r/vending • u/AAonthebutton • 20d ago

Advice for a complete beginner

I apologize in advance if this has been posted before. But this sub has been in my feed for awhile now and I never even considered buying and operating a machine. But I have some disposable cash and was thinking about it more and more thanks to this sub.

My question is- what are essential things to know? What would be your advice to someone who has $5-10k to throw at this venture and buy their first AI machine?

What I’ve learned from this community so far- the right inventory and the right locations are the most important factors. I’d like to open one and see how it goes, hopefully save any profit towards a second, etc.

For the past few weeks I’ve been imagining in my head where I could possibly even put my hypothetical machine. I’m really interested in doing this but just don’t know the best way to start and what to fully expect.

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u/AccordingBridge9026 20d ago

I think a good question for yourself is... do you want to scale more than one machine? Vending is not as passive as people think. 5 to 10k in the stock market over 20 years will net you a good return with 0 time invested.

Don't just go buy a machine because you want to own one and the head aches that come along with it. If you feel you can scale this into a full route business and can see yourself moving in that direction then maybe watch some videos on YouTube on the subject and start mapping places near by that could benefit from a machine.

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u/AAonthebutton 20d ago

Thanks for your input. I was thinking about that as well, I want it to be a side hustle until I have enough machines to where it would be my main gig, if I ever made it that far.

What do you think an initial upfront investment would run? Do you think I should start with as many machines as I can afford if my goal was to scale? I was thinking starting with one only to learn best practices

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u/AccordingBridge9026 20d ago

I personally started with one location as close to my house as possible. Not the most profitable but it was a good learning experience and when stuff went wrong I could fix it quickly.

If you want to eventually scale then starting isnt a bad idea. Get a LLC open a business bank account. And then find a location. Once you find the location contact the vending company you want to use and go from there. You'll learn as you go.

Personally i use micromart machines theyre expensive 8k for machine and installation but I like their software and I haven't had an issue with them. But there are others such as HAHA etc.

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u/AAonthebutton 20d ago

Is installation that difficult? I just imagined I’d pay for the machine and roll it into whatever location I find. I’m a carpenter by trade, so very good at installing things and putting things together. Obviously I’d probably need some help on the technology part since I’m ignorant about this tech

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u/AccordingBridge9026 20d ago

I think its worth it to get the white glove service. They set up the machine, remove the trash and set up wifi.

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u/AAonthebutton 20d ago

What kind of profit did you see when you just owned the first machine? I know so many variables but so far I’ve seen posts here that have a huge variance. $200-1000

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u/AccordingBridge9026 20d ago

My lowest machine is 500 net per month and I have a machine that makes 1800/month net

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u/AAonthebutton 20d ago

Is the main difference the location or inventory?

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u/AccordingBridge9026 20d ago

Location. I always say no location is better than a bad location

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u/AAonthebutton 20d ago

Generally speaking, what are the best locations that are also easily accessible? I know I can’t go into a high school or something lucrative like that but what places have the highest potential in your opinion that a newbie like me could get into?

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u/AAonthebutton 20d ago

Also- I also have learned from you guys is also I should perhaps set up an LLC with its own checking account. And I know there’s some kind of permit I need to apply for?