A TikTok couple became viral after purchasing a vending machine to earn additional money before their wedding.
In a viral video released to TikTok earlier this month, Jade Davis described how she purchased a vending machine for $250 and made about $150 in three weeks by selling snacks for approximately 50 cents apiece.
In her October 3 video, Davis described how she and her fiancé, Will, purchased the vending machine and went to Sam’s Club, where they spent $315 on snacks and $45 on an annual membership.
According to NerdWallet, vending machines alone can cost more than $1,000. However, the couple’s initial investment was only $615, which was a steal.
The duo is now continuing to add new options to the vending machine based on suggestions from fellow TikTokers, and they are reporting which snacks have been profitable, such as Honey Buns, Nutty Buddies, and Goldfish, and which have not, such as cheddar puffs and Skittles.
In addition, they are pushing others to enter the snack-on-demand industry.
Blondie’s Garden remarked, “I might place one on my front porch for all the Amazon and FedEx people.”
Many responded to the video by asking Davis about the logistics of owning a vending machine, such as if they must pay rent to the business it is located in and how they were able to get one at such a low cost.
Will responded by explaining that one of his coworkers had sold them the equipment at a low price after using it for years. They are now storing it in its original location, near the restrooms at Will’s job.
The user MJStokes489 subsequently asked the couple if the coworker has any further devices he would be prepared to sell, stating that he needs ‘the additional revenue’
Others provided Davis money-saving recommendations, such as purchasing the snacks online from the wholesaler and utilizing the cash back app Rakuten to receive 8% cash back on their purchases.
And many have criticized the pair for selling the snacks so cheaply, but Davis has stated that since they ‘took over [the machine] from someone who had been operating it for years,’ they want to’slowly’ raise pricing in an effort to keep their customers satisfied.
However, Davis and her fiancé are not the only successful vending machine business owners.
Marcus Gram, age 31 in 2018, launched his own vending machine business. In a post for CNBC, he stated that it currently generates more than $300,000 annually.
Gram explained that he had been living with his mother in Rochester, New York and working a $17-per-hour administrative job in order to accumulate money for a passive-income-generating rental property.
My companion observed a woman withdrawing cash from a vending machine, which sparked an idea for a side business.
He subsequently relocated to Philadelphia, purchased two machines, and earned $5,000 in his first year of business.
Gram currently operates 21 vending machines in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Washington, DC, and is on course to generate over $50,000 in revenue by the end of the year.
In addition, he began teaching an online course on how to establish a vending machine business and selling an eBook on the subject, generating $90,000 in the process. He is now preparing to develop a one-on-one coaching and consulting program.
He plans to extend his firm into further states, build a crew, and eventually open his own vending machine warehouse.