Free tool
Vending machine profit calculator
Put in your own numbers and see gross sales, cost of goods, commission, card fees and net profit per machine and per month, plus how long a machine takes to pay for itself. Every assumption is shown, and a sensitivity line tells you what a 20 percent sales drop does.
How the calculator works
The calculator is deliberately simple arithmetic, the same you would do on the back of a route sheet. It works per month, then divides by the number of machines.
| Line | How it is computed |
|---|---|
| Gross sales | Sales per machine per day, times days per month, times average price, times machines |
| Cost of goods | Vends times product cost per item, plus the waste percentage you enter |
| Commission | Gross sales times the location's commission percentage |
| Card fees | The card share of sales, times the fee percentage, plus the per-transaction cents on each card vend |
| Fixed costs | Card reader monthly fees, restocking trips, insurance, loan payment and anything else you enter |
| Net profit | Gross sales minus all of the above |
| Payback | Machine purchase price divided by net profit per machine per month |
The sensitivity line reruns the whole calculation with 20 percent fewer vends and shows the new net and the break-even point: the number of vends per day at which this machine earns nothing.
What the defaults are and are not
The numbers the tool starts with are placeholders so the page is not blank, not industry averages. Replace every one with your own. In particular:
- Sales per day is the figure that decides everything, and it is the one you cannot know before a machine is placed. Count real vends for two weeks before you trust it.
- Commission is whatever your location agreement says. Many small placements pay none, and percentages are commonly reported in the 10 to 25 percent range; the agreement wins.
- Card fees come from your reader's published rate card. The rate often differs by price band, so use the one for your typical price.
- Waste covers expired product, damaged items and refunds. Three percent is a placeholder, not a rule.
Heads up
The calculator does not model sales tax, income tax or self-employment tax, and it is not financial advice. Sales tax on vending sales is set state by state (some states tax a share of receipts, some tax everything above a price threshold), so check your state revenue department's own page. For income and self-employment tax, the IRS Self-employed individuals tax center is the place to start.
What to do with the result
A machine that nets a few dollars a day can still be worth running if it costs you little time, sits on a route you already drive and the location is stable. A machine that nets more but needs a special trip across town may not be. That is why the VendRoute app is built around visits and routes, not just machines: the honest number is profit per hour of your time, and the only way to get it is to log what you actually do.
Try it
Change one number at a time. Add a 10 percent commission to a machine that had none and watch where the net lands. Then drop the price by a quarter and see whether you would need more vends than the location can plausibly give you.
Questions
How much profit does a vending machine make per month?
It depends on vends per day, your average price, product cost, the location's commission, card fees and your fixed costs, which is exactly what this calculator works out from your own numbers. A single national average hides more than it shows, so we do not quote one.
What is a good profit margin for a vending machine?
Compare your net profit to gross sales after product cost, commission and fees. The margin that matters is per machine per month against the time it takes you to service it; a high percentage on tiny sales is still a tiny number.
How do I calculate the payback period on a vending machine?
Divide the purchase price (plus any card reader and delivery costs) by the machine's net profit per month. The calculator shows this as months to payback. If the net is zero or negative, the machine never pays back at those numbers.
Does the calculator include sales tax?
No. Vending sales tax is set state by state and city by city, and some states tax only a share of receipts. Check your state revenue department's page and treat tax as a separate line in your own books.
Does the calculator store my numbers?
The inputs live in your browser's address bar as you type, so you can bookmark or share a scenario. Nothing is sent to VendRoute's servers.
