Frequently Asked Questions

What are some tips to starting a vending machine business?

You need some capital for start up to purchase the vending machines. If you don't have all the money upfront, we at Vending Design Works can work with you to finance the machine. You will need a concept on what kind of products you would like to sell from the machine. Products like Healthy Foods have been a increasingly popular item for businesses to sell. Our Salad Vending Machine may be an option for you. Anything from, Snacks/Sodas, Hot Food, Frozen Food, Pharmaceutical Supplies (over the counter), Greetings Cards, Beauty Products, Mason Jar products, Desserts (Cookies, Dainties, Chocolates), Wine, Champagne, Cannabis (Joints, Oils, Edibles), Cigarettes, Vape Products, Travel Supplies will work inside a vending machine. An important factor is that your product you are selling should fit the demographic you are targeting.

Unique Anime contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

You must have reliable equipment, customers don't want to have issues trying to get the machine to take their money and then not deliver a product. Vending machines are portable and if your location does not work, its not the machine, it's not the product, the machine needs to be relocated where the demographic you are targeting is located. If you have further questions, Contact Us!

How does a vending machine work?

Vending machines are unattended kiosks that work 24/7/365. The products are placed in the selections of the machine and the price is then set for each of the selections within the machine. As a customer selects an item and pays for the item, the machine then delivers the product. As soon as the product is delivered the machine will then register this sale online so the owner of the machine can remotely follow his sales in real time. This statistical information will help him in knowing which items sell best in the machine so you can keep the machine loaded with the most sought-after products. Also, you will know what time and day your customers are making the purchase so you can plan events to support your kiosk. For further details on the workings of a machine, Contact Us!

Are vending machines profitable?

Vending machines are very profitable. We at Vending Design Works have clients selling tobacco products from vending machines and paying for the machine within 120 days. We have specialty food machines grossing $25,000 per month. Vending machine always work depending upon where they are located and if the products within the machine fit the demographic. The amount of money generated by a vending machine depends upon the cost of your product and what the customers are willing to pay. A good example would be a cup of coffee. The coffee, the cup and the cream and sugar should not exceed $0.20 cents per cup. If you are selling the coffee for $1.00 your margin is very good. Soft drinks cost $0.30 and sell for $1.00 to $1.25 a can. In the right location with the right products, you can make a lot of money.

The vending market in Asia, especially China, has exploded in size over the last decade. From to the unattended vending market In China grew from $250 million (USD) to over $4.5 billion (USD). In that same period dozens of new vending manufacturers were founded in China that have now become some of the largest producers of vending machines in the world.

To say that China is now the world's leading manufacturer in unattended vending machines and kiosks would be an understatement.

Chinese vending machines have cutting-edge technology

Trust us, we have scoured the North American market for vending manufacturers on par with contemporary Chinese vending technology, and we haven't been able to find a viable option. Whether we are considering touchscreens, contactless payment/ordering systems, interactive displays, or elevator/conveyor delivery systems, Chinese manufacturers are years ahead of everyone else. They have become the innovators in unattended kiosks and vending systems.

There are often concerns about 'quality' regarding Chinese manufactured parts and equipment, and we initially had those same concerns' that is until we looked around our offices and saw the vast majority of electronics and appliances we currently owned were manufactured in Chinese factories for American brands: HP, AT&T, Apple, General Electric, and Xerox just to name a few.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website China Vending Machine.

Bottom line, if you want the most innovative, eye-catching, and convenient technology for your customers, considering Chinese manufactured vending technology is a 'must'.

Should you order from China or a U.S.-based distributor?

Many U.S. customers exploring the vending machine market will inevitably discover Alibaba in their online searches, and many consumers will ask, 'Should I buy from Alibaba or a Chinese manufacturer, or buy from a distributor in the U.S?'.

The answer is more nuanced than a simple black-and-white 'either/or' scenario. There are circumstances in which it would make perfect sense to buy direct from Alibaba or a Chinese manufacturer. There are others in which it might be extremely detrimental to not buy from a U.S. manufacturer or distributor.

You should buy your vending machine from Alibaba or a Chinese manufacturer IF'

• 'you have experienced vending technicians on your team that can communicate with Chinese time zone tech support. Most Chinese tech support is available in English, so language barriers aren't a big issue, although details can be hard to understand on both ends. The real issue is more 'time-of-day': support is typically after 8pm EST.
• 'you have access to local designers, vinyl printers and applicators to customize the graphics of the machine.
• 'you are prepared to program any touchscreens with product images, descriptions, ads, graphics, etc, yourself.
• 'you have additional hardware/parts or you purchase additional hardware/parts to modify or repair your machines stateside.
• 'you are willing to wait 4-5 months to receive your machine(s). This is the reality of overseas machine purchases, even if your Asian time zone sales rep promises otherwise. Overseas shipping is extremely congested and expensive post-pandemic.
• 'you are willing to wait weeks, even months, for parts to ship from overseas. See above.
• 'you want to save thousands on the machine itself, but can also pay thousands in shipping fees per machine.
• '.you are ready to deal with Chinese and U.S. customs and have accounted for the current 25% U.S. tariffs in your machine cost.

You should buy your vending machine from a U.S.-based manufacturer or distributor IF'

• 'you want your support to be U.S. time zone based.
• 'you want the machine graphics to be designed and customized before shipping.
• 'you want the touchscreen's photos, prices, descriptions, ads, graphics, etc, to be set up for you.
• 'you do not have the hardware/parts, nor do you want to invest in them, in order to modify or repair your machine.
• 'you want to order parts in the domestic U.S.
• 'you want to have the option to pay with a credit card. Overseas orders are often limited to Western Union or wire transfer.
• 'you want to be able to have the parts overnighted, if needed.
• 'you are willing to pay a premium for domestic support and services, but with affordable parts, shipping and support available within minutes.

In short, if you have the experienced vending team and parts inventory to support your own machines, buying from Alibaba or a Chinese manufacturer can make a lot of sense. BUT, if you're just starting out or you don't want to have to develop the support team and inventory, let our support team and our parts inventory take all of that load off your growing business.

The reality is, even some of our largest customers with their own teams of service technicians still chose to do business with a U.S.-based machine distributor like the Discount Vending Store because we offer that extra layer of support, parts and service that Chinese manufacturers simply can't provide.

If your machine is not customized for your product, you're not making maximum profit. If your machine is broken down, you aren't making any money. Having your machines customized exactly how you want them, and keeping your machines running in a timely fashion is the advantage of sourcing your machines from The Discount Vending Store.

For more information, please visit Custom Vending Machines.