What should I check before buying custom vending machines overseas?

Check who you are actually talking to (engineers or a sales desk), the business licence and export history, whether a factory visit or live video walkthrough is possible, whether you can get a sample or pilot unit before a volume order, whether payment is staged against verifiable milestones, who owns the tooling and design files, what the after-sales and spare-parts route is, and whether certification claims come with a certificate and an issuing body. The vetting page covers each of these with the question to ask and what a good answer looks like.

What do I need to specify when ordering a vending machine for my market?

The destination market and its electrical supply: voltage, frequency, plug type and the circuit rating available at the installation position. The destination also determines which certification marks and test reports apply — CE in Europe, FCC in the United States, RCM in Australia and New Zealand, and others by country. State the country of installation rather than the country of the buying office, because they are often different.

What affects the landed cost of imported vending machines?

The Incoterm you buy on (EXW, FOB or CIF) decides which costs sit with you, crating and loading quantity determine the freight bill, and duty depends on the HS code and your destination. Ask for the HS code and packing dimensions early so your customs broker can estimate duty before you commit. Duty applies to spare-parts shipments too, which is why ordering wear items with the machine is usually cheaper than ordering them one at a time later.

Vending Machine Buying Guide

This buying guide covers the three things that decide whether a custom vending machine project goes well: who you buy from, what you specify, and what it costs to land. Vetting a manufacturer is about evidence rather than assurances — engineer access, licence and export history, a sample unit, staged payment, and written ownership of tooling and design files. Power and compliance are build parameters, not details to settle on arrival: voltage, frequency, plug type and the certification marks that apply in your market are set at quotation. Landed cost depends on the Incoterm you buy on, how the machines are crated, and the duty your broker will assess — including on spare parts. Each page below is written so you can use it against any supplier, including us.

Three questions every buyer has to answer

Buying custom vending machines or kiosks — particularly importing them — comes down to three decisions. The pages in this guide take one each, and each is written so you can apply it to any supplier, not only to us.

How to vet a custom vending machine manufacturer

Eight checks you can complete before sending a deposit: engineer access, business licence and export history, a factory visit or live walkthrough, a sample unit, staged payment, ownership of tooling and design files, after-sales and parts, and how to read a certification claim. Includes a list of questions you can send to several suppliers and compare side by side.

Power, voltage and market compliance

What to specify so the machine works on arrival: voltage and frequency, plug type, and the circuit rating at the installation position. Also explains why there is no single power figure for a vending machine, and which certification marks apply in which market.

Shipping, Incoterms and landed cost

What EXW, FOB and CIF each shift to you, how machines are crated for sea freight, why loading quantity depends on the model, and what to ask for early so your broker can estimate duty before you commit.

After the machines arrive

Ownership questions — spare parts, wear items and dispense reliability — are covered separately under support. If you are buying for an industrial site, the industrial vending hub covers PPE issue control, tool crib migration and work-order kitting.

Have a project in mind? Talk to our team — you will be dealing with the people who design and build the machine.