Guide · Written by the operators of 300+ machines across Singapore

Vending machine commission in Singapore: how hosts actually get paid

If you have space and footfall, you can rent that corner out to a vending operator — not for a fixed fee, usually, but for a share of everything the machine sells. Here is how the commission model really works, how the money is counted, and the red flags that separate a good hosting agreement from a disappointing one.

The model in one paragraph

Under a placement arrangement, the operator owns and stocks the machine, services it on a scheduled route, and pays the host a percentage of the machine's sales each month. The host provides about a square metre of floor and a power point, and pays for the electricity the machine draws — about as much as a small fridge, and priced into the rate before anyone signs. No capital, no stock, no admin sits with the host. The commission is the rent, converted into a share of turnover.

How the rate is set — and why nobody quotes one upfront

Hosts often ask for "the standard rate". There isn't one, and any operator who quotes a flat percentage before seeing the site is guessing. The rate depends on what the site can realistically sell, because the operator's costs are mostly fixed per visit: the truck, the driver and the stock trip cost the same whether the machine sold four hundred items that week or forty. A high-volume site leaves room for a meaningful share; a marginal site does not, and an operator who promises a big share at a quiet site will either renegotiate later or let the service quality slip — both worse outcomes than an honest number upfront.

Expect a serious operator to survey the site first — headcount, hours, what convenience alternatives are nearby — then propose a rate alongside the machine mix. At our own site check, the scoring happens before anyone visits, so both sides know early whether the conversation is worth having.

How sales are counted: the part that decides everything

The commission is only as trustworthy as the sales figure it is calculated on. This is the single most important thing to check in any hosting agreement:

Machine transaction records, not manual counts. A modern machine logs every vend. With a cashless reader on the unit — NETS, PayNow, contactless cards, mobile wallets — most transactions also carry an independent electronic record. Your statement should be built from those records.
A monthly statement you can read. Units sold, sales value, your percentage, the amount due. If the operator cannot produce that, the commission figure is an estimate — and estimates drift in one direction only.
Payment on a schedule. Bank transfer, monthly, following the statement. Cash settlements without paperwork are how disputes start.

This is why we treat the cashless reader as standard equipment rather than an upgrade: it is what makes the host's commission auditable instead of taken on trust.

Commission or fixed rent?

Some hosts would rather charge a flat monthly fee for the space. It feels safer — the number is known — but it changes the relationship. A fixed fee makes the machine's performance entirely the operator's problem, so marginal sites on fixed rent are the first to be under-stocked, under-serviced and eventually pulled. Commission aligns both sides: the operator only earns when the machine sells, which means keeping it filled, working and well-ranged is in everyone's interest. For our ad-sourced placements we work on commission terms; fixed rent is the exception, not the norm, across the Singapore market for exactly this reason.

What moves your commission up over time

Volume. The machine proving the site out is the strongest renegotiation card a host holds.
The right machine mix. A site with long dwell times often does better adding a snack combo next to the drinks unit — commission is then earned across both. Larger sites can step up to a multi-machine Vending Mart corner and earn across the whole run.
Placement within the site. The same machine near the lift lobby or break area can outsell a hidden corner severalfold. Micro-siting is covered in our location guide.

Red flags in a hosting agreement

No cashless payment on the machine — the sales figure is then whatever the operator says it is.
No monthly statement, or "we'll settle in cash when we restock".
A rate quoted before anyone has seen the site or asked about headcount.
Lock-in clauses or removal penalties. A confident operator removes the machine at their own cost with reasonable notice — that is our standard term.
Electricity treated as a surprise instead of priced into the rate upfront.

See what your space could earn

The commission conversation starts with whether the site clears the volume bar at all. Our one-minute site check scores headcount, hours and nearby alternatives the same way we assess sites for our own fleet — and gives an honest answer either way, because a machine at a site that cannot feed it pays neither of us.

Check if my site qualifies