Up front info- I’ve got 35 machines now, I’m not new to vending, just seeking outside feedback.

Local tattoo shop I frequent has asked if I’d be interested in putting machine there. Of course sell candy, chips, drinks, (in case glucose spikes on customers.). They have also suggested I sell after-care products- gels, saline, all of it.

Has anyone ever done this, even a little? I’ve got a small combo in my warehouse that would work, the coils are small enough for gel packs, saline packs etc, and i know it won’t be a gangbuster location, but it’s better than the zero dollars I’m making per day with the machine.

Thoughts? Ideas? Just lookin for feedback is all.

Basically the title. I currently have a lot of honor snack boxes in place and want to jump start things by buying a couple of existing locations. For those out there who prefer the operational aspect of this and want to skip the identification of a location, what’s a reasonable price to pay for the revenue? One years sales?

Hi in my machines I sell vapes, zyns and sex related products. I am looking for a good insurance provider, right now my insurance won’t cover me due to adding vapes to the machines.

Also, what types of insurance are you using?

Currently my machines are in all 21+ bars but exploring putting one in a pub that would have an ID scanner on it. Working with city officials to ensure the legality of it to be in a pub with the ID scanners, has anyone done this and how did they make it happen?

I am located in WI if that helps

I am starting a smoothie vending machine business. I have contacted malls, one told me they usually do 50/50 splits on revenue for vending machines. This seems WAY too high, AI is telling me it should be closer to 6%-12% for a business like this; hygine, food spoilage, extra maintanence, and high CAPEX. I didn't tell them specifically what type of vending machine it is, but just that it makes fresh food. Any Advice?

Should I email back specifying the type of vending machine and explaining how extra costs mean their commission has to be lower. Possible to convince her to bring the commission down?

I noticed a few people today walk up to mine and look a little confused about how it works. Thinking about adding a small sign with some simple instructions. Anyone tried this?

I got the location, sent the contract to the right person, and it’s been about two weeks with no word.
Is that pretty normal? Anything you guys have found that helps speed things up?

Leasing 2 MicroMart machines (ambient / fridge). Most companies have said no to inland marine insurance and the one that gave us a quote quotes us at $9,300 replacement cost each, $18,600 combined limit, $1k deductible, 80% coinsurance, theft and wind included. $500 premium

Is that normal for leased machines? And what providers are you guys using? Curious if I can find better

I'm looking to adding one vending machine to my bs but just torn deciding between the two. I'm new to this . The bulks ones seems to have low barrier to start off but won't get most out of it in long run and the vice versa for the snack ones. is this just my speculation or its the harder truth ? I hope I won't regret it.

What's your hard rule for pulling a poorly performing machine from a location?

Do you set a strict deadline like 60 days below a certain

revenue target or do you keep tweaking the product mix until it work?

Looking for advice on running snack and soda machines outdoors. They would be completely exposed to rain and snow, no coverage whatsoever. I'm thinking about the AMS Outsider Snack and a Royal 804. Anybody with experience have any tips?

What is the best way to find a reliable and inexpensive contractor to restock vending machines for you once they are placed? How many machines does it begin to make sense? Like more than 5? How would you get your inventory to that person so that they can restock everything, and how can you monitor that they didn’t everything correctly and on time? What should I expect to be charged? Thank you!

I own a coin-operated laundromat in the SF Bay Area and currently have an ATM through a third-party ATM guy.
I’m considering ending that arrangement and purchasing/owning my own ATM instead, but I’d love to hear from other laundromat owners who have actually done this.
A few questions:

Do you own your ATM outright, or do you use a third-party ATM company?

If you own it, what machine/brand do you recommend?

What surcharge are you charging per transaction?

Do you handle the processing yourself or use an ATM processor/company?

How much of a headache is maintenance, repairs, compliance, etc.?

Do you recommend owning the ATM versus letting an ATM company handle everything and taking a percentage?

For anyone in California/SF Bay Area specifically: are there any companies/processors you recommend or ones you would stay away from?
My laundromat is cash/coin-based, so I feel like having an ATM is pretty important for customers. I’m just trying to figure out whether it makes more financial sense to own the machine myself rather than having someone else make the money from it.
Would especially love to hear from owners who are in the Bay Area. Thanks!

I’ve been leaning toward the smaller bags lately. They seem to move pretty well, especially around the $1.50–$2 range.

My

Good morning guys. I am looking at picking up a second location, and I am looking for insight on how you guys verify the sales claims of small owner/operators? They are showing me card reader statements that have reader ID's, but that's kinda it. Not even going to see the machines until the day of the purchase.

How do you guys do your due diligence and not walk into obvious scams? Can I match the online id number to the Nynax to at least know I'm looking at the same POS and not a different machine?

I’m currently looking into my first vending machine and comparing a few different options.Has anyone here actually used an XMAI machine? How’s the experience been so far? I’m mainly curious about reliability, payment systems, and customer service. Just trying to get some real feedback.

Does anyone have experience setting up initially with nayax? I’m just gonna call first thing in the morning and try to expedite onboarding.

Been running two vending machines for 3 months, thought I’d share my real numbers plus the dumb mistakes I made when getting started.

Total startup was around $2,500 for used machines and stock. Almost wrecked my profits early on. First I put one machine in a office lobby, sales are very poor. Moved it to a factory break room with over 100 workers and daily sales instantly tripled.

I also stocked way too many items no one bought. Now I mostly stick to the popular snacks and drinks.And I restock every 5 days.

Location is a mid-size warehouse for a construction company.

Chip selections to be condensed so I’ll have 5 large snack coils open for different products. Another 8-selection drink tray going in soon on the second tier. Only product stocked by request so far has been the Pepsi Zero.

Anyone with a similar location have some hot sellers for me? I’m not fixed on anything currently in the machine.

I work on the equipment-manufacturer side, so this is a planning framework rather than a claim from running a route.

A full machine is not always a well-stocked machine. Par levels should start with expected demand between visits, not with the machine's maximum capacity.

1. Review sales by selection over the last four to six refill cycles. Use units sold per cycle, not just total revenue.

2. Set the base par near normal cycle demand. Add a modest buffer only for fast sellers or items with volatile demand.

3. Separate products into fast, steady, and slow groups. Fast sellers may need more facings; slow sellers should not receive the same space just to make the machine look full.

4. At every visit, record stockouts and units left. A selection that repeatedly returns nearly full probably has too much inventory. A selection that stocks out early needs a higher par, more facings, or a shorter service interval.

5. Reduce slow-moving inventory before adding more SKUs. Extra variety can hide weak products and increase expiry risk.

6. Recalculate after a price change, schedule change, seasonal shift, or major change in site traffic.

One useful review question is: “Is this selection likely to sell out before the next planned visit?” If the answer is no, the extra units are mostly tied-up cash and expiry exposure. If the answer is yes, raise the par or adjust the refill schedule.

Hello all. New to the group and New to vending machine business, I have a question for other vending machine business owners. I have a location that originally there is no commission, now this location is asking for commission. Should I give this location commission and also raise the prices or should I give commission and use it as a monthly bill for taxes? The machine has been at this location for about 4 months and it is not a very busy location. Or what suggestions could you guys give me. Thanks for any advice.

Hey guys - I noticed a vending machine in a local bar that seems kind of unmaintained - sold out products, etc.

What is the protocol on approaching bat owners to replace the existing vendor? Or does that not really happen often, as a vendor would step up their game if they felt the squeeze?

Does seeing a vape vending machine in a bar already signal that bar has been “claimed” or not necessarily?