I make money checking if forgotten vending machines are actually abandoned

[u/KazuKazu_hyperbowl]

I honestly didn't know this was a thing until a few months ago. From what I know, there are a lot of vending machines that are just sitting around in old laundromats, apartment buildings, repair shops, and other places where nobody really pays attention to them anymore.

What I do is basically check if those machines are still being maintained or not. Someone sends me a list of locations and I go there, take pictures, see if anything changed, check if the machine is still plugged in, and report back what I found.

Some people might think it sounds boring, but it is actually interesting because you find some weird stuff. One machine I checked was behind an old car wash and it looked like nobody touched it for years. There were weeds around it and the drinks inside looked really old. I honestly could not tell if it was still active or if everyone just forgot it was there.

From what I know, the owners need the information because sometimes it is hard to know if a machine is still being serviced or completely abandoned. My part is just collecting the information and sending it over.

Last weekend I checked 17 machines and made about $146. I never thought driving around looking at vending machines would make me money, but somehow it does. :PP

It is definitely one of the weirdest side hustles I have ever heard of, and now it is one of the ways I make extra cash.

[u/dadydaycare]

The real money would be finding out if they are abandoned then grabbing them yourself. Then you have vending machines.

[u/Almost1211 → u/dadydaycare]

I thought that was where this was going, even though I doubt it's legal, or it may be under very specific circumstances... but then the rest of the post just made no sense, and apparently it's just AI nonsense.

[u/dadydaycare → u/Almost1211]

If it’s truly abandoned it’s usually up to the property owner what happens with it but that’s pretty easy, if there is a vendor it’s likely registered so you check who the local companies are and ask if the machines are theirs… honestly there’s usually a sticker saying exactly who owns it and you can then call directly.

If it’s a dead line there’s like a 90% chance it’s free dibs.

[u/WhatAmTrak → u/dadydaycare]

I mean if it’s on property.. that property is owned by someone, so not exactly free dibs as youd be stealing something off someone’s private property.

[u/dadydaycare → u/WhatAmTrak]

Read the literal first sentence of my comment.

[u/RC_0041 → u/WhatAmTrak]

A lot of the time vending machines aren't owned buy the property owner, for all they know when you haul it off you are the owner of the machine.

My work has several and once every couple weeks some dude comes by to refill them. We have signs warning people they sometimes eat money and we can't do anything about it because we don't own them.

[u/dadydaycare → u/RC_0041]

If the vending machine is abandoned then it doesn’t belong to anyone. And thus it becomes the property of the owner of the land it stands on.

By abandoned I mean the company that previously owned the machine no longer exists or they claim they no longer have it registered to them/ relinquish their claim. Which again it’s up to the land owner what happens with it and you need to refer to them.

If no one is claiming the land then… it’s either up for grabs or the state/ city technically owns it and in that case as long as you don’t make a scene… you could probably just go take it.

[u/JohnWicklll → u/WhatAmTrak]

This is Reddit where there’s no such thing as a thief.

[u/Frequent_Opportunist → u/Almost1211]

Nope. Someone else's idea they probably use legal means to recover possession of them then make a killing while paying this guy nickels to ride around and do the dirty work.

[u/_B_Little_me → u/dadydaycare]

Um, that’s grand theft.

[u/bigolchimneypipe → u/dadydaycare]

That kind of business should make enough profit to be able to pay somebody to do scouting.