Is This a Good Business Idea?

Are vending machines profitable?

Are vending machines profitable? Only if you get a location to say yes before you buy a machine, and you want a part-time restocking job rather than passive income. About half of the 24,152 no-employee vending businesses in the US took in under $10,000 in sales in 20241, and the small sample of owners who share net figures mostly report keeping $70 to $136 a month per machine2. “Took in” means receipts: sales before stock, location commission, card fees and fuel, not take-home pay.

How to readEach criterion is scored Good, Mixed, Weak or Poor from the sources at the end of the page.

How it scores
CriterionScore
Demand
Margin
Start-up cost
Risk
VerdictOnly if

Good Mixed Weak Poor

By Tom Hill, Editor. Updated .

“It isn’t ‘passive income’ in the slightest, and it needs a clear business plan. You won’t get rich off it unless you have a large network of machines and other people handling the day-to-day restocking. It can be a good income, but location is the most important thing, and the business will fail if you can’t get a good location.” Tom Hill, editor

The score: four criteria

CriterionScoreWhy
Demand MixedCustomers spent $8.98 billion with US vending businesses in 20223, but the trade body NAMA estimates machines in service fell from 4.0 million in 2018 to 2.9 million in 2023 (a forecast)4.
Margin WeakProduct is about 35% to 56% of the price6, card fees 8% to 19% of a $1.50 card sale at 100 to 300 card sales a month7, and the five owners who shared net figures keep a median $136 per machine a month2.
Start-up cost GoodA used machine has a median asking price of $1,700 (89 listings) and a new snack machine $3,985 (16), before delivery and usually a card reader8.
Risk WeakLosing or misjudging the site is the failure owners mention most2, and one route sold as making $3,000 to $5,000 a month in sales made about $2,0009.

Verdict: ONLY IF. The start-up cost is low and a machine can be resold if it fails, so the downside is limited. The margin is thin, though, and one ex-owner calls 10 machines “the bare minimum” and says real income takes 20 or more11, plus a few hours a week.

What a vending business takes in

The US Census Bureau counts vending businesses that file taxes but have no employees. In 2024 there were 24,152 of them, 21,087 of them sole proprietors, with total receipts of $815,986,0001. That averages about $33,785 each, but a few big operators pull the average up; the middle business takes in about $10,000 a year1.

No-employee vending businesses by yearly sales, US, 2024
Yearly sales (receipts)BusinessesShare
Under $5,0007,44230.8%
$5,000 to $9,9994,38618.2%
$10,000 to $24,9995,33522.1%
$25,000 to $49,9992,99712.4%
$50,000 to $99,9992,0298.4%
$100,000 to $249,9991,4325.9%
$250,000 or more5312.2%

Source: Census Bureau Nonemployer Statistics 2024, NAICS 445132, released 29 Sep 2026.1

So 49.0% took in under $10,000 and only 8.1% reached $100,0001. These are sales, and product alone takes roughly 35% to 56% of them6.

Their number rose 22.7% from 2022 to 2024 while average receipts slipped from $35,344 to about $33,785, a sign that more people are starting small1.

What one machine makes: owners who shared numbers

Per machine per month, owner-reported
MeasureMedianRangeAccounts
Sales (gross)$267$54 to $90013, about 370 machines
Kept (net)$136$70 to $4335
The Hustle survey12, sales (mean)$309$75 to $65023 operators, about Oct 2020

Self-reported, not audited. People whose machines failed rarely post numbers, so these are probably high.2

The top two net figures are one hotel owner’s peak season13 and a second-hand podcast claim14. Without them, the other three nets sit between $70 and $1362. A quick cross-check agrees: at about 50% product cost and 10% to 25% commission12, $267 in sales leaves about $67 to $107 before card fees, fuel and repairs.

Two cases:

  • Financial Wolf, a YouTuber with 2 machines in a school staff lounge, grossed about $298 per machine a month and kept about $120 after a 25% commission15. After 12 months he still hadn’t earned back what he paid. His video description opens with a card-reader discount code.
  • Codie Sanchez’s 30-day test made about $225 per machine a month in sales at a lawn-care firm, and about $900 in sales for one machine moved to a senior-living site16. Sanchez sells business-buying education.

One ex-owner spent about 5 hours a week on 10 machines11; a campus operator about 3 hours a week on 818. At 10 machines and $70 to $136 net each2, that’s $700 to $1,360 a month for about 22 hours, or roughly $32 to $63 an hour, before fuel and before the time spent finding sites.

With $5,000, two used machines at the median asking price cost $3,400 and card readers add $720 to $1,100, leaving $500 to $880 for delivery (quoted at $300 to $1,000 or more) and stock8. At $70 to $136 net each2, two machines keep $140 to $272 a month, so the $5,000 pays back in about 18 to 36 months. That’s two machines, against the 10 one ex-owner calls “the bare minimum”11.

Where a $2 sale goes

A Snickers bar costs $1.11 at Sam’s Club6, and candy sells for $2.00 under a Texas county contract19, so product is 55.6% of the price. That breaks the “double your cost” rule. Chips do better at 39.3% of a $1.75 price, and a 12 oz can of Coke costs 44.5% of $1.256,19.

Card fees look like 5.95%, but the monthly fee changes that on a quiet machine. On a $1.50 sale at 100 card sales a month, Cantaloupe’s Engage plan takes 12.6% and its $0-hardware Cantaloupe One plan takes 19.2%; at 300 card sales a month they take 8.2% and 10.4%7. Cashless payments (cards and phones) are 78% of vending sales on Cantaloupe’s network, so you can’t skip them20.

Where the money from one sale goes
CostTypical share of the priceSource
Product21% to 56% (Pop-Tarts to Snickers)Sam’s Club and contract prices6
Card fee8% to 19% of a $1.50 card sale, at 100 to 300 card sales a monthCantaloupe plans7
Location commission0% to 25%Contracts19,21,22 and owners23,15
Sales tax (inside the price)About 5.9% to 7.6% in Texas on candy and soft drinksTexas rules24
What’s leftAbout 25%One operator’s rule of thumb9

Vend prices usually include sales tax, and Texas makes operators post a sign saying so. Texas taxes 100% of soft-drink and candy receipts and 50% of food24; California taxes 100% of carbonated drinks and 33% of cold food25.

Winning locations

Where a machine sits decides what it sells, and finding a site is unpaid sales work. “For every yes, you’ll get at least twenty no’s,” wrote one ex-owner11. Not everyone agrees: one ex-operator got 6 yeses on his first day of door-knocking5.

What owners look for in a site:

  • 25 or more staff, ideally 25 to 4023, with no other food options nearby13.
  • At least 10 cars in the lot. One operator skips anything smaller26.
  • Blue-collar workplaces. “Blue collar accounts are always better than white collar”26.
  • Year-round traffic. On one campus, summer sales fell to about 15% of term-time18.
  • A floor of $50 a week in sales per machine. Below that, one Florida operator looks to pull the machine26.

Get the yes before you buy the machine; one owner team made that their first rule13. Expect competition: one would-be operator found good sites “already had one or five”5, and corporate sites are “the least likely” to say yes because they use a major vendor13.

Owners disagree about contracts. A 7-year ex-operator “never had a contract”23; another found a machine unplugged where the host had never been introduced, and says “contracts matter more than you think”11.

Buying a route instead

What vending routes sell for
MeasureSold, 2021–202527Asking now, Nov 202628
Median price$83,500$140,000 (40 listings)
Price ÷ yearly sales1.11×1.30× (40 listings)
Price ÷ owner earnings2.15×2.67× (25 listings)
Median yearly sales$71,000–

Asking-price earnings are stated by sellers and include the owner’s own pay. Use the sold figures for valuation.28

In plain terms, routes have sold for about one year’s sales, or about two years of the owner’s earnings. One r/vending route asked $60,000 for about $45,000 a year in sales, 1.33×9. A Utah route asked $40,000 for $31,000, 1.29×, though the post called it “1.9x”17.

Owners’ rules differ. Two say a route should pay for itself within a year; another prices his at 1.5 to 2 times a year’s net profit9.

Before you buy, ask for the card-processor statements and the location contracts. One buyer paid $30,000 for an 11-machine hotel route the seller said made $3,000 to $5,000 a month in sales9. It was “only like 2k”. If you go this way, our paired page covers writing a vending machine business plan with a per-location profit and loss.

Packages that come with locations

Sellers that charge you for machines and offer locations usually fall under the FTC Business Opportunity Rule. It covers a seller who asks you to pay to start a new business and says it will “provide locations for the use or operation of… vending machines”29.

The seller must give you a one-page disclosure document at least 7 calendar days before you sign or pay, saying whether it makes earnings claims, listing legal actions from the past 10 years and stating refund terms. Ask for it, and for the written backing any earnings claim needs29.

The FTC and 10 states brought 40 actions in a 1998 sweep called “Operation Vend Up Broke”30, and in a case announced in 2009 a court entered a $4.06 million judgment against Westbrook Marketing, which the FTC said had made earnings claims “without any reasonable basis in fact”31.

A more recent example, stated without accusation: Naturals2Go’s 2021 Minnesota disclosure (withdrawn for inactivity in 2022) priced packages at $9,666 to $11,999 per machine10, about two to three times our median for a new snack machine8, though the package also includes delivery, training and a locating service10. It made no earnings claims and said “All Sales are final”. Healthy YOU also sells as a “business opportunity” rather than a franchise32.

Why most answers you’ll find sound more positive

Across Google’s top 10 for three vending searches, about 13 of 30 results come from businesses that sell machines, card readers, software, loans, LLC formation, courses or business listings33. The same “$150–$400 gross, $40–$250 net” per machine ranges get repeated with no data behind them.

The popular “$6,284 per machine” a year is a forecast for operators with about 277 machines each4. Many owners who post their income also sell courses or earn from YouTube; one Dallas operator’s channel “earns more than his machines”12.

This site is made by Draper, which sells a business-planning product too. It’s listed below, along with the cases where it doesn’t help.

What can go wrong

  1. The site is weak or lost. A scrapyard was “a goldmine for 2 months until the roof at the location collapsed”23. A hotel route lost out to the hotel’s own snack section9.
  2. Overpaying for machines or a route. The route claimed at $3,000 to $5,000 a month in sales made about $2,0009. A 7-year ex-operator says people lose when they “go 50k in debt for a few fancy machines”23.
  3. Repairs, old machines and stale stock. One hired repair can cost “your entire months worth of profits”, said one commenter23. A $100 Craigslist machine has “been stuck in my garage for 2 years”34. “You need 5 or more snack machines to control your stales”26.
  4. Contracts that cost you. One operator, as reported second-hand, gave free coffee to win a site and spent $1,200 on it in the first month35.
  5. Break-ins at public sites. An ex-owner of cigarette machines in bars said someone who smashes the glass “can easily get out with several hundred dollars in cigs”; another commenter’s friend sold most of his route and kept only machines in office break rooms, where people are less likely to damage them23.
  6. Prices you can’t easily raise. Prices of food from vending machines and mobile vendors already rose 40.6% from Oct 2021 to Oct 2026, almost twice as fast as grocery prices (21.6%)36.
  7. Rules stack up, and vary by state and city. FDA calorie labelling applies once you run 20 or more machines37. Wisconsin charges $125 plus $9 per machine a year for some machines38; Evanston, Illinois, charges $65 per machine39.

Who this is not for: anyone who wants passive income, needs the money back within a few months, or can’t spend a few hours a week11 driving, restocking and asking businesses for space.

Check your own idea before you buy a machine

StepCheckHowTime
1Ask ten nearby workplacesPick sites with 25+ staff23, blue-collar26, no other food nearby13. Ask whether they’d host a machine and on what commission.One or two afternoons
2Get one yes in writingNote the commission and how either side can end it11,19.A week
3Run the sale sumFrom likely sales, take off product (35% to 56%6), commission (0% to 25%23,15), card fees (8% to 19% of a $1.50 sale, by volume7) and your state’s sales tax24,25. Under about $50 a week in sales, one operator pulls the machine26.An evening
4Check paybackMachine cost ÷ monthly net. At $136 a month2, a $1,700 used machine pays back in about 13 months and a $3,985 new one in about 298, before delivery and a card reader. Two route owners want payback within a year9.An hour
5Buying a route? Ask for proofCard statements and the location contracts9.Before any offer

Free help, and where Draper fits

Do the checks above first; talking to site managers costs nothing.

  • SBDC: “free business consulting and at-cost training”, with a ZIP-code locator40. Worth asking about permits, sales tax and route paperwork.
  • SCORE: free mentoring41.

Draper’s free workshop, Validate Your Idea (made by us), sits alongside these, not ahead of them. It helps you list what has to be true (foot traffic, commission, price, hours) and set a test to run before you spend. It can’t win locations for you, and it doesn’t help you choose machines, value a route or check a seller’s numbers.

Frequently asked questions

How much do vending machines make?

Owners who post their numbers report a median of $267 a month in sales per machine (13 accounts) and keep about $70 to $136 a month, where $70 is one ex-owner's figure for his weakest sites2. The often-quoted $6,284 a year per machine is a 2023 forecast by the trade body NAMA, averaged across operators with about 277 machines each, so it isn't a newcomer's figure4. See "What one machine makes" above.

How much do 10 vending machines make a month?

At the owner median, about $2,670 a month in sales and $700 to $1,360 kept, before fuel and repairs2. That's for roughly 22 hours of restocking a month11.

How long does it take for a vending machine to pay for itself?

At $136 a month net2, a $1,700 used machine pays back in about 13 months and a $3,985 new snack machine in about 298, before delivery and a card reader. One YouTuber with two machines in a school hadn't paid back after a year15, and an ex-owner said it took nearly a year "if everything goes right"11.

How many vending machines do you need to make $100k?

$100,000 a year in sales takes about 31 machines at the owner median of $267 a month; $100,000 kept takes about 61 machines at $1362. Only 8.1% of no-employee vending businesses reach $100,000 in sales1. One ex-operator put one person's limit at about 40 machines a week, if they are close together5. Past that you need staff.

How much do vending machines cost to buy?

In our 12 Nov 2026 sample, used machines had a median asking price of $1,700 (89 listings). New snack machines listed at a median $3,985, cold-drink machines $5,694 and combo machines $6,5728. Add $360 to $550 for a card reader if there isn't one, and $300 to $1,000 or more for delivery8.

Sources

Owner figures are self-reported and come from public posts. Our price samples were taken on 12 Nov 2026.

Notes

  1. US Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024, NAICS 445132 (2022 and 2023 files for trends). Released 29 Sep 2026; accessed 12 Nov 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/ 2 3 4 5 6

  2. Our tally of owner accounts giving per-machine figures (13 for sales, 5 for net), from two r/Entrepreneur threads, the r/vending thread, The Hustle, Harber, Caveman Circus, Financial Wolf, Codie Sanchez, Money Behind the Munchies and My First Million, all listed here. Method: one figure per account, converted to dollars per machine per month; a route’s best site on its own and owners’ rules of thumb are left out. Self-reported, not random. Compiled 12 Nov 2026. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

  3. US Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census, NAICS 445132, tables EC2244BASIC and ECNSIZE2022. Released 2024–25; accessed 12 Nov 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/2022/sector44/EC2244BASIC.zip

  4. NAMA Foundation / Technomic, State of Convenience Services: 2022–2023 Industry Census. Trade body; 2023 figures are forecasts. Mar 2024; accessed 12 Nov 2026. https://namanow.org/wp-content/uploads/NAMA-Census-FINAL.pdf 2

  5. r/passive_income, “Vending machines worth it?”, 2 Jul 2022. https://www.reddit.com/r/passive_income/comments/vps59f/vending_machines_worth_it/ 2

  6. Our cost-of-goods sample, Sam’s Club online prices (Dallas 75231), 12 Nov 2026, divided by public-contract vend prices. Example: https://www.samsclub.com/ip/Snickers-Milk-Chocolate-Candy-Bars-1-86-oz-48-pk/4000052431 2 3 4 5 6

  7. Cantaloupe store, Engage card reader ($9.95 a month plus 5.95%) and Cantaloupe One ($19.95 a month plus 5.95%), prices seen 12 Nov 2026; effective rates are our calculation. https://store.cantaloupe.com/products/engage-card-reader and https://store.cantaloupe.com/products/engage-one 2 3 4

  8. Our machine price sample, list and asking prices seen 12 Nov 2026: new from Gumball.com, VMFS USA, Capital Vending and WebstaurantStore (16 snack, 9 drink, 24 combo); used from Vending World, eBay and Craigslist Chicago (89). Delivery from Vending.com. Asking prices, not sold prices. https://www.gumball.com/collections/snack-vending-machine ; https://vendingworld.com/candy-and-snack-machines ; https://www.vending.com/how-much-does-a-vending-machine-cost/ 2 3 4

  9. r/vending, “Should I buy this route (10 machines, 5 locations…) for $60k?”, 11 Nov 2025. https://www.reddit.com/r/vending/comments/1otwtng/should_i_buy_this_route_10_machines_5_locations/ 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

  10. Naturals2Go (Vend Tech International), business-opportunity disclosure, Minnesota CARDS file 9878, revised 15 May 2021; accessed 12 Nov 2026. https://cards.web.commerce.state.mn.us/documents/%7B10DDCF81-0000-CF6F-B4A6-9EA061B2C3AA%7D/download?documentClass=FRANCHISE_REGISTRATIONS&contentSequence=0 2

  11. Caveman Circus, “Confessions of a Former Vending Machine Business Owner”, anonymous, 18 Jul 2025. https://cavemancircus.com/2025/07/18/confessions-of-a-former-vending-machine-business-owner-2/ 2 3 4 5 6 7

  12. The Hustle, “The economics of vending machines”, survey of 23 operators, about Oct 2020 (page re-dated 24 Jun 2024). https://thehustle.co/the-economics-of-vending-machines/ 2 3

  13. r/Entrepreneur, “Is a Vending Machine Business worth it? I have questions.”, 22 Nov 2021. https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/qza4m7/is_a_vending_machine_business_worth_it_i_have/ 2 3 4 5

  14. My First Million podcast, Quinn Miller described by the hosts, 31 Jan 2022 (transcript via Rosetta). https://rosetta.to/u/myfirstmillionpod/how-to-make-15-000-month-with-a-vending-machine-business

  15. Financial Wolf, “How Much My Vending Machines Made In 1 Year (Real Results)”, YouTube, 23 Apr 2026, as reported by Supercar Blondie, 28 Apr 2026. https://supercarblondie.com/tech/youtuber-financial-wolf-vending-machine-business/ 2 3

  16. Codie Sanchez, “Can You Make Money With Vending Machines in 2025?”, YouTube, 5 Jul 2025, as reported by GOBankingRates, 1 Aug 2025. https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/side-gigs/codie-sanchez-how-much-money-can-you-make-with-a-vending-machine-side-hustle/

  17. Blake Harber, “Vending Route For Sale – Deal Teardown”, 14 Feb 2024. The author sells a course. https://blakeharber.substack.com/p/vending-route-for-sale-deal-teardown

  18. Money Behind the Munchies, 27 Apr and 12 May 2022. https://moneybehindthemunchies.substack.com/p/our-financials-and-other-kpis-42722 and https://moneybehindthemunchies.substack.com/p/summertime-sadness-51222 2

  19. Jefferson County, Texas, IFB 25-054 vending award to Chapman Vending, 13 Jan 2026. https://jeffersoncountytx.gov/blobs/purchasing/tc/2378.pdf 2 3 4

  20. Cantaloupe, Micropayment Trends Report 2026 (card-reader company, own network data), Jul 2026. https://www.cantaloupe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Micropayment-Trends-Report-2026-Final.pdf

  21. NY State OCFS Commission for the Blind, IFB 1224, JFK and LaGuardia Airports vending, 3 Feb 2026. https://retailsystems.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IFB-1224-JFK-and-LaGuardia-Airports-FINAL.pdf

  22. Reis & Irvy’s Franchise Disclosure Document, Item 7 note 10, 19 Oct 2018 (California DFPI). https://dfpi.ca.gov/search-result-detail/?id=369673&type=org

  23. r/Entrepreneur, “Anyone making money with vending machines?”, 1 Jan 2022. https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/rtmzo1/anyone_making_money_with_vending_machines/ 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

  24. 34 Texas Administrative Code §3.293 (via Cornell LII), effective 18 Dec 2018; state rate 6.25%, up to 8.25% with local tax (Texas Comptroller). https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/34-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-3-293 and https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/sales/ 2 3

  25. California CDTFA Publication 118, Vending Machine Food Sales, revised Jun 2023. https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/formspubs/pub118/ 2

  26. VENDiscuss, “How much do you typically make in a month from a machine?”, 22 Jun 2017. https://vendiscuss.net/topic/29629-new-how-much-do-you-typically-make-in-a-month-from-a-machine/ 2 3 4 5 6

  27. BizBuySell, Valuation Benchmarks: Vending Machine Business (sales 2021–2025), accessed 12 Nov 2026. https://www.bizbuysell.com/learning-center/valuation-benchmarks/vending-machine-business/

  28. BizBuySell vending listings, our sample of 40, seen 12 Nov 2026. Asking prices; cash flow is seller-stated. https://www.bizbuysell.com/vending-machine-businesses-for-sale/ 2

  29. 16 CFR Part 437, FTC Business Opportunity Rule, sections 437.1(c) to 437.4 (eCFR, current to 9 Nov 2026). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-437 2

  30. FTC, “FTC Announces Operation Vend Up Broke”, 3 Sep 1998. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/1998/09/ftc-announces-operation-vend-broke-states-and-feds-stop-business

  31. FTC, Westbrook Marketing press release, 26 Jan 2009. https://www.ftc.gov/node/43413

  32. Healthy YOU Vending, FAQ (seller), undated, accessed 12 Nov 2026. https://www.healthyyouvending.com/faqs/

  33. Our review of Google’s top 10 results for “is a vending machine business a good idea”, “are vending machines profitable” and “are vending machines a good investment” (US, desktop), 12 Nov 2026. Method: we recorded the 30 results and classed each by who published it; about 13 come from businesses that sell machines, card readers, software, loans, LLC formation, courses or business listings. Results change daily, so there is no permanent link.

  34. Hacker News, “The economics of vending machines”, 5 Oct 2020. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24678064

  35. Benzinga via Yahoo Finance (Adrian Volenik), reporting an r/passive_income thread, 16 Jul 2026. Second-hand. https://finance.yahoo.com/small-business/articles/thought-vending-machine-generate-easy-141603077.html

  36. BLS CPI-U, food from vending machines and mobile vendors (CUUR0000SEFV04) and food at home (CUUR0000SAF11), Oct 2021 to Oct 2026. https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUUR0000SEFV04

  37. 21 CFR 101.8(c)(1), FDA vending machine labelling (eCFR, current to 9 Nov 2026). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-101/subpart-A/section-101.8

  38. Wisconsin DATCP, Vending Machines, undated, accessed 12 Nov 2026. https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/VendingMachines.aspx

  39. City of Evanston, IL, Vending Machine License, undated, accessed 12 Nov 2026. https://cityofevanston.org/business_detail_T7_R424.php

  40. America’s SBDC, Find your SBDC, accessed 12 Nov 2026. https://americassbdc.org/find-your-sbdc/

  41. SCORE, Business Planning & Financial Templates: free templates and free one-on-one mentoring (accessed 12 Nov 2026). https://www.score.org/business-planning-financial-statements-template-gallery/

All 42 sources, with links and dates
  1. US Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024 (NAICS 445132), with 2022 and 2023 files. Released 29 Sep 2026; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  2. US Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census, table EC2244BASIC and ECNSIZE2022. Released 2024–25; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  3. NAMA Foundation / Technomic, State of Convenience Services: 2022–2023 Industry Census (trade body). Mar 2024; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  4. Cantaloupe, Micropayment Trends Report 2026 (card-reader company). Jul 2026; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  5. Our machine price sample: Gumball.com, VMFS USA, Capital Vending, WebstaurantStore, Vending World, eBay, Craigslist Chicago, Vending.com (sellers). Prices seen 12 Nov 2026
  6. Cantaloupe store, Engage card reader and Cantaloupe One plans (card-reader company). Prices seen 12 Nov 2026
  7. Our cost-of-goods sample: Sam's Club, Dallas 75231. Prices seen 12 Nov 2026
  8. Jefferson County, Texas, IFB 25-054 vending award (Chapman Vending). 13 Jan 2026; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  9. NY State OCFS Commission for the Blind, IFB 1224, JFK and LaGuardia vending. 3 Feb 2026; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  10. Reis & Irvy's Franchise Disclosure Document, Item 7 (California DFPI). 19 Oct 2018; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  11. 34 Texas Administrative Code §3.293, vending sales tax (via Cornell LII); Texas Comptroller sales tax rates. Effective 18 Dec 2018; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  12. California CDTFA Publication 118, Vending Machine Food Sales. Revised Jun 2023; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  13. BizBuySell, Valuation Benchmarks: Vending Machine Business (sold businesses, 2021–2025). Accessed 12 Nov 2026
  14. BizBuySell, vending machine businesses for sale (our sample of 40 listings). Seen 12 Nov 2026
  15. 16 CFR Part 437, FTC Business Opportunity Rule (eCFR). Current to 9 Nov 2026; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  16. FTC, "Operation Vend Up Broke" press release. 3 Sep 1998; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  17. FTC, Westbrook Marketing judgment press release. 26 Jan 2009; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  18. Naturals2Go (Vend Tech International) business-opportunity disclosure, Minnesota CARDS file 9878. Revised 15 May 2021; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  19. Healthy YOU Vending, FAQ (seller). Undated; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  20. BLS CPI-U, food from vending machines and mobile vendors (CUUR0000SEFV04). Oct 2026 data; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  21. 21 CFR 101.8, FDA vending machine calorie labelling (eCFR). Current to 9 Nov 2026; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  22. Wisconsin DATCP, Vending Machines. Undated; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  23. City of Evanston, IL, Vending Machine License. Undated; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  24. America's SBDC, Find your SBDC. Accessed 12 Nov 2026
  25. SCORE, Business Planning & Financial Templates (free templates and one-on-one mentoring). Accessed 12 Nov 2026
  26. Our review of Google's top 10 for three vending searches (US, desktop). Results recorded 12 Nov 2026 for "is a vending machine business a good idea", "are vending machines profitable" and "are vending machines a good investment"; Google results change daily
  27. Our tally of 13 owner accounts (gross) and 5 (net), built from the owner sources listed below (two r/Entrepreneur threads, r/vending, The Hustle, Harber, Financial Wolf, Codie Sanchez, Money Behind the Munchies, My First Million, Caveman Circus). Compiled 12 Nov 2026
  28. r/Entrepreneur, "Anyone making money with vending machines?". 1 Jan 2022; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  29. r/Entrepreneur, "Is a Vending Machine Business worth it? I have questions.". 22 Nov 2021; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  30. r/Entrepreneur, "Started My Own Vending Machine Business – Here's How It's Going". 24 Apr 2025; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  31. r/passive_income, "Vending machines worth it?". 2 Jul 2022; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  32. r/vending, "Should I buy this route (10 machines, 5 locations…) for $60k?". 11 Nov 2025; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  33. VENDiscuss, "How much do you typically make in a month from a machine?". 22 Jun 2017; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  34. The Hustle, "The economics of vending machines" (survey of 23 operators). About Oct 2020 (page re-dated 24 Jun 2024); accessed 12 Nov 2026
  35. Blake Harber, "Vending Route For Sale – Deal Teardown" (course seller). 14 Feb 2024; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  36. Hacker News, "The economics of vending machines". 5 Oct 2020; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  37. Caveman Circus, "Confessions of a Former Vending Machine Business Owner" (anonymous). 18 Jul 2025; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  38. Financial Wolf on YouTube, via Supercar Blondie (Daisy Edwards). 28 Apr 2026; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  39. Codie Sanchez on YouTube, via GOBankingRates (Jamela Adam). 1 Aug 2025; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  40. Money Behind the Munchies, "Our financials" and "Summertime sadness". 27 Apr and 12 May 2022; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  41. My First Million podcast, Quinn Miller episode (transcript via Rosetta). 31 Jan 2022; accessed 12 Nov 2026
  42. Benzinga via Yahoo Finance (Adrian Volenik), report of an r/passive_income thread on a free-coffee contract. 16 Jul 2026; accessed 12 Nov 2026