I am often asked how many vending machines you need to be able to make good money. That can be a tough question because I know people who have developed a nice side income off only 15 machines and others who are constantly struggling to stay afloat financially with the same number. The [...]

A vending machine can be either an asset or a liability. While it is in your garage it is a liability, while on location it is an asset. Your goal is to have more locations than machines. You should be waiting to get new equipment, NOT have extra equipment in your garage [...]

This post is a continuation, be sure to read Part 1 first.
Now one caveat. I do have them sign an “Ownership Acknowledgment”. It is a simple document that says the machines belong to me and that I can pull them out whenever I want. To make it easy to sign I also [...]

If you have trouble getting along with your boss and coworkers and your communication skills are not the best, perhaps you are thinking that owning and operating a successful vending machine route will be the solution to all of your problems. After all, your days would be spent counting and sorting merchandise, stocking [...]

If you really want to make it in this business then an ongoing location program is your only solution.
Some people in the vending industry will try to tell you that all you have to do is lay back and collect money. Sorry but that just isn’t true. If you attempt to sit back [...]

It is really simple, I never use a “location contract”. Locations do not like signing contracts – period. It scares the heck out of most of them. Think about it for a moment. How do you feel every time someone asks you to sign a contract? We’ve been conditioned by [...]

“I just recently added honor boxes to my business, and as I’m trying to get them out I get a lot of customers tell me that we had one before and it was always short, so they don’t want one. Is their anyway to persuade them otherwise, or am I better off not to put [...]

“WHAT DO YOU DO IF A SITE MOVES YOUR MACHINES’ AND DON’T TELL YOU. IT LOOKS LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED TO THEM. THEY WERE MOVED DOWN A LITTLE.”
Vending Rules Answer:
So long as they didn’t damage the machine – nothing. This is not that unusual. Often we suspect some kind of “foul play” [...]

This post is the second part of a series, if you have not read it yet please read “Vending Commission – Part 1“.
If you are involved in snack / soda vending then usually, 10% of the gross income of the machine per month is acceptable and still is profitable for you. Any higher and [...]

How much should I pay a vending location in commission? Is their an industry standard?
Everyone seems so afraid of this issue that they allow themselves to get frozen with inaction. Many vendors are so afraid to pay a commission that they forgo some VERY profitable locations. Before we begin to discuss [...]