Build a vending machine route
Four to eight machines placed in locations you qualified before buying anything, written location agreements with commission terms, a restocking route timed to actual sales data, and a per-machine profit-and-loss you review monthly to cull the dead locations.
Free preview: 4 of 24 steps
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Who it's for
People with $5,000 to $20,000 in risk capital who want semi-passive income from a city-scale vending route and are being sold turnkey “business opportunity” packages they cannot evaluate. The fit narrows to owner-operators who can restock on one fixed day a week, store inventory at home or in a small storage unit, and drive within a single city. No vending experience is required — the guide assumes none and teaches site qualification, location agreements, and the per-machine numbers from zero.
About this playbook
Build a vending machine route the way it works in the US: qualify the locations first, sign them, and only then buy the machines — the inverse of what turnkey “business opportunity” sellers push. You test demand with real hosts before spending, define one machine-month at one location, and run the capex, monthly cost, break-even, and scenario numbers that decide how many machines your $5,000 to $20,000 buys. The path then covers the legal and fiscal setup — the LLC, the EIN, your state's sales tax permit, and your city's vending operator licence where one exists — followed by the first signed locations, the weekly restocking route, and the first 90 days of real numbers with the day-90 cull agreed in advance. It does not cover franchise deals, leased route packages, or buying a fleet before a single location is signed, and it will not inflate what a vending route earns.
What you'll do, step by stepFree preview
Only a sample is open: 4 of 24 steps can be read in full. The rest unlock when you buy.
Phase 1: Test the demand before you spend a dollar
4 stepsPhase 2: Build the offer and set the prices
3 stepsPhase 3: Run the numbers that decide
4 stepsPhase 4: Set up the company, get the permits, fund the machines
4 stepsPhase 5: Sign the locations, buy the machines, run the route
5 stepsPhase 6: Read the first 90 days and cull
4 steps
Details
What you need first
A car or van large enough to move a machine and weekly product; a storage spot for inventory; $5,000 to $20,000 in capital you can afford to lose; a city you know well enough to qualify its sites; and one fixed day a week for the route. Have personal credit in order if any financing is considered, and be prepared to count foot traffic in person rather than trusting a seller's numbers.
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