Refurbished Vending Machines

Refurbished Vending Machines
MUST READ before diving into buying used!

Are you searching online for buying refurbished vending machines? If so, you’ve come to the right place. You really should read through this article to get your head in the right place on making this big decision. Because if you make the wrong choice, it’s not about the money you’ve spent, but all the time you put into something that didn’t give you a good financial return.

In fact, there are many places to find a used vending machine. But, the big question is should you do it? We’ll try to answer that question in this article. So, please read on.

If you are considering to buy a refurbished vending machine there are a lot of places to find them on the internet and even locally in your area.

Craigslist
Facebook Group
Facebook Marketplace
Local Vending Machine Dealers
Search Online and there are a few online companies that refurbish vending machines.
Some of the Companies that sell new vending machines will also sell used vending machines. It’s kind of like buying a used car or certified pre-owned vehicle.

I RECOMMEND strongly to buy one locally or to go run it to make sure it works the way the seller is saying it works. There are a lot of moving parts to a vending machine. Read through the below check list if you are inspecting a machine.

Checklist for Inspecting a refurbished vending machine

How old is the machine? Try not to buy ones over 12 years old.
How old were the parts that were used to refurbish the vending machine? Is the refurbished vending machine updated with new motors or old motors from another machine?
Do you see any visible rust or damage that makes the machine look bad. If there are cosmetic issues you can always print a graphic and cover it.
Check that the bill acceptor works.
Check that the coin mech works. Is it distributing all the coins like dimes, nickels and quarters. Does it take tokens? How do you program it for tokens? Read later on why you need tokens.
Does each of the coils turn? Every coil has an individual motor. Each of these motors should be in good condition as they are responsible for making sure your snacks dispense properly.
Does the refrigeration deck look okay? Be careful because in humid climates it’s important to be sure it doesn’t collect water from condensation.
Does it have a credit card reader? If not, it’s not a big deal to install one later. Nayax and Cantaloupe both are good sources to buy one. If interested, we’ll provide reviews on those two companies later. Also, if it has a reader, where is the antenna for cell signal?
Does the display work?
Does the change button work?

I would make sure I test the machine thoroughly to make sure it works. Most machines have a feature to run a simulation vend or a test vend to check that it is functioning properly.

But, why are you looking for a refurbished vending machine?

Starting a vending machine business can take a considerable investment, and depending on how much money you have to invest, buying refurbished machines can be wise, and save you a lot of money. Brand new vending machines can be expensive upwards of over $5,000 per machine. If you’re thinking of getting into a vending machine business, read more about it here.

https://vendingwealth.com/start-here/

Before just going out and buying a refurbished vending machine you must consider the following points.

Risk Tolerance for Refurbished Vending Machines

Whenever you buy something used you run the risk that it can break faster than buying something new. If you decide to buy used check the following points.
1. Is there an extended warranty
2. If a motor or something breaks on the machine do you know how to fix it? Or, do you have someone that can fix it? I would recommend that if you buy a refurbished vending machine that you or someone in your family or close friend can help you with it if something breaks. It would be too costly to depend on a vending machine repair technician.
3. How will you get support?

4. Is this your first vending machine? If it is, I recommend considering buying a new vending machine (unless you are confident or have time dealing with repairs). Read more below for reasons why.

5. You may think you are saving money by buying used, but it can cost you more in the long run with loss of time fixing it, parts and loss of income when machine is not working.

Loss of Earning Potential for Unreliable Vending Machine

What happens if you place a refurbished vending machine at a great location. Your contact at this location is excited about getting a vending machine, and then your refurbished machine eats people’s money and doesn’t dispense product. Or, product gets stuck often. Then you end up losing money because you have to drive back to the location to unstuck drinks or snacks or fix the problem. That is if you can figure out what the problem is.

If the location gets frustrated with your machine they may very well ask you to leave. Then you’ve wasted time and money by moving the machine in and moving the machine out.

However, if you are in a situation where you have the time to spend, or you don’t mind taking care of the machine if something goes wrong, I think you should go ahead with buying a refurbished vending machine. Think of it this way too, if you are responsive and communicate with the location contact then it’s not the end of the world if people are without snacks for a day or two! Ha! It’s not life or death! BUT, maybe someone who is hangry or in need of their caffeine fix might disagree with me.

Are you good with fixing things? Vending machines are actually not that complicated.

You can look here on this website below, and others like it.
https://www.veii.com/search
They offer a lot of parts for repairing vending machines. You can even buy used or new vending machines!

E-bay also has people selling parts.

Consider Buying a New Vending Machine instead of a refurbished vending machine

Save up more money and buy a new vending machine. Starting a vending machine business is an excellent way to grow a business organically and with lower risk than other types of businesses. But, if you consider that a new machine will last you more than 10 years you will more than pay back that machine. Keep your best customers happy.

And we’ll show you how to earn more per location. Don’t think about just the machine, but about the location

Be careful of refurbished vending machines if you are just starting a vending machine business

If something goes wrong with a used vending machine and you are still learning the ropes of running a business it just adds an extra variable that is unnecessary. When you are first starting it is better to do as much as possible to keep what you can control easier than more difficult, because whenever you start something new it is like drinking out of a firehose.

When you are first starting a vending machine business you are trying to figure out where to buy your products, which products to stock, how much profit can you earn from the items you chose, will those items you stock in your machine even be popular, do I have a business card, how about marketing flyers, do I have a website to refer people to show you have a legitimate business. Did you register on GMB? Did you register your LLC, did you get business liability insurance.

Although it isn’t rocket science to start a vending machine business, there are still so many moving parts to manage all at once.

It really is better to start with a reliable vending machine that works as it is supposed to. Then you will set your own standard and frame of reference on what the machine should do when operating at its best.

Then when you later go and evaluate a used vending machine you will know what to look for or what to avoid.

Think hard about buying a used vending machine for your particular case, especially if you are just starting out. Would you be willing to save up some more money to buy new? If you have the money to buy new, but just don’t want to, please reconsider.

Are All Vending Machine Keys the Same?

Most vending machines will have similar key types, but no they are not on the same key. So, if you are thinking that if you buy a vending machine you can go and open other people’s machines than think again! First of all shame on you for even thinking that! Or, if you were worried that someone could do that, then rest assured that is not the case. That is one disadvantage if you don’t install the same key on your machines is that you have to manage a lot of different keys and label it for which machine you are using.

Searching for Proactiv Vending Machine Locations?

After being in the vending machine business so long I would recommend that you don’t limit yourself to just selling Proactiv. First, I recommend you start with traditional and healthy snack and drink vending machines. These are easier to secure locations, easier for you to jump start the structure and routine of your business. Then, once you have many vending machines under your belt, you can expand into some other niche areas. But, again I would recommend that you don’t start a business with a Proactiv Vending Machine. Especially, if you have to pay any franchise fees. Please stay away from anything that takes a large sum of money upfront or recurring royalties that take away from your bottom line.

Searching for Dr. Pepper Vending Machines? or a Soda Can Vending Machine?

The advantage of a soda can vending machine is that they can hold a large amount of product, and if it is in a high traffic location you will do well. It really depends on your location on if I would place this or not. If the location is 150 people or less, I would stick with a combo snack and drink machine. Start there, and see how it goes before investing in a large machine that takes up a lot of space and product investment.

A Soda Can Vending Machine will be perfect for outdoor or high foot traffic locations. Just be sure to carry a good variety. Nowadays people love Coke Zero or Diet options.

Contact Us

If you are located in Houston and in need of support for your Vending Machine Business in both how to start your vending machine business or how to grow your vending machine business, let us know how we can help.

Other topics you may be searching for could be Houston Vending Machines, Vending Machines in Houston, Coffee Service in Houston, Healthy Vending Machines in Houston.

Look forward to hearing from you!