Many new vendors prefer launching their businesses with used or refurbished vending machines. As such, there will always be demand for used vending machines in most markets. If you are looking to sell a used machine, you are in luck. This post is a guide on how to find buyers willing to pay a fair price for your vending machine.

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How Do I Sell My Vending Machine?

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Selling a vending machine in the digital era simply takes finding a marketplace where interested vending machine buyers congregate, creating a profile, listing your machine, and waiting for potential buyers to contact you.

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Such sites and marketplaces usually carry a great selection of used vending machines. Therefore, you need to make your listing stand out and provide all the information potential vending machine buyers want. An interested buyer will likely want to know the following:

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• The name of the vending machine manufacturer

• The machine model or model number and serial number

• What the machine sells: snacks, drinks, food, frozen food, coffee, etc

• Clear recent photos of the machine

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You must include clear photos of the machine if you want to sell it online. It is unlikely that you will get a response if interested vending machine buyers can’t evaluate the condition of the equipment from the photos on the listing.

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Further, those looking to buy a used vending machine are price-conscious and are looking for a good deal. Price your vending machine competitively. You can determine a fair price for your vending machine by comparing online listings of machines of a similar model and year. If you have made aftermarket improvements to the machine, describe them in the listing and account for them in the price.

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How to Sell a Vending Machine and Its Location

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Where you want to exit a vending machine business entirely, it is best to offer both the location and the equipment for sale as a package instead of selling the equipment alone. A good vending location is an asset, and an interested buyer will be willing to pay a premium if they can take over the location and hit the ground running immediately with the equipment already installed.

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Since vending is location-dependent, most offers will be from local vending businesses looking to grow their vending routes. You can contact local vending businesses by email or phone and notify them that you want to exit particular locations. Naturally, they will want to know if buying such a route makes financial sense. As such, offer the following information to give them an idea of the performance of your vending location/route:

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• Details about the vending machines: manufacturer, model, age, and condition

• Sales data such as gross revenue, net profit, and sales trends

• The nature of the contract with the location owner and when it expires

• Reasons why you want to sell the machine and location/route

• Absence or presence of tax liens and lawsuits that may affect the new owner

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Ultimately, selling a product, including a vending machine, is all about crafting a good offer - you must clarify what the new owner stands to gain from buying the vending machine and its location from you.

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Where Can I Sell My Vending Machine?

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You can sell your used vending machine to local businesses or through online resellers. There are dedicated online stores for used vending machines that can connect you with potential buyers. Such online stores include:

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Vendweb. Vendweb sells new and refurbished vending machines. You can sell them your used vending machine, and they will refurbish it for resale.

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Usedvending.com. Used Vending is a listing site for used vending machines. You can list your used vending machine on the site for free by creating a seller profile, uploading photos of your machine, and describing its condition. No shipping is required; the buyer arranges for pickup and pays at pickup.

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Cheap Vending Machines. Cheap Vending Machines buy used vending machine consignments that are still relatively new. They can pay you up to 60% of the wholesale value of the machines and arrange for pickup at no cost to you. Further, the company also buys used vending machines in any repairable condition from independent vendors looking to replace their equipment or exit the vending business entirely.

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Vending Concepts. Vending Concepts accepts used combo, snack, and drinks vending machines. Contact them with high-resolution photos of your equipment. They will guide you on the next step.

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Aside from the dedicated vending machine reseller platforms, you can also sell your vending machine independently through listing marketplaces and classified advertisement sites such as:

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• eBay

• Craigslist

• Facebook Marketplace

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To increase your chances of selling your vending machines through such platforms, consider uploading high-resolution photos capturing several parts of the machine and honestly describe the machine’s condition, including any potential repairs the new buyer may have to undertake. You should also consider doing the following to sell the machine fast:

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• Include your phone number in the post

• On Craigslist, if your area has a lot of new postings every day, delete the posting every 72 hours and post a new one to position your ad at the top

• Compare vending machine prices on the platform and match or beat the competition

• Make your headline descriptive - brand name, specs, years in service, condition of the machine, etc

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Once you find a buyer on these marketplaces, you must take measures to not get scammed. If you are dealing with an individual and not an established reselling company, only ship the machine after receiving payment. More importantly, set a safe meeting point if the buyer wants to pick up the machine.

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Are There Buyers for Broken Vending Machines?

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Yes, there are buyers for broken vending machines. Resellers such as Cheap Vending Machines can buy a vending machine in any repairable condition and pay a fair price. You can also list broken vending machines on eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace and get a buyer as long as you are upfront about all the repairs required to restore the machine to good working condition.

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Note, though, that your ability to find a buyer will depend on the amount of money required to restore the equipment to good working condition. Once the cost of the broken vending machine plus repair is more than 70% of the wholesale value of the machine, your chances of finding an interested buyer fall significantly. The wholesale value is the amount of money a retailer would pay to buy a new machine from the manufacturer.

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Should I Scrap My Vending Machine?

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Used vending machines hold a lot of value, even when they are significantly old. Refurbishing a machine can extend its life and allow you to continue earning passive income for a few years. Scrapping, therefore, should be the last resort.

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You are unlikely to find a vending machine buyer if the cost of the machine and the required repairs exceed 75% of its wholesale value. In such instances, it makes sense to scrap the vending machine. The scrap value is calculated by weight and will be the lowest price you can get for your used equipment. Vending machines are mostly made of steel, which has relatively higher prices at scrap yards than other metals. You can expect to get anywhere from 5 to 10 cents per pound.