Amarillo’s Toy Vending Machine Side Hustle Is Pulling $3K a Month

Now and again, I like to look and see what businesses are for sale around Amarillo. Not that I could afford any of them if I saw one I liked, but I'm always curious to see what's available and what people ask for them.

Recently, I've seen a laundromat that has been in business for 22 years up for sale, along with a distribution route for a bread distributor. Outside of that, there isn't a whole lot in the way of ready-to-go businesses available.

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A Hidden Gem

One thing I saw pop up, though, really grabbed my attention, and I'm not even sure why. Maybe it's because I'm a collector of sports cards and this kind of thing appealed to me, even if it wasn't exactly sports cards that were involved.

It was a vending machine of all things, but not one that spits out drinks and snacks. No, this one shoots out collectible toys, and it brought enough intrigue for me to look into it. Why? Truthfully, I'm not sure I've ever seen one of these here in Amarillo.

Do They Really Make Any Money

That was literally my first question. Sure, collectible toy vending machines look cool and all that, but do they actually bring in more money than it would cost to operate them? This is where I was absolutely shocked.

Attached to the listing were a few P&L (profit & loss) statements from various people who own one. When I opened them up, I was stunned. Rent is cheap because they just get placed in a mall or other location, so it is $500-750 per month. Low insurance and hotspot costs were attached as well, but it never seemed to be over $825 a month in operational costs.

Now, while it's not something that will replace your current job, it'll have you living far more comfortably with minimal work. According to these statements, over a nine-month period, these machines brought in anywhere between $23,000-35,000 net profit. That was AFTER paying all the bills. Could you use an extra $2,000-3,000 a month? Sure, we all could.

How Do I Get Started

Pretty easy to get things rolling, honestly. According to this listing, it's a ready-to-go machine with a lease already in place, so I guess there's one of these SOMEWHERE in Amarillo, I just haven't seen it.

With a shot to make roughly $50,000 a year and not have to do a whole lot, I'm tempted. Who wants to donate to a GoFundMe to help me get moving?