# Making a living owning/servicing vending machines?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-living-owning-servicing-vending-machines/486180>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 16, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-living-owning-servicing-vending-machines/486180 "2009-02-16T22:56:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-living-owning-servicing-vending-machines/486180/1 "2009-02-16T22:56:19Z")

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Can one make a good living nowadays owning a number of vending machines? Has anybody on the dope ever done this?  
(I have no desire to try it myself, I just started wondering about this the other day. I have a vague recollection of one of my fairly-distant relatives doing this as a side-business for a while in the early to mid-1970s, but he did not rely on it as his main income. All the relatives that I could ask, have long since died.)

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-living-owning-servicing-vending-machines/486180/2 "2009-02-16T23:41:27Z")

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An uncle of mine is in a related business, though his job is mostly maintaining game machines (video games, pinball, etc.). It’s enough for him to support his family, though he’s not exactly rolling in the dough.

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**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-living-owning-servicing-vending-machines/486180/3 "2009-02-16T23:45:24Z")

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I have clients who have tried it. The most successful gets about $2000 in profit each year with minimal time invested. (Note: profit is tax-basis, after calculating depreciation… this person has $12,000 in machines and has not fully recouped the cost).

The more typical scenario is that you spend $500-$2000 on machines and never see a dime in profit.

If you want to get into it, look for used machines.

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**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-living-owning-servicing-vending-machines/486180/4 "2009-02-17T02:50:29Z")

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My father made his living in vending machines. This was from the 1950’s through the early 1980’s. It is extremely hard work and you appreciate why it is not a “good deal” when someone gets a “free” candy bar. That cost of that candy bar came out of someone’s pocket.

You also have the hassles of handling all that cash - in coin - every day. There is the risk of robbery, the cost of the quipment to sort it & count it, and the sheer effort in carrying a couple thousand dollars in rolled coins to the bank.

Still, he did live fairly comfortably and supported a family of 4 pretty much.