Vending Machine Profitability Calculator

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:

1. monthly_foot_traffic = 300 × 26 = 7,800
2. monthly_items_sold = 7,800 × 0.2 = 1,560
3. monthly_revenue = 1,560 × $2.00 = $3,120.00
4. 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.