How we make money
This site is run by working vending operators and it is commercial. Here is exactly how, so you can weigh what you read against what we earn from.
The short answer
Three ways: equipment commission, paid training programs, and nothing else. No advertising, no paid placement, no sponsored articles.
None of it changes what we publish about results, compliance, or whether a model suits you. Where the honest answer is that you should not do this, that is the answer you will get.
Equipment commission
Some links to vending equipment earn us a commission if you buy through them. It costs you nothing extra, and we disclose it in the footer of every page rather than only here.
The obvious risk is that commission pushes us toward hardware that suits our income rather than your route. Two things limit it. Machine choice is downstream of the venue, which we say everywhere, and a machine bought before a venue is qualified is a bad purchase whoever supplies it. And the training programs are worth considerably more to us than hardware commission, which only works if people succeed.
One relationship worth naming
Jordan, one of our contributors, is founder and CEO of VTM Vending, an equipment manufacturer. His articles are reviewed by another operator before publication, and he does not review his own work. If you would rather weigh his contributions differently because of that, you now can.
Training programs
We sell two: a nightlife vending program and a collectible card vending program. They are paid, they are linked throughout the site, and they are the main commercial reason we publish here.
Worth saying plainly rather than hiding: this site exists partly to show we know what we are talking about. The way we try to earn that is by publishing the parts most operators leave out. The venue rule that disqualifies most locations. The costs that only appear in month two. The placements that failed.
What we do not do
No advertising, no paid placement
Nobody pays to appear here. No manufacturer, distributor or venue buys editorial coverage. We are not sponsored or endorsed by any brand referenced in our content.
We also do not publish earnings claims dressed up as typical results. Every figure arrives with its assumptions attached. If you find one here without them, that is a mistake and we want to know.
Who writes here
Everything is written or reviewed by someone running machines now. Route size is published beside each name so you can weigh what they say against what they actually operate.
Corrections
Regulation changes, prices move, product cycles turn over. Compliance content is re-checked on a schedule and every page carries a date. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it and say so.
Informational only. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Vending regulation varies by state and locality. Verify current requirements with qualified counsel before operating.