easiest and most profitable way to run the route. You can pay someone if you like, but you have to pay them and trust is a very important factor in vending as the cash is very accessible.

I hope that helps, I'm not an expert, as I just started out myself not long ago. This post is a result of my own research from both the net and other vendors I have talked to. Have fun!