In many countries across the world, the vending industry is nearly saturated by vending machines that offer drinks, snacks such as chips and candy, healthy food items, and small specialty retail items. As the vending machine industry continues to expand across the globe, vending business owners are expanding their inventory as well. Not all products fit into standard vending machines, and that’s where large item vending machines are a convenient option to cater towards larger audiances. Below, we’ll provide all of the information you need about large item vending machines and where to find them.

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Are Large Vending Machines Hard To Find?

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Almost every vending machine a person is likely to encounter throughout their day will fit into the standard dimensions and standard weight for vending machine equipment. Vending machines big enough to secure large items are much harder to find than standard models that offer snacks and beverages.

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This is the case for a variety of reasons. A large vending machine cost more to purchase, keep stocked, and power with electricity, and unfortunately, they aren’t all that effective at vending mass-consumption items to customers. On average, they also tend to cost more to ship and protect during transit due to their additional size and weight as well.

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Large vending machines are most commonly a convenient option in industrial settings, and they are often referred to as industrial vending machines as a result, where they either sell or dispense specific items to employees or customers and account for a large amount of automation in specific industrial environments. Money is not always exchanged for dispensed items for large item vending machines to note as well, making them less than ideal for businesses looking to make a profit.

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When Do You Need a Large Item Vending Machine?

Since most people have never seen anything in a vending machine aside from single-serve drinks and snack items, it may not be immediately obvious why someone needs a large item vending machine at all. There aren’t really any limitations on what a large machine vends to the public; as long as the capacity of the vending machine is an ideal fit and there is a demand for the product, items of all kinds can be sold and Apple Pay can even be setup for these devices. Here are some of the options:

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• Medical equipment
• Industrial equipment
• Large food items or bulk snack items
• Tech accessories
• Kids' toys and stuffed animals
• Fishing equipment
• Hunting equipment
• Airport accessories (check airport vending machine ideas)
• And more!

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Some large vending machines allow you to customize their internal structure to offer multiple types of items in varying sizes and at different prices. With a combo vending machine, you can offer your consumers the convenience of accessing a variety of items in one easy location.

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What To Know Before Buying a Large Item Vending Machine

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Before a vending owner adds a large item vending machine to their route, there are a few things they should take a look at. The following three things are essential no matter what type of vending machines an individual has experience with, whether it is specialty retail, drink and snack vending, cigarette vending, coffee vending, u-turn vending, or anything else. Large product vending is an entirely different experience.

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Product Capacity

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Large item vending machines will obviously be larger than regular vending machines, but they may actually fit fewer items depending on the size of the products it offers. Before you choose a large product vending machine, you’ll need to ensure that it can operate for a decent amount of time before running out of stock.

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If the product you’ll be selling is in high demand such as the type of stock used in standard snack vending machines, you will need to ensure that your vending machine can house enough items to meet that demand and maximize your profitability. To operate a large item vending business successfully, you’ll have to compare the maximum capacity of the vending machine to your expected sales frequency ratio to plan restocking schedules accordingly. If you have multiple gumball machines that only require occasional restocking for example, you may need to plan accordingly for a larger size and volume machine.

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Profit Calculation

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As with any vending machine business, a profit calculation must be performed before committing to a large item vending machine. These large vending machines will be more expensive in terms of stocking costs, power consumption, purchase price, maintenance fees, and more. These expenses will need to be compared to the expected revenue and profitability of the machine in its intended location to ensure the business decision is financially sound.

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Product-Location Fit

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Any vending owner that has been in business for a while will know that a product that sells well in one area might not do so well somewhere else. Product-location fit is a real and significant factor that affects the profitability of a vending machine and its overall success. A vending machine’s items need to be matched to the demographic in its target location to ensure the consumer base will be interested in purchasing items on a regular basis.

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Choosing the perfect place for a vending machine, especially a large item vending machine carrying niche stock items, can be daunting. Luckily, there are professional location finders and our vending machine starter kit to assist with this task.

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Where to Purchase Large Product Vending Machines

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If you’ve decided that a large product vending machine is the logical and appropriate next step for your business, you’ll likely want to know your options when it comes to purchasing one. It's worth reminding that purchasing these machines is not same as buying popular vending machine models.

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If you’re in the market for true industrial vending machines, you can check out the following:

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• AutoCrib: AutoCrib offers one of the best-developed selections of industrial vending machines you can find. Their selection includes large vending machines capable of dispensing small parts such as screws and washers all the way up to massive engine parts; every vending owner will be able to purchase the right machine for their industrial offerings. This brand is available across the globe.
• SupplyPoint: SupplyPoint has installed more than 60,000 industrial vending machines across the US and the UK. Their vending machine offerings are quite diverse and are well-matched to a variety of industrial settings. Plus, they offer integrated software for exceptional inventory management.
• Total Safety: As the name suggests, Total Safety specializes in vending equipment for safety items such as harnesses, PPE, and more. They boast the widest selection of industrial vending solutions as a company and can fulfill the need for consumables as well as inventory management/tracking.
• Wurth Industry: Wurth Industry is another distributor of diverse vending solutions for the industrial setting. They offer standard vending machines for consumables as well as specialized locker systems for tool management and other purposes. Their vending machine models are available across North America.
• Televend: Televend machines offer an unbeatable approach to inventory management. Their vending machine models are capable of sales tracking, employee access limits, and more. The cloud-integrated technology helps ensure that every industrial workforce has the items they need to succeed, and every company can minimize losses through wasted inventory.

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Other Large Item Vending Machines

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Anyone interested in more diversified large item vending machines such as snack vending machines or soda vending machines can peruse these sources instead:

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• Alibaba: Alibaba is an online marketplace that offers a wide selection of vending machines from hundreds of different sellers. While it will be a bit tricky to navigate the listings to find the perfect large item vending machine, this option does offer an excellent opportunity to find a bargain.
• Digital Media Vending: Digital Media Vending offers highly customizable vending solutions for every environment. It's just one of a few great options in choosing custom vending machines. Dispensing systems such as conveyor belts or hoppers, LED lighting, remote management software, and touchscreens are just the beginning of what they have to offer. Their machines can be designed for small and large items with custom LED lighting adjustments, or both, depending on your needs.
• Intelligent Dispensing Solutions: Intelligent Dispensing Solutions offers a 12-door large-item locker vending machine as their large item vending solution. Adjustable back doors allow the vending owner to adjust the depth of each locker space, and excellent LED lighting ensures the items can be visualized and accessed at any time. Charging systems can even be implemented for rechargeable devices such as radios that will be vended through the locker system.

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Final Thoughts

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Large item vending machines, whether they fulfill their traditional role of industrial tool and supply management or have a more diverse inventory, can be a great investment for a vending owner to make. There are some considerations to make before committing to any particular vending machine, but overall, they have a lot to offer and can be very successful in the right environment.