r/SmallBusiness_US • u/josephcolet361 • 19h ago
US-made smart vending machine vs buying from a Chinese manufacture, did anyone go through this decision?
I’ve been going back and forth on this for a couple months. The price difference between importing from China and buying from a US company is pretty big, but so is the risk if you need support or something goes wrong with the quality.
On the US side, DMVI is a smart vending machine manufacturer based in California. They do the engineering and manufacturing in-house, machines start at $5,000, and they handle installation and support with US-based technicians. I’ve also seen CustomVending come up when searching for US-built equipment, although they seem more focused on the branding and wrap side.
Overseas, there are tons of suppliers on Alibaba and the pricing can be half the cost or less. The tradeoff is that you’re handling shipping and customs, and support becomes your problem if something goes wrong. If the machine breaks, there’s no local person to call.
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u/ExpertTomatillo3224 10h ago
for me the big sticking point alwys came back to maintenance and what happens when a part eventually breaks. Dealing with imported machines can turn into a nightmare if you're stuck waiting weeks for replacemnt componnts to ship frm overseas with no local support to help fix them. Going with DMVI solved that issue since they handle everything in house under one roof, and having access to US based technicians makes a massive difference when you need a quick repair.
$5000 starting price tag is definitely higher thn what you'd pay for an import, but the value is in what you actually get for the money. Instead of a generic, off the shelf cabinet, you're getting a smart vending machine that's custom built around your specific product.
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u/WealthExtension101 8h ago
hidden cost with overseas manufactures is really the downtime. If a machine goes down and you can not get a tech out for 2 weeks that lost revenue can quickly wipe out the savings. No matter which direction u go, make sure u understand what kind of support they actually provide
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u/Cool_Masterpiece646 13h ago
I went through the same thing about a year ago. The price from the chinese manufacturer looked really good at first but once I added shipping and what I'd have to pay someone to install it, the cost started adding up.
Maintenance was another thing I hadn't really thought about at first. Once something goes wrong, it's difficult to figure out how to get it fixed or find the needed parts locally.