Vending Machine Finance

Vending machines offer a hands-free business model with low entry costs and scalability. They're also becoming increasingly popular, even during the pandemic, cutting long waiting lines and interaction with people. With low start-up costs, you can get vending machine finance to fund your vending machine business.

Are vending machines popular?

In countries like Japan, vending machines are practically hardcoded into the nation's DNA and they are certainly catching up elsewhere. Even through the COVID-19 period, they have been big business, selling everything from food and snacks to niche items like umbrellas, hot snacks and face masks or hand sanitiser.

Vending machines are generally low cost, ranging from around $2,000 up to $10,000 a machine. They can also generate returns of $100 to $400 per week, and can be profitable. Just as there are pros, there are also cons you should consider when starting a vending machine business.

Business loans to compare

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Name	Product	Min. Loan Amount	Max. Loan Amount	Loan Term	Upfront Fee	Filter Values
Banjo Business Loans		$20,000	$1,000,000	6 months to 3 years	up to 3% for the 36 month loan term		Available for businesses that are at least two years old and has an annual turnover of $500,000.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Lumi Unsecured Business Loan		$5,000	$300,000	3 months to 3 years	2.5% establishment fee		Apply for up to $300,000 from Lumi and benefit from short loan terms, no early repayment fees and once approved receive your funds in just one business day. Note: Loans settled by 30 June 2022 are eligible for a no repayment period for the first 6 weeks of the loan.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Valiant Finance Business Loan Broker		$5,000	$1,000,000	3 months to 5 years	$0 application fee		A Business Lending Specialist from Valiant Finance can give you access to competitive business loans from over 70 lenders. Loans between $5,000 and $1 million are available. Request a call – your loan can be funded in 1 business day.	Enquire now	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Moula Business Loan		$5,000	$250,000	1 to 2 years	2% Establishment fee		A loan of up to $250,000 that can be approved and funded within 24 hours. Available to businesses with 6+ months operating history and $5,000+ monthly sales.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Max Funding Unsecured Business Loan		$3,000	$30,000	1 month to 1 year	$0 application fee		An unsecured business loan from $3,000 that offers convenient pre-approval and no early repayment fees.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
OnDeck Business Loans		$10,000	$250,000	6 months to 2 years	3% of loan amount		Apply for up to $250,000 and receive your approved funds in one business day. Minimum annual turnover of $100,000 and 1 year of trading history required.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Heritage Bank Equipment Loan		$20,000	$500,000	Up to 5 years	$450		This business loan is designed to buy new or used equipment and has borrowing amounts between $20,000 and $500,000. No monthly fees and the loan is secured against the assets purchased.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
NAB Business Recovery Loan		$20,000	$5,000,000	Up to 10 years	No approval or administrative fees		An Australian government backed loan with competitive rates to assist businesses after lockdowns. Borrow up to $5,000,000. Variable rates from 4.5% p.a. up to 3.95% p.a.	Enquire now	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Prospa Business Loan		$5,000	$500,000	3 months to 3 years	3% origination fee		Small business loans are available from $5,000 - $500,000 on terms of up to 3 years. At least six months trading history and a monthly turnover from $5,000 is necessary. Note: Loans approved by 30 June 2022 are eligible for no repayments for the first 8 weeks of their term.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Octet Trade Finance		$100,000	$12,000,000	1 month to 2 years	Transaction fee 2.5%		Access a line of credit to pay suppliers in over 65 countries. Borrow from $100,000 up to $12,000,000.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CommBank SME Restarter Loan		$10,000	$5,000,000	Up to 10 years	No approval or administrative fees		This loan only applies to businesses eligible under the SME Recovery Loan Scheme. Borrow up to $5,000,000 with a special, low rate loan supported by the Australian government to help businesses recover from lockdowns. Variable rates range from 2.6% p.a. to 3.75% p.a.	Enquire now	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Earlypay Equipment Finance		$20,000	$1,500,000	2 to 5 years	$750 - Establishment fee		Upgrade or expand your business's equipment with equipment finance from Earlypay. Borrow from $20,000 to $1,500,000.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Pros and cons of vending machine businesses

Pros

• Low start-up costs. Compared to some other business start-up ideas, a vending machine business is relatively inexpensive to start. Depending on the type of machine, new machines can cost around $2,000 to $10,000. There are few other start-up costs associated with a vending machine business. With no office or retail space to rent and low stock levels, it can be an inexpensive way to fund and run your own business.
• Easy to scale. Given the low costs, it's easy to grow and scale your business. You could buy a few new machines at a time and build from there.
• Low ongoing expenses. When you're starting out, you could restock and maintain the machines yourself. This can help you keep costs down. As your business grows with new additions, you could hire someone to help you restock and maintain the machine. Even with a staff member or 2, the ongoing expenses of this type of business are minimal compared to other types of businesses.

Cons

• Finding the right location. Location is key when it comes to the success of your business. Public areas like train stations may seem obvious, but private areas like shared office kitchens and hospital cafeterias can house some of the most profitable vending machines. Existing vending machine holders may have already carved out these spaces, making it difficult to secure a prime location.
• Highly competitive. It may be difficult for newcomers to find a foothold in a well-established market. You could mitigate this by purchasing an existing business that has machines in prime locations. If you want to start from scratch, you'll need to bring all your powers of bargaining and persuasion to the table.
• Maintenance and refilling. While vending machines do a lot of the work themselves, taking orders and giving change without human help, you will still need to regularly attend to your machines. They usually need refilling at least once a week, or more at prime locations. You will also need to be on-call to fix broken machines, or miss out on profits.

How can I finance a vending machine?

There are a number of finance options if you're looking for a loan for your vending machine business. These include:

• Unsecured business loans. With this type of loan, you can borrow without using an asset as security. Borrowing amounts aren't as high as secured loans, and the interest rates tend to be higher. But you don't run the risk of losing your asset if you default. There are many unsecured business loan options, including from smaller, independent lenders.
• Secured business loans. This type of loan requires an asset as security, either residential or commercial. In return, you get lower interest rates and longer loan terms.
• Franchise loans. If you want to become a vending machine franchisee, there are franchise loans you can apply for. These loans are capped at the initial length of the franchise agreement, which may not be longer than 5 years.
• Personal loans. If you can't apply for a standard business loan, you could take out a personal loan. You have both secured and unsecured options, with the secured loan having higher borrowing amounts and lower interest rates.

The right finance option for you will depend on your business, eligibility and affordability of the loan.

Frequently asked questions

• Where can I buy vending machines?

  There are a number of vendors that specialise in selling vending machines. You may also be able to find privately sold vending machines on community websites like Gumtree, eBay and Craigslist. Vending machines can be purchased new or second hand. New machines will usually come with a warranty period, and will be less likely to break down or need repairs in the first few years. Second-hand machines will be cheaper, but may need more frequent repairs and maintenance.

• How can I apply for funding?

  You need to first figure out what type of loan you can apply for and what best suits your needs. Once you've worked that out, it's a matter of comparing lenders and finding the right loan. From there, you can apply for the loan online.

• Which product brands can I sell in my vending machine?

  The types of products that will likely do well are known brands. Customers may be unlikely to take a risk on an unknown brand at the point of sale. As there is no way to promote these new brands, the machine itself will be responsible for selling the products. That said, if you're purchasing vending machines bearing big brand names, like Coca-Cola, ask the seller for proof of permission to use the brand name, and look into whether you're legally allowed to sell licensed products in the machine.