Has anyone ever bought from Sanko Industries?.......

[ZCore13]

I started by buying a few, then 12, then 33, then 33 again, then 400. It's more work than I thought it would be and more expensive. Most of the expenses have been listed but here they are as I've seen them.

Machines
Freight
Warehouse/Storage
Insurance
Security
Power
Phone
Paint
Transformers (about 1/2 of them need it)
Sand Machine
Screws
Wire Connectors
Lots of cleaning supplies
Wood filler
Wire holders
Boxes
Packaging Materials
Ebay listing fee
Ebay end of auction fee
Paypal fee
Employees (if you want to sell more than a few a week)

I'm sure there's a few things I'm missing, but that's most of it. It takes a lot of time also. Just listing machines, answering emails and handling billing/shipping is hours per day. If you don't keep up on the service part, you're not long for the business. If service is taking up all your time, you can't get the machine out (unless you've got employees).

[Tulsa]

You must've have never been to western Oklahoma. The only place is the world that is so flat you can see the entire circumference of a cloud shadow.

[slotter]

My wife's mom lives in Texas and so did we years back. Anyhow, we drive through OK all the time, and it's one of my favorite states and I've lived in AZ, TX, CA, IL, IA and more. OK is good people! We've thought about moving there. :wink:

[Tulsa]

Oklahoma is filled with great people and the cost of living is very nice. Now I would suggest anything west of Oklahoma City wasn't worth a whole lot.. Just barbed wire and cows... Eastern Oklahoma (green country) it's nice! 8-)

[Utopia1dc]

I lived in Tulsa, Ok in 1990-1994. It was a fun time, just a little too hot in August though. I used to manage a deli called "Bill & Ruth's". I used to rent an appartment for $250 a month, and my car payment was $300...Go figure? I would visit Dallas a lot when I lived there, and the Indian Bingo was fun.

[Davis]

As for those premiums, id have to say those arent really that good. There are a few in there that are nice, but most of them look more like deluxe to me. Just my 2 cents on the premie section.

[azlew]

I don't think there is a successful dealer/distributor out there that will tell you it was real easy for them to get into(some of the stories actually will move me to tears). If I was a young un' I would be chomping at the bit to do this.

Don't give up on your dream. The Earth may indeed be flat(everyone here almost has me convinced) :wink: but that doesn't mean you will fall off the edge..... :wink:

[keesterdog]

i might be interested in the "beever" machine

[Firewire]

I think I you should consider a "Retail" outlet as your bread and butter and ebay just to pay the bills.

For example, 7MilesSlots has the fleamarket I would suspect to get a higher price. If you need to unload them then ebay or here would be the place.

So, I would focus on finding some method of selling locally. Maybe even a crafter's mall or something.

[LizardKing]

I doubt any of the above jsut jumped into selling slots for a living. They probalby started out smaller and have grown as the industry has grown. No one in their right mind just orders a container on the wing and starts selling them. Its just not good business sense!

After buying and selling only a handful of machines...I have ordered a 20 foot container...I may not be in my right mind...but I think it is good business sense on my part at least.
Here are some of the reasons why I decided to import(in no particular order):

1.My love of pachislo!
I am a pachislo addict...by purchasing 198 machines I will be be able to keep all the premium machines I want for my own use.
Beast Sapp,Thunderbirds,Super Blackjack,Terminator(Arnie version),Hanabi Hyakkei,Speed Racer,Outlaw,Firedrift,Sinbad,King Camel,Neo Magic etc. will all be added to my collection!

2.Location-I live in Canada and there is virtually no vendors in all of western Canada, there is a few out east in Ontario,but no major ones where I live.
I would like to establish myself as a reliable vendor In western Canada.

3.Storage space-I have plenty of cheap storage space in Edmonton for my machines and my brother in law and father will be taking 60 or 70 machines to Winnipeg(about 700 miles away) and reselling them there.
This will also establish my business in 2 major cities.

4.Time-I have alot of free time to spend with customer service,working on machines,ebay and internet,and playing with my pachislo.
I don`t care if it takes 6 months or even a year to sell the machines.
Good customer service is the key to any good business and I will be able to provide it!

5.Premium Machines-I was able to get some good machines...in my container I have:
32-Speed Racer,11-Thunderbirds,25-Beast Sapp,25-Hanabi Hyakkei,etc.I will have about 120 units of the best machines.
These higher end machines cost me extra...but are definatley worth it.

I don`t have any dreams on making alot of money...My main goal is to have 100% satisfied customers,some machines for myself and maybe make a few bucks in the end.


My container arrives next month,I realize the time I will have to spend with my pachislos and I think I will love every minute of it!

[slotter]

Thanks LK for that summary and rundown of why you invested in a container. :smt023

I think what you've written makes a lot of sense. Have to say that I have had many of the same thoughts as yourself about such a venture! 8-) :wink: I hope you keep us up to date on how it works out for you as you progress with the new business!

[syph]

I doubt any of the above jsut jumped into selling slots for a living. They probalby started out smaller and have grown as the industry has grown. No one in their right mind just orders a container on the wing and starts selling them. Its just not good business sense!

Thirteen thousand dollars or so for a container and some not-so-prime warehouse space is pretty small for someone wanting to start their own business. That's about the cheapest startup cost I've seen for a business that has retail inventory - I've got a guy who lives upstairs from me who paid sixty thousand for his Pepperidge Farm delivery route. Just saying that people make the leap all the time, and this is a pretty low-risk leap - after all, you're not risking a house worth of money, it's more of a car worth of money or less : )

I'd do it myself, but I love my job!

[LizardKing]

Thanks LK for that summary and rundown of why you invested in a container. :smt023

I think what you've written makes a lot of sense. Have to say that I have had many of the same thoughts as yourself about such a venture! 8-) :wink: I hope you keep us up to date on how it works out for you as you progress with the new business!

Your welcome slotter

I will keep you guys up to date as things progress.
Most of my business will probably be local to start...but I am currently working on a webpage and should have it up in the next month.

I would also like to have some specials for pachitalk members like many of the other guys are doing.

Any feedback now or in the future will be appreciated :grin:

[Firewire]

Just recieved this letter out of the blue today. (I usually get it every few months).

Dear Sirs

We are professionals for exporting used Pachislo machines,
located in Japan. We offer a variety of slot machines that represent the very best in the slot machine world.
Currently we export used pachislo machines to USA, please visit our site, you will find some pics of our last packing,
and our products. We want to make a business relationship between our companies. Should you have any questions,
please do not hesitate to contact us.
We look forward to your favorable reply.
Thanks.

Tiger Xu　
TPO INC..
2-26-3 Namiki, Kawaguchi City
Saitama, Japan
Tel: 81-48-258-4524 Fax: 81-48-258-2761
E-mail: xuyin@tpo-pvd.com
http://www.tpo-pvd.com/pachislo.htm

[syph]

I don't know anything about 'em, but I love their little walking penny gif!

http://www.cityofsand.com/images/coin_op.gifhttp://www.cityofsand.com/images/coin_op.gifhttp://www.cityofsand.com/images/coin_op.gifhttp://www.cityofsand.com/images/coin_op.gifhttp://www.cityofsand.com/images/coin_op.gifhttp://www.cityofsand.com/images/coin_op.gif

[dodc2]

I inquired about a similar company this Monday, but have got a reply from them. Their list of machines and web site are similar. The only different is the back ground color of the web site. Maybe it's a coincident.




http://www.upjapaninc.com/ENGLISH/pachislo.htm

[dodc2]

CORRECTION:

I have not got a reply from them yet.

This is not a good sign of good business practice.

[Firewire]

I would say it has to be the same. Sites look too much alike.

[gwarzin]

I'd say the second site is probably the original company and the first one is someone trying to copy them. That's just based on a gut reaction to the fact the the 1st site was very very very slow and the 2nd is lightning fast. Real businesses pay attention to details like that.

But, that's just my guess.

[dodc2]

Their sites make our T-1 slower than a 56k dial up. It loads faster after the pages in the cache.

I think they have shared web hosting with a shared IP address also.