r/vending

Hi! I’m considering getting into this business but before I got out there door to door without actually having either bought a machine or made my research I’d like to know what is the one thing you knew about the machines themselves before starting.

Is there a specific thing about a machine that you just hate?

Hey I have found a location that would allow me to place a Haha machine, however this is in a very humid/high temperature indoor swimming pool. The machine can be places far away from the pool itself (no splashing risks), but I read that the humidity can still affect the machine. Anyone any experience with this? Thanks!

Hello, I would like to buy a machine, but I don't know where I can buy a used one because I can't find any on eBay and Facebook. Can you please recommend me a website. Thank you.

I’m gonna have a solid amount of money to buy a machine and I’m pretty sure I have good locations to choose from being in Atlanta and the World Cup coming up this summer. Anyway, I was looking for a reliable beginner machine that won’t need crazy maintenance, but is also affordable. Somewhere in the price range of 2-3K. If someone more experienced could give me some ideas or tips it’d be much appreciated. Thank you!

I have some excess money and I'm interested in starting off with my first vending machine as a business investment. I was wondering if I could get any advice on what the best type of machine is for someone starting off. Whenever I research them, I either come across old used models that seem at risk of breaking down, or new high tech ones that are more expensive. I'd ideally like to start off with a drink machine, especially living in Texas about to approach summer. Any advice on a good machine to start off with, and possibly good places to buy them, would be greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone,
I wanted to start documenting and sharing my experience of starting a vending machine business. It’s been about 6 weeks since my first post on this subreddit asking for advice on what machine I should buy. That discussion ultimately convinced me to purchase an AI cooler, and honestly, I’m very glad I did.
One “mistake” I made was buying the machine before securing a location. However, I’m confident and persistent enough that I’ll eventually land a good spot, so I try to look at it as more of a “premature investment” than a bad decision. I had been researching the business for a month or two before finally deciding to spend around $3,500 plus shipping on my machine.
Luckily, I worked things out with the manufacturer so they can hold the machine until I’m ready to have it shipped. That way it’s not sitting in my garage taking up space and collecting dust.
As for locations, there was one specific business that originally inspired me to get into vending in the first place. I had a connection there, so naturally that was the first place I reached out to. They seemed interested, but there have been a lot of bureaucratic delays slowing the process down.
While waiting on updates from them, I started cold-calling other businesses just in case things fell through. Honestly, the first week was emotionally draining. Hearing “no,” getting rejected, being ignored, and having calls abruptly end was pretty demoralizing. At the same time, I knew I needed more options so I could at least feel confident that I didn’t spend $3,500 for nothing.
As time passed, I finally got another lead after calling somewhere around 50–75 locations. I started getting creative — and honestly a little desperate — calling places I wasn’t even that interested in just to see if I could get a yes.
One promising lead was a franchise car shop. The store manager loved the idea, but unfortunately the GM ultimately shut it down, which was disappointing.
Not long after that, I finally received an update from my original location. I was invited to an in-person meeting with one of the higher-ups to discuss my plans, logistics, and overall details.
That meeting was very eye-opening. Some of the main takeaways were:
I would likely start on a 30-day trial period to see how customers interact with the cooler and whether it’s a good fit for everyone involved.
I would need some form of liability insurance.
They also recommended that I create an LLC for tax and business purposes.
The meeting was very informative, but I still haven’t officially received a yes yet. Tomorrow, I have one final meeting with the CEO where we’ll discuss more details and determine whether I’ll be allowed to place the cooler there.
I’ve honestly been waiting a long time for this opportunity, and because of how much potential I see in this location, I’ve slowed down on reaching out to other businesses while waiting for a final answer.
I wanted to ask you guys a few questions:
What type of liability insurance do you recommend for vending machines, and what provider do you personally use?
Should I go the LLC route or stay a sole proprietor? Why?
Any thoughts, advice, or recommendations based on my journey so far?

I appreciate any feedback. I’m still very new to business in general but I’m excited to keep learning and growing.

I keep seeing beginners talk about which machine to buy first, but the more I read, the more it seems like the location matters more than anything.
A good machine in a bad spot still won’t do much.
From what I understand, it’s not just about foot traffic. It’s more about the type of traffic.

A place seems better when people are:

1. waiting around
2. working long shifts
3. taking breaks
4. studying
5. training
6. living there

or don’t want to leave the building for snacks or drinks
Also, I guess the machine has to solve a real problem. Like no food nearby, bad current vending, staff stuck on-site, late-night access, or people already buying drinks/snacks elsewhere.

The boring stuff probably matters too:

1. power access
2. visibility
3. security
4. easy restocking
5. space around the machine

and whether the location owner is actually easy to work with
For people already running machines, what do you check before saying yes to a location?
And for beginners, what type of location are you trying to get first?

Hello
I’ve been an operator for a year, but won’t be able to continue due to some personal things that came up.

I’ve never sold a location before but I’d like a confirmation to see which information I found online is accurate.

So I heard it is the total year sales + the value of the machine and inventory that’s included in the machine?

Currently, I have a haha pro smart machine located in an office with around 60 employees. M-F business hours and every weekends with a few employees.

Monthly sales $500. No issues with machine. Works perfect. I’ve never had problems with the machine which made me love these machines and bought more. It’s 1 year old.

So to my math, the total should be $9k?

Would just want to confirm and make sure I’m not over charging. Thank you all

I have been setting up pokemon card vending machines, which are naturally very easy to stock as a sole operator as the product is not heavy at all.

I am looking at traditional food and drink vending at the moment, and would like to also start doing it as well, but the part I'm a bit hesitant about is dealing with "heavy" stuff like cases of drinks. I can lift them, but I have a disc problem in my back that could potentially make this difficult for me. How hard is it really, in terms of lugging around heavy stuff, for a sole operator who has back issues...is it that much of a problem?

Hello, recently lost over 100$ in product from theft. Someone shook my machine. It has conveyer belts for the bottom 3 rows. How do you all combat theft? I would like to place a camera either on or in the machine. I do not have access to wifi so would need something that can run on cellular or any kind of deterrent

Yesterday, after my strength training, I grabbed a bottle of electrolyte water and two protein bars????super convenient! The gym owner said that one Mini can make a decent profit in a month. I'm curious, does anyone know about these machines? Can they really make money, and how long does it usually take to break even?

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to start a small vending business on Madeira Island (Portugal) and would love to get feedback from people who've done this before — especially in tourist-heavy locations.

**The setup**

My idea is to place vending machines in 4 Offices that i have direct access and i will not need to pay rent.

Phase 1 would be 4–5 machines:
- 2 machines at our rent-a-car offices near the airport (~729 and ~500 car rental contracts in April alone)
- 2 machines at offices in central Funchal (~178 and ~229 contracts in April)

**Why I think this works**

The rent-a-car context is almost ideal for vending: customers are waiting for paperwork, they just landed, they're thirsty and hungry, and they rarely have local change. April alone = 1,636 contracts across 4 locations, with summer (July/August) expected to be 40–45% higher based on tourism seasonality.

No rent = no location cost, which is the single biggest risk in most vending businesses.

**My product focus**

After doing research I'm leaning heavily towards:
- Water (50cl)
- Chocolate bars
- Energy bars
- Energy drinks
- Soft drinks/juice cans

**My questions for experienced operators:**

1. Where i can buy brand new machines, or used machines? Preferentially from europe.

2. Water + chocolate/energy bars seems like the obvious product mix for this audience. Any products you've found surprisingly well at airport/car rental locations?

3. Has anyone used micro markets or smart coolers instead of traditional machines for this type of location? Wondering if an open shelf setup would convert better than a closed machine.

4. Any red flags you see in this plan that I'm missing?

Thanks in advance — really appreciate any real-world experience here.

Does anyone actually run this business full time as their main source of income. If so, I’d love to know where you’re based and what you’re machine on average a month and how many machines you have. Would love to go full time one day!

Hi there!
I see a lot of posts here on this subreddit about new vending machines, sales stats and I'm very impressed by what you are achieving. I did not see many technical posts and I thought i'd give it a shot.

I have an old Necta Smart 10 machine by Evoca Group and it worked well for a long time. We decided to move the machine into a different location and it was idling for quite some time (unplugged). I powered it on at one point and saw that it threw an error, but recovered after some minutes. A couple of weeks later, it does not recover anymore.

It's giving a Machine Control Board Failure fault, as if the CPU and control board are not communicating anymore. I've cleaned the control board EEPROM contacts with iso and resocketed it, also cleaned the cable contacts, all to no avail.

Did anybody have anything similar happen or has any clue what to try next? The control board power LEDs lightning up as expected, but the red RUN light which would indicate normal operation is not blinking.