When looking to buy quality used vending machines, buyer beware. First, you never purchase machines off Craigslist unless you know what you are doing. There are roving bands of thieves that steal these units, empty them, and then sell them to an unsuspecting person.
There are also people that sell machines that are left in a vacant building. These machines have owners. Watch out! Coke and Pepsi have a hard time picking up their units. Even though they haven’t picked them up, they are still their machines.
I would not buy a Coke or Pepsi machine that is located east of the Mississippi. There is a good chance; the vending machine will be stolen. Most Coke identified machines have custom parts in them, such as proprietary boards and vend mechanisms. A private party can not purchase these parts. So, when these units need a part, you are screwed.
When looking to make a purchase, always buy American. You want to watch out and not buy a machine that is too old to where the parts are not available. Of course, if you saw the article on new vending machines, never buy biz op machines, and make sure all parts are readily available.
Here is a shortlist of great used vending machine options for your vending machine business:
- Drink Machines
- Snack Machines
- Soda Machines
- Food Machines
- Healthy Machines
- Combo Machines
Buy the Right Size Used Vending Machine
Purchase a used unit from a vending machine sales company that knows what they are doing. You need years of experience to be able to remanufacture these units.
You must have a vast supply of parts and you must know what parts to replace and go over, so they work like new. Additionally, must have a paint booth so that it is painted to look new. Most companies on the web have none of this, just a pretty website.
Make sure the company has done contract refurbishing for companies like Pepsi, Gatorade, Nestle, Dr. Pepper, etc. These companies know what they are doing. They do this for a living day in and day out.
Choose a company that has parts for your machine and can ship out that day. You want to be able to call the company and not get a recording. Mainly you want to be able to talk to a real person in tech support. You need to be able to go to their website after hours and go to a self-help video or manual.
In Closing
Remember, used machines might be a lot more money coming from a vending remanufacturer, but you get service after the sale, and you have purchased a quality machine.
To check out what we do to remanufacture a vending machine, check out our refurbishing vending machine video. If you are interested in purchasing quality used vending machines, please call us at 1-800-713-6217 for fast and friendly service, as well as superior technical support. There is never any pressure to buy.
