Do vending routes really make that much?

Whoever is telling you the number has to hand you written proof of it, in a specific form, at least seven days before you pay anything. Ask for it. Most of the pitch does not survive the request.

Last verified 2026-09-21 · 1 primary source

What it actually is

A vending route, an ATM route, an online store "done for you", a stocking or restocking business — the shape is always the same. Someone sells you equipment, a territory or a setup for a few thousand to a few tens of thousands, and the sale is carried by an income figure: this machine does this much a month, this route clears this much a year. In law this is a business opportunity, and business opportunities are one of the few things in this space with a federal rule aimed directly at them.

The catch

The number is the product. The equipment is usually available elsewhere for less, the territory is rarely exclusive in any way that matters, and the earnings figure is doing all of the persuading. That is exactly why the rule exists: the seller has to put the claim in writing, say who made it and when, say over what period those earnings happened, and say how many of their buyers actually got that result or better. A route that made that much for two people out of four hundred is a true statement and a useless one — and the form is designed to make that visible. Ask for the document and watch what happens. Sellers who intend to deliver hand it over; the rest explain why this one is different.

The free way

Ask for the one-page disclosure document and, if they have quoted you any figure at all, the earnings claim statement. Ask in writing, and note that you are asking seven days before paying anything, because that is the deadline the rule sets. Read the percentage line first — it is the one that tells you whether the number in the pitch is typical or is the best result anyone has ever had. Then call the buyers whose contact details the disclosure gives you. All of this is free, none of it needs a lawyer, and doing it costs you a week you were about to spend money on anyway.

How to spot it next time

• A specific income figure quoted before anything has been put in writing.
• No disclosure document, or one that arrives the same day you are asked to pay.
• Pressure to decide today, or a price that expires.
• An earnings claim with no period, no sample size, and no percentage.
• Being told the seven-day rule does not apply to this because it is a "partnership", "coaching", or "consulting".
• Refusal to put you in touch with people who already bought.

Where this comes from

Drafted with AI. Verified by humans against primary sources. Reviewed by a licensed professional where noted. Last verified 2026-09-21.

Every claim above, with the exact words of the agency that made it. If a paraphrase here does not match the quote, trust the quote and tell us.

1. The seller must give you a one-page disclosure document.

   “sellers have to give you a one-page disclosure document that offers five key pieces of information”www.ftc.gov

2. It has to arrive at least seven days before you sign anything or pay anything.

   “a seller has to give you the disclosure document at least seven days before you sign a contract or pay them anything”www.ftc.gov

3. An earnings claim has to say who made it, when, over what period, and how many buyers actually got that result or better.

   “the name of the person making the claim and the date; the specifics of the claim; the start and end date those earnings were achieved; the number and percentage of people who got those results or better”www.ftc.gov

4. You have the right to see written proof of any earnings claim.

   “Since the Rule gives you the right to see written proof for the seller’s earnings claims, savvy buyers exercise that right and study those materials carefully”www.ftc.gov

This page describes a pattern, not any particular company or person. Patterns outlive the people running them, which is why it is written this way.