Vending Machine Profitability Calculator

Estimate the monthly profit for a single vending machine at one location by providing key inputs related to location, sales, and recurring costs.

Location & Traffic

Location Type*

Select the primary type of location for your vending machine.

Average Daily Foot Traffic*

Operating Days Per Month*

Product & Sales

Average Items Sold Per Customer*

Average Selling Price Per Item ($)*

The average price you sell each item for.

Average Product Cost Per Item ($)*

The average cost to acquire each item you sell.

Vending Machine Capacity (Units)*

Number of items the machine holds, used to estimate restocks.

Recurring Costs

Restocking Cost Per Trip ($)*

Cost for labor and transport per restocking trip.

Electricity & Connectivity Monthly Cost ($)*

Monthly cost for electricity and internet connection.

Commission Type*

Percentage of sales

Fixed monthly fee

Commission Rate (%)*

Enter the commission rate as a percentage (0-100).

Fixed Monthly Fee ($)*

Enter the fixed monthly fee for the location.

Other Monthly Fixed Expenses ($)*

Any other regular monthly costs not listed above.

Estimated Monthly Profit

Monthly Foot Traffic:

5200

Monthly Items Sold:

1040

Monthly Revenue (USD):

Monthly Cost of Goods Sold (USD):

Monthly Commission (USD):

Estimated Restocks Per Month:

Monthly Restocking Cost (USD):

Electricity & Connectivity (USD):

Other Fixed Expenses (USD):

Total Monthly Expenses (USD):

Monthly Profit (USD):

-75

Profit Margin (%):

Estimated monthly profit: -75 (0% margin). At current settings, the machine is -75 > 0 ? 'profitable' : 'not profitable'.

Made with Minform

How to calculate Vending Machine Profitability?

Estimate monthly profit by combining expected sales volume, selling price, product cost, and monthly operating expenses.

Formula: monthly_profit = (monthly_items_sold × price) - [monthly_items_sold × cost + commission + restocking_cost + electricity + other_fixed]

Using the Vending Machine Profitability calculator: an example

Example inputs: 300 daily traffic, 26 days, 0.2 items/customer, $2.00 price, $0.70 cost, $10 restock, capacity 200, 5% commission.

Step-by-step calculation:

monthly_foot_traffic = 300 × 26 = 7,800
monthly_items_sold = 7,800 × 0.2 = 1,560
monthly_revenue = 1,560 × $2.00 = $3,120.00
monthly_COGS = 1,560 × $0.70 = $1,092.00; commission = $3,120 × 5% = $156.00; restocks = ceil(1,560/200)=8 → restocking_cost = 8 × $10 = $80; expenses sum → profit = revenue − expenses

Conclusion: Use this to test locations and pricing; small changes in price, conversion, or commission can materially affect profit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate are the estimates?

Estimates depend on the accuracy of your inputs (traffic and conversion). Treat outputs as projections, not guarantees.

Should I use average items per customer or conversion rate?

Either works — average items per customer can represent conversion × items per buyer. Use whichever you can estimate more reliably.

How do restocking costs affect profitability?

Restocking adds both direct cost per trip and labor; optimizing capacity or restock frequency lowers per-item restocking expense.