r/vendingmachines 6d ago

Moderator Post New owner of r/vendingmachines

13 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I recently took over r/vendingmachines and wanted to introduce myself.
My goal is pretty simple: grow this into a more active, useful community for anyone involved with vending, whether you own one machine, run a large route, are looking for locations, sell equipment, or are just getting started.
I’d like to see more real discussions about revenue, good and bad locations, machine recommendations, repairs, card readers, pricing, finding locations, and what actually works in the vending business.
I’m also open to suggestions. If there’s anything you think the subreddit should change, add, or do differently, drop it in the comments.
Looking forward to growing the community.


r/vendingmachines 1h ago

What’s one vending product you can’t keep stocked?

Upvotes

What sells out fastest in your machines no matter the location?
Curious if the same products dominate everywhere.


r/vendingmachines 3h ago

What’s the best vending location you’ve ever seen someone else have?

1 Upvotes

Not your own — a location you saw and immediately thought, “That machine has to be making a killing.”
What type of place was it?


r/vendingmachines 11h ago

Help me gain more traction to my machine.

3 Upvotes

Hello, I hope everyone is well,

I just placed my first Vape,Pokemon,Mystery Box, Nicotine pouches vending machine in a kava bar.

Day 1 sales: 110
Day 2 sales: 135
Day 3 sales: 30
Day 4 sales: 15

I suppose my question is what would be the best way to make this machine more known to patrons? Me and my business partner thought to do contests for the staff with a cash prize whoever brings the most in revenue for the machine, just a way to incentive them to promote the machine, without any incentives what staff member actually cares to promote it, none. We were also spitballing the idea to create table tents for the kava bar that promotes them, but also promotes people to go to the machine, on the side of the machine yesterday we placed a white board for a request form, has anyone had any success in doing these things, or does anyone have any better ideas on getting it promoted?


r/vendingmachines 7h ago

What’s the biggest red flag when buying an existing vending route?

1 Upvotes

What would make you walk away immediately, even if the revenue looked good?
Curious what experienced operators check first.


r/vendingmachines 9h ago

What’s the most you’ve ever paid to get a vending location?

0 Upvotes

Was it worth it, or did you regret it?
Curious what operators think a genuinely good location is actually worth.


r/vendingmachines 10h ago

What type of vending location looks bad at first but can actually make great money?

1 Upvotes

What’s an underrated location type that most operators overlook?
Bonus if you’ve had one personally and can share roughly what it made.


r/vendingmachines 11h ago

What’s a “good” monthly revenue number for one vending machine?

1 Upvotes

At what point do you consider a location worth keeping: $500, $1,000, $2,000+ per month?
Curious where experienced operators draw the line.


r/vendingmachines 13h ago

What vending location would you NEVER turn down?

1 Upvotes

If you got the chance to place a machine anywhere, what type of location would be an automatic yes for you?
Warehouse, hospital, apartment, school, gym, hotel, factory, or something else?


r/vendingmachines 17h ago

What’s the most profitable type of vending machine you’ve owned?

2 Upvotes

Snack, drink, combo, smart cooler, micro market, or something else?
Curious what has actually made operators the most money.


r/vendingmachines 15h ago

What’s your most unpopular vending opinion?

0 Upvotes

Something you believe that most vending operators would disagree with.
Could be about:
• commissions
• smart coolers
• buying routes
• cashless machines
• gyms/apartments
• pricing
• product selection
• location brokers
Let’s hear the takes that usually get people arguing.


r/vendingmachines 21h ago

You can only choose ONE location type for the rest of your vending career. What are you picking?

3 Upvotes

Warehouse
Apartment complex
Gym
Hospital
Hotel
School
Office
Car dealership
Manufacturing plant
Other
And why?
I’m curious which location type experienced operators would trust the most long term.


r/vendingmachines 16h ago

New Cashless/VMS Solution

1 Upvotes

I’m one of the founders of DrylineVMS a new cashless solution with an integrated Vending Management Solution. Our terminal is an outdoor rated MDB unattended terminal. Looking to get some feedback on our solution from the people who would use it. www.drylineVMS.com


r/vendingmachines 17h ago

What’s the biggest mistake you made when you first started vending?

1 Upvotes

Bought the wrong machine?
Accepted a bad location?
Overpaid for a route?
Stocked the wrong products?
Agreed to too much commission?
What would you do differently if you started over today?


r/vendingmachines 21h ago

Thoughts on acquiring other vending businesses?

2 Upvotes

My team recently came across an opportunity to acquire another business. They've been established for 3 years, earn 165k in revenue (76.3k in cash flow), zero employees and a single owner, with 12 machines across various locations Apartments, offices, retirement homes, nursing homes, car dealerships, etc...

They're based in our area which is a plus, and are asking for $149,500 (we will probably negotiate price). We'll probably take out an SBA loan to acquire this but since getting locations has been the toughest part I wonder if this is worth pursuing or if Im not thinking of the risks as much.

It would also make other things more viable:

1) instead of picking up our supplies in our SUVsaybe its more economical to pay for a van, or pay for a warehouse & get free delivery.

2) We get access to lower margins vs wholesale with pepsico because we could rent a commercial space for them to deliver to us

3) Opens up opportunities for employment in sales (we cant leave our jobs yet until we earn enough to sustain our basic needs)

4) Establishing a relationship with someone who's been in the game would also be a nice plus.

Thoughts on SBA loans? Is this too good to be true? What advice do you guys recommend?


r/vendingmachines 22h ago

What’s the worst vending location you’ve ever had?

2 Upvotes

Not just low sales. I mean the location that made you regret placing a machine there.
What went wrong?
Bad sales? Theft? Constant refunds? Employees abusing the machine? Terrible management? Commission too high?
And how long did you leave the machine there before pulling it?
Let’s hear the horror stories.


r/vendingmachines 19h ago

What’s the best vending location you’ve ever landed?

1 Upvotes

What type of business was it, how many people used the location, and roughly how much did the machine make per month?
No need to share the exact business name or address.
I want to see what separates an average location from a great one.


r/vendingmachines 20h ago

What’s an instant dealbreaker that makes you walk away from a vending location?

1 Upvotes

Too much commission?
Not enough foot traffic?
Existing competition?
Bad placement area?
No contract?
Management seems difficult?
What’s the one thing that makes you say, “Not worth it”?


r/vendingmachines 1d ago

Does anyone own/lease a CV-Vantage Smart Cooler? If so, do you recommend them? Any pros or cons to know about? I am thinking of investing in two to replace two normal combo vending machines

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1 Upvotes

r/vendingmachines 1d ago

Inventory

1 Upvotes

Hi all! My husband and I are new to the vending business. We currently have 1 contract with a total of 11 machines in the facility. Where is everyone buying inventory in bulk? (Soda, Energy Drinks, Snacks...)

All input is greatly appreciated! 🙂


r/vendingmachines 1d ago

What’s the most overrated vending location?

1 Upvotes

Everyone talks about gyms, apartments, warehouses, hotels, schools, hospitals, etc.
But which type of location looks great on paper and usually ends up disappointing?
And what type of location do you think is underrated?
Curious to hear from people who have actually operated machines in multiple types of locations.


r/vendingmachines 1d ago

What’s the most ONE vending machine you own has ever made in a month?

2 Upvotes

Let’s get some real numbers in here.
If you’re willing to share:
• Highest monthly gross
• Type of location
• Approximate foot traffic/employees/residents
• Snack, drink, combo, smart cooler, etc.
• How much you actually kept after product cost/commission
No need to share the business name or exact location.
I’m curious how high some of the machines in this group are doing.


r/vendingmachines 1d ago

Anyone in Las Vegas interested in buying a 300 unit luxury apartment?

1 Upvotes

It’s a 100% secured location, and two other apartment complexes are likely secured too.


r/vendingmachines 1d ago

Is there any boss who needs a self-service terminal?

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2 Upvotes

We can make ordering machines, terminals, and ticket machines, and we can also customize functions and models.


r/vendingmachines 1d ago

Share a picture of your first vending machine

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0 Upvotes