Echols 1300 ice shaver snow cone machine, $30

The guy I bought this snow cone machine from told me that he had been using it at various fund-raising events for the high school where he worked, and was only selling it because he was moving out of state.

The Echols 1300 ice shaver machine has the sole job of turning large chunks of ice thrown into the chute at the top of the machine into tiny pieces of shaved ice, which can then be scooped up, plopped into a paper cone and doused with flavored syrup. Quite a pricey machine for such a basic task, but there's a reason for this cost. Unlike the little consumer grade ice shavers hat are intended for home use, which may see use making a few snow cones for a few kids at a time, this Echols machine was built to work all day, every day.     

One of the first things you should notice about this ice shaver machine is something you must train your eyes to spot: the industrial look. It only takes a few seconds to see that this machine does not have the clean, sleek, modern look of a machine intended to look pretty on a kitchen counter top. It's big, bulky and ugly, and sports a rather ungainly industrial-grade electric motor right on the top.

Welcome to another Auctionbandits profit tip: ugly and industrial nearly always means more money than sleek and consumer. This is due to the very basic reason that ruggedness, heavy duty performance and long life cost much more to make than sleek and pretty. Learning to tell the industrial grade goods from the consumer grade items is one of the most important skills you can develop in this business!

The guy who sold me this machine told me that he had used it for various fundraising events at his local school, and the only reason he had bought it in the first place is because he was tired of paying the $50 every time he had to rent one.

As always, you should check any machine carefully to ensure that everything is in good shape, and that nothing is broken or worn out or will need replacing.

I hope you can see the profit potential there is to be realized in this machine. Here we have an industrial-grade machine whose sole utility is based on its ability to make money for its user. You can pay $659 to over $1000 for a new one, or you can save a bundle and buy a good used one from eBay. What decision do you think lots of people will make?

This Echols model 1300 sno cone ice shaver machine sold on eBay for $420, to a local buyer who came to pick it up!