Hi,total newbie here,

[Raymo]

Am considering 30 refurbed towers via Hurleys,15 with site finding and doing the other 15 myself,the 15 with site finding come with full stock,the other only with stock to fill the machines,ie 81 as opposed to 96 pots, intend to pay difference to start all off with full stock. My assumption is that "refurbished" by Hurleys would mean good quality,smart looking,fully functioning machines, as opposed to the risk of straight forward second hand off ebay.
should this strategy work out i would intend to eventually add a combination of new and purchase second hand possibly to break down into to a stock of spares.
Does any of this make sense? Am i being naive in expecting the refurbed goods to be of a high standard ?
Is my mix of site finding/self finding realistic ? (have an inclination to go all self finding)
Would welcome any advice/observations,the area/s i am looking at are just about devoid of any other towers, in a 50 mile radius have come across only two, one of which was looking fairly neglected! also feel that i may have a bit of a niche market in one area. So all very optimistic!(however would welcome all advice,even it is to warn me of being deluded !!!)
Many thanks in advance.

[PabloV8]

Hi Raymond,

Welcome to the world of vend.

Regards the machines you are about to purchase, get them to send you a photograph of the towers and stands. I bought exactly the way you are about to and over the last year have had to systematically replace the stands for new ones. You pays you money you takes your chance.

If you are close enough distance wise, perhaps you can view them before hand. These days, I only buy new machines for piece of mind.

Happy munching.

[part-time-operator]

I've got about 16 machines and stands that have come off site in recent months.

I'm planning to put some on ebay when I get round to it. You can safely fit 8 in a car so save yourself some money and come buy a few off me.

They'll be better than "refurbed" which really means cobbled together by a bloke in a warehouse. Most operators do a better job at home in their garage because they actually have to work on their sites. They're very simple pieces of kit and if you can't afford to get them all new then buy off another operator or get some cheap ones on ebay to play around with.

[Style]

Hi Raymo,

Yep, Ive got some for sale as well, Im in Milton Keynes.

My advice would be to look at where you are in the country and collect any machines yourself. That way you can check the quality before buying. In other words buy local.

Hurleys are a good fair and honest company to deal with so no issues there. They do out source the site finding though so you may get a better deal going direct.

If you can self site that is definitely the best way to go. We operate around 350 machines which are a mix of other rounds bought up, site finders and those that we have sited ourselves. Its fair to say that those we have sited are the best.

Andy

[PabloV8]

Raymo,

I learnt the hard way!
The stands and some of the towers I received from a supplier were awful, if you can purchase new do so, if you cannot - heed the previous advice and make sure you see them before buying!

Ask before you buy if the machines are more than 2 years old. Pm me for more info!

Proof of the pudding, I have 30 in the garage undergoing repairs, of that 30 at least 15 will be used for spares only.

Customers expect the best so do not try and provide substandard towers in any of your sites, you might get turfed out.

It is an easy business however customers expect quality and reliable machines, and not machines that break down. If you are unlucky, some machines break and give out freebees. I have had 8 in the last 12 months do that, it happens.

Happy munching.

[PabloV8]

Part Timer,

Seems to be offering you a good deal, I would seriously consider that.

On another point, why so many selling surplus stock - am I missing something?

[Raymo]

Many thanks to all who took the trouble to reply,some good advice there i feel. Am really still at the information gathering stage but feel fortunate that it seems that in this site i have found a genuine community and source of good impartial advice.

[part-time-operator]

hey Pablo,

my guess is that Andy is busy digesting the snack a can rounds and they usually have a lot of sites which are totally dead which is why they go cheap. I bought a big round a few years ago and ended up pulling half of the machines and re-siting them because I am fairly strict on my turnover criteria. If you're already super busy with a big round, it's probably smarter to sell the machines and get some cash back. That right Andy?

For my part I'm in sell mode now, I worked really hard to build the round now earning a good living and I'd rather have a bit of extra cash than work like a dog finding sites in a saturated market. It's easier and more profitable to give good service and keep a customer than to find a new one. But if you want more money you just got to do both!!

[Style]

Yep, bang on part-timer. I was running around 200 and added 180 snack a can. I got a great deal on them so not unhappy at all but I think its fair to say that Barbara and Peter probably made the decision to sell some time before putting it into action and therefore didnt give the round the service it needed. Its result is that some have been kicked out on the first visit and some I have removed. I already had around 30 towers that I was working on siting but adding these into the mix has given me far more than I need. Im also in a position where I can only work till 2:30 two days a week and I started this business for the work life balance. Hence selling.

[Raymo]

Hi,Part time operator,
Thanks for your pm,i think i have sent you a reply! however, not being the most tech savvy person you,ll ever meet it could well have gone astray or more likely not been correctly sent. If this is the case please message me again and i will endeavour to reply!
Regards Raymo.