As of 2024, cotton candy vending machines range from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the manufacturer, features, and quality of the machine. When sourcing directly from the manufacture, the average price is $5,000 – $8,000. In this post, we’ll break down the various providers, their costs, and the pros and cons to help you make an informed decision.
1. Straight From the Source ($5,000 – $8,000)
Machines in this price range are typically directly from the manufacturers. Manufacturers of these machines can be found on Alibaba.com, but please keep in mind most sellers on Alibaba.com are middlemen, and not actual manufacturers.
For a more detailed guide on how to find real manufacturers, check our our previous blog post on the subject. Having been in the industry since it’s inception, I can tell you there isn’t a single legitimate manufacturer you’ll find on google either.
Every company that sells machines claims to be a manufacturer – it’s just not true! The only way to find a manufacturer is by talking to suppliers on Chinese based websites, like Alibaba. With that in mind, there are still Pro’s and Con’s of going direct, namely:
Pros:
1) Affordable and ideal for small businesses
2) Ability to customize exterior design
3) Quick return on investment in high-traffic areas
Cons:
1) You have to select one of the good manufacturers (refer to our previous blog post for guidance)
2) Chinese designed interface
3) Larger learning curve required
4) Communicating with suppliers – they often speak broken English
2. Mid-Range Machines ($8,000 – $20,000)
In this mid-range category, you will be buying from middlemen. These machines come at a much higher cost and only sometimes come with more benefits. The pro’s and con’s vary by provider, but in general, here is our Pro’s and Con’s list:
Pros:
1) American Interface
2) American exterior design
3) American support
4) Parts on hand
Cons:
1) Higher Markup
2) Poor technical support
Different Providers
Fun-Space Vending
Fun-space vending markets themselves as a cotton candy vending machine manufacturer, but they’re not. Fun-Space vending is a Chinese based middlemen, meaning you get none of the benefits of having an actual manufacturer and all of the cons of a middlemen. They are known for their poor support, faulty machines, and bad business practices. This company is to avoided.
Magic-Cotton USA
Magic cotton USA is a subsidiary of a Chinese based company. They use the brand “Magic Cotton” to sell to American audiences. Their machine cost $20,000 and they take a percentage of all sales, similar to what franchises do in the restaurant industry. I’ll tell you a little secret – they aren’t manufacturers and source their machines from Sunzee Intelligence
Sunzee Intelligence
Sunzee intelligence is one of the five legitimate cotton candy vending machine manufacturers. They are known for 24/7 customer support and decently reliable machines. Sunzee intelligence has multiple versions of the cotton candy vending machine – we heavily advise against buying their steam cleaning vending machine. They originally introduced this model as an improvement to what was on the market, but it failed to increase the quality and only leads to more downtime. An added benefit of Sunzee Intelligence is the fact that they make all their sugar for their machines, so you don’t have to source that separately.
Cyspace Intelligence:
Cyspace intelligence is another Chinese based middlemen firm. They offer no real advantage to sourcing directly. We are unaware of who their manufacturers are.
Is Anything Different?
Generally speaking, you want to buy directly from the manufacturer. The reason for this is, even with a middlemen, you have the exact same risk – but now you are paying more for the machine. Unless the middlemen has a strong, independently confirmed reputation, you’re better off buying straight from the source. If you’re a business owner and interested in having one of these machines at your location for free, reach out to our sales team to see if you qualify.
