Can I sell my vending machines without the locations?

Owners often ask this when a route has slowed down or they want out quickly. Both options are open to you. They attract different buyers and ask different things of you, so it helps to be clear about which one you are offering before you speak to anyone.

Machines alone

A buyer of machines alone is buying equipment. That is often another operator adding units, or someone starting a route who will find their own sites. Prepare a list with each machine’s make, age, condition and service history, and whether anything is leased or financed. Your lawyer can tell you what needs to be cleared first.

The route with its placements

A buyer of the route is buying a business: the machines, the site agreements, the product supply and the relationships. That buyer will read your location agreements and sales records, so have them ready. Whether a site agreement can pass to someone new is a question for your lawyer. Some need the host’s consent.

What to tell the site hosts

Hosts care about reliable service. If you sell the route, tell them about the change in a planned way and introduce the new operator. If you sell machines alone and stop serving a site, give the host proper notice, in line with any agreement you have, instead of letting the machine go dark.

Removing machines cleanly

Agree the date and who does the work, and arrange for the machines to be emptied of stock and cash first. Leave the space tidy and confirm any damage or key return with the host. The guide to selling a vending machine business covers permits and records for a whole-route sale.