Has anyone tried to sell kegerators for money?

[spaceyaquarius]

It sounds like a good idea at first, but now I think that nearly everyone can DIY a kegerator and wouldn't want to pay labor. Shipping would be a giant hassle with the draft tower assembled and everything too.

Then I thought about Craigslist, but you don't really want strangers just walking into your house do you? At first I thought that assembled kegerators (at Lowe's) were $800+, but now I have found cheap ones for $350 online (sure they're pieces of crap, but that would be your competition).

I calculated $450 for basic parts, +$90 for flow control Perlick faucets, +$110 for 5# CO2 tank with gas lines, +$140 for 2 Corny kegs (total nearly $1000!). Then you have to add labor or it's not even worth doing.

Anyone sold a kegerator and successfully made a profit?

 

[sikkingj]

I think your sell could be in providing kits to people making their own kegerator. Examples would be having the tower (Jester style) come in two or three pre-cut/designed parts and the customer would do the rest.

Perhaps have keezer top kits (tiles, bottle caps, playing cards, etc.). This way a DIY-er could buy the kit and provide the labor the self. I would imagine it like the tap kits that keg connections sell - everything but the refridgerator. Maybe you could sell detailed step-by-step plans with lots of photos alas the Electric a Brewery - nothing you could not get for free, but a detailed professional grade step by step with tool and parts list, etc.

To you original quest, no one is willing to pay a $1,000 for a Jester kegerator - but anyone trying to build it spends more in smaller installments over months and that amount again in labor. When you first look at this, you think the freezer is the big purchase...


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[insanim8er]

Anyone sold a kegerator and successfully made a profit?

I've bought and sold nearly anything you can think of in terms of home brewing gear, equipment... etc.

I started just about a year ago doing this. Buying deals, repurposing and reselling for profit. I then used the profit to build up my brewery. I've done well. I've gone from a simple 10gallon aluminum to to a full on Blichmann (two 20s and a 15) single tier with pumps and SS quick disconnects (more beer) and plate chiller with a thermometer and oxygen assembly.. Etc

I only invested a couple hundred dollars into it... Mostly in fittings. But I've put a lot of time into it.

The reason I've been able to do this is because I have been able to think outside the box and obtain amazingly good deals in order to offer the buyer a great deal.

I've sold kegerators too... But that's because I find the parts for cheap, then resell. It takes luck and patience. I don't think you'll get a viable business doing kegerators alone.

But, if you obtain parts cheap, assemble one with those parts, then sell it... You can earn some pocket change every so often.

Monday I picked up four SS towers with SS faucets brand new in the box. Two were double faucet two were single. I paid $25/ea $100 total. I'm keeping the dual towers to convert mini fridges (that I will find on Craig's list at some point) and I've listed the singles for sale. If they don't sell, and I find a deal on a fridge, ill convert it. Hell I've even gotten two sanyo 2911 mini fridges for $50. Resold one, kept one. I even got a damn near brand new magic chef for free because it wasn't working. I fixed it in two seconds... So those are the deals you'll make money off of, but they're not always common.



That's my 2¢

 

[northcal]

Anyone sold a kegerator and successfully made a profit?

AC made nice one with attention to detail and it sounds like he basically lost a little bit of $. Maybe if you can find the right buyer, you could make some cash, but it seems like most of us brewers or beer drinkers are a cheap lot.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f16/keezer-sale-444989/

 

[Photopilot]

I got at least $750 in mine and that is a lot of good deals, shopping around and a lot of hard work. That does not include the kegs or CO2 bottle I already had. My freezer was only $50.

I think if you live in an area that had not a lot of homebrewers, where a lot of second hand kegerators are around, you might be able to make a profit if you ignore your labor. One other option is having some high end wood working skills and the right clientele willing to pay big bucks for a custom kegerator.

 

[LandoLincoln]

After making a keezer for my friend (he bought the materials and equipment), his friends were all standing around admiring the work.

"So how much would you be willing to sell me one of these for?"

After thinking of all of the work I put into it...

"2 grand."

They laughed.

No, I don't think you're going to get a lot of sales, since most people don't understand how much just the materials and equipment costs, and then the labor on top of that can be quite extensive, depending on the complexity of the build.

 

[spaceyaquarius]

I got at least $750 in mine and that is a lot of good deals, shopping around and a lot of hard work. That does not include the kegs or CO2 bottle I already had. My freezer was only $50.

I think if you live in an area that had not a lot of homebrewers, where a lot of second hand kegerators are around, you might be able to make a profit if you ignore your labor. One other option is having some high end wood working skills and the right clientele willing to pay big bucks for a custom kegerator.

Right, my upgraded kegerator was about $750 total including the CO2 tank and 2 kegs (plus $80 for brand name tap handles). When I thought kegerators were $800 I couldn't imagine paying that much at one time. It's so much easier to build it slowly.

This area does not have used kegerators around here for sale, but I also don't have woodworking skills. I did see one 4 keg keezer with custom wood for $1000 on Craigslist once though.

I don't think the idea will work out. I just liked building the 2 kegerators for myself so much it sounded nice.

 

[Photopilot]

"2 grand."

Not that anyone has offered me this much but it would be the price I would consider selling mine for. At this price i could start over and build a more elegant keezer.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-collared-keezer-build-182614/index2.html

Right, my upgraded kegerator was about $750 total including the CO2 tank and 2 kegs (plus $80 for brand name tap handles). When I thought kegerators were $800 I couldn't imagine paying that much at one time. It's so much easier to build it slowly.

This area does not have used kegerators around here for sale, but I also don't have woodworking skills. I did see one 4 keg keezer with custom wood for $1000 on Craigslist once though.

(

I could not imagine dropping $400 at one time on brew equipment, I'd rather invest 10 of 1000s of dollars $100 a pop. My keezer was pieced together over time it was easier to do, it was at the end I realized how much it all cost me.

 

[mcangeli]

It was also easier to get the wife to agree to it when I spread the purchases out over time or stuff just happened to appear...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[spaceyaquarius]

I agree. The box that shows up every so often - or you sneak the box off the porch before she sees it.

 

[JKoravos]

If you have someone in China willing to piece a bunch of knock off parts together for you, yeah, you'll make money.