Post: #1

I was wondering if anyone on here has any info or experience on owning one or more ATM machines. It seems like a decent way to make some side cash if you can find a high traffic spot. Even something like 10-15 transactions a day at $2-3 a pop would add up especially if you could get multiple machines going. Considering you need only minimal time to restock the machine with currency you could also easily keep your day job or concentrate on other things. I have read that a lot of businesses will agree to let you put a machine in them free or for a small fee since it's usually a win win with the people using the ATM spending the funds in that business. I have looked all over online and am finding new machines for between $2-2.5k, pretty low capital and can be paid off in the first few months depending on traffic.
Any input or ideas would be awesome.

Post: #2

You can also use armored car service to replenish your ATMs. It eats into your yields but you do not have to as active in managing. There are some new challenges http://www.startribune.com/business/2017...ml?refer=y

It can be very profitable. But nothing is as easy as it seems and you will have teething problems. Just need to ride it out.

The biggest thing is getting good leads. You don't really want to spend all of your time actively searching for new locations.

Make sure you build into your contracts an opt out if the location is not hitting certain volumes.

Once you acquire the machine, your real costs to move are pretty negligible. So if a location doesn't work out, it is not as if you "lost" your investment, you just need to move it.

Good luck.

Post: #3

This thread has a ton of great info. It is actually my favourite thread on the forum:

/thread-19636.html

Post: #4

How would you go about approaching the business owner? Who would you actually approach, in fact - the business owner or the land owner? I guess it may be easier to figure out who to approach if its a mall, but then they may have contracts with banks or ATM agencies already.

This is very interesting to me, since Europe is very much a Cash is King place. I think there are opportunities to place ATMs in a lot more locations than there currently are.

Post: #5

(05-23-2013 06:58 AM)augen sehen Wrote:  How would you go about approaching the business owner? Who would you actually approach, in fact - the business owner or the land owner? I guess it may be easier to figure out who to approach if its a mall, but then they may have contracts with banks or ATM agencies already.

This is very interesting to me, since Europe is very much a Cash is King place. I think there are opportunities to place ATMs in a lot more locations than there currently are.

I've never heard of private persons owning and running ATMs. Is that an American thing ?

Post: #6

(05-23-2013 07:54 AM)sheesh Wrote:  

(05-23-2013 06:58 AM)augen sehen Wrote:  How would you go about approaching the business owner? Who would you actually approach, in fact - the business owner or the land owner? I guess it may be easier to figure out who to approach if its a mall, but then they may have contracts with banks or ATM agencies already.

This is very interesting to me, since Europe is very much a Cash is King place. I think there are opportunities to place ATMs in a lot more locations than there currently are.

I've never heard of private entrepreneurs owning and running ATMs. Is that an American thing ?

Post: #7

(05-23-2013 07:54 AM)sheesh Wrote:  

(05-23-2013 06:58 AM)augen sehen Wrote:  How would you go about approaching the business owner? Who would you actually approach, in fact - the business owner or the land owner? I guess it may be easier to figure out who to approach if its a mall, but then they may have contracts with banks or ATM agencies already.

This is very interesting to me, since Europe is very much a Cash is King place. I think there are opportunities to place ATMs in a lot more locations than there currently are.

I've never heard of private persons owning and running ATMs. Is that an American thing ?

I haven't seen many privatised ones in Europe. I have a friend who runs company of ATMs but it is a natural extension from his other business where he operates convenience stores so he already has good locations to put them in.

I remember asking him about it and he stressed the importance of location and volume.

If you think about it... It is low capital investment and hands off income. So why does a store owner need YOU in the picture at all?

Finding a profitable location is easier said than done.

Post: #8

Aren't security measures for transporting money and preventing card fraud or theft of the ATM costly? Wouldn't you need a huge volume of transactions to cover those?

Post: #9

ATMs also tend to break down.

If the cash Dispenser unit is jammed then it is ok but if one of the belts is misaligned, then you will need to get professional ATM technician to service your ATM and this could add to your ATM being down and added costs. When the ATM is down, unless you have a NOC center, there will be no way to tell until the cash replenisher arrives.

Post: #10

(05-23-2013 10:41 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Aren't security measures for transporting money and preventing card fraud or theft of the ATM costly? Wouldn't you need a huge volume of transactions to cover those?

I believe the money is bonded. The machine is insured.

Fraud comes in part by way of skimmers who makes digital copies of the card, the liability in this comes to the bank but I'm not 100% sure.

Post: #11

(05-23-2013 06:58 AM)augen sehen Wrote:  How would you go about approaching the business owner? Who would you actually approach, in fact - the business owner or the land owner? I guess it may be easier to figure out who to approach if its a mall, but then they may have contracts with banks or ATM agencies already.

This is very interesting to me, since Europe is very much a Cash is King place. I think there are opportunities to place ATMs in a lot more locations than there currently are.

I used to work in industry. If I am not mistaken, Europe already has the US beat in the electronic "tap" card market -- where the ATMs have the tap card instead of the physical card which deters skimmers. Replacing these machines to get international compliance will be a b*tch but there will be lucrative niches there.

Post: #12

Location is king, especially in ATM. People get an affinity to where they get their cash. But this is not your model, your model should focus on the convenience aspect.

The most valuable ones here are transportation centers, but that is true for everyone. There are also opportunities in colleges, ballparks, parking lots, bars (this should be ur target), cash checkers, health centers, city assistance centers, and random kiosks that popout of nowhere, you can have them placed in tourist attraction.... pretty much anywhere. But I suggest getting a low key place with a small business feel to it bc contracts are big business and nice locations will be bank owned and maintained.

If you get big enough, you can start to partner up with other retail stores. Like cardtronics (?) has a deal with a grocery chain and they manage the ATMs for all of them.

*should have put all this in one post