Enter your own sales estimate and see what a machine keeps after product, card fees, spoilage, insurance and fuel, how many sales a day it needs to break even, and how long the machine takes to pay back. Every cost starts at the figure our course uses, and you can change any of them.
By Vending Machine HQ · Updated October 10, 2026
Every number is editable. The costs start at the course's own figures; the sales are an example, so replace them with your estimate for a real location.
| Product cost (40%) | $180.00 |
| Card processing (5.95% on 100% of sales) | $26.78 |
| Spoilage (4%) | $18.00 |
| Commission (0%) | $0.00 |
| Card reader fees (1 × $9.95) | $9.95 |
| Fuel (1 × $30) | $30.00 |
| Insurance | $50.00 |
| LLC and state fees | $20.00 |
| Total monthly costs | $334.73 |
This is arithmetic on the numbers above, not a forecast. Sales depend on the location; there's no typical figure we can promise. Profit here is before paying yourself for your time, before income tax and before repairs.
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The costs are the ones the Vending Machine HQ course uses in its own break-even model: product at 40% of sales, card processing around 6%, spoilage at 4%, a $9.95 card reader fee, $50 a month of insurance, $20 set aside for state fees and $30 of fuel. Up front, a refurbished combo machine at $2,800, a $350 card reader and $300 for delivery.
The sales numbers are only an example. There's no honest "typical" figure: a machine in a busy plant and one in a quiet office are different businesses. Estimate sales per day for the location you're considering, ideally after counting the people there.
It depends almost entirely on the location: how many people are there, whether they can easily buy food elsewhere, and whether there's already a machine or free snacks. We don't publish a typical figure, because one that's true for one location is wrong for the next. Estimate sales per day for your location, enter them above, and compare them with the break-even line. In the course's cost model, one machine needs about $220 a month in sales, roughly 5 sales a day at $1.50, just to cover its costs.
Product cost (about 40% of sales buying from a warehouse club), card processing (5.25% to 5.95% with the providers the course covers, or about 8.8% on a $1.50 sale where there's a 5-cent fee per sale), spoilage (about 4%), any commission to the location, card reader fees ($7.95 to $9.95 a month per machine), liability insurance ($45 to $65 a month), state and LLC fees, and fuel. Then the machine, card reader and delivery up front. The calculator starts with each of these at the course's figure.
Divide what you spend up front (machine, card reader and delivery) by the monthly profit the calculator shows. If the answer is years rather than months, either the location isn't busy enough or the machine costs too much for it. That's one reason the course suggests a refurbished machine for a first location.
It's how many sales a machine needs each day just to cover its share of the monthly costs. Below it, the machine loses money; above it, each sale adds profit. It's a quick test for a location: if you can't picture that many sales a day there, keep looking.
Vending card readers charge more than a shop terminal because the sales are small and the reader includes a cellular connection and reporting. The providers in the course charge 5.25% to 5.95%, and some add a few cents per sale, which on a $1.50 item pushes the effective rate near 9%. It's still worth it: the course ranks a card reader as the single most important upgrade.