Let's break down exactly how much money you can make with vending machines, what they actually cost, how much time they take ...

She lost about $5,000 from a vending-machine route that she purchased without fully vetting the three locations and five machines. "It was missing a lot of key things that I didn't know," she said.

Jaime Ibanez operated 40 vending machines from July 2021 to June 2022 and made $135,000 in revenue in that time, Insider previously reported.

The Acure vending machine is one of the most innovative vending machines on the market. You can only find these in Japan, but they are extraordinarily advanced thanks to their touchscreens ...

The machines use a touch screen rather than the older button-press vending machine style. You can browse available TCG items and make your selections, then check out using a credit card.