How long does it take to sell a vending route?

Listings that actually closed spent a median of 199 days on market. Figures based on currently active listings understate this substantially, because listings still on the market are measured mid-run rather than at completion.

VendingExits · Valuation Data

What is my vending route worth?

Q: What is my vending route worth?

Across 60 listed vending routes with reported cash flow, the median asking price is 3.17× seller's discretionary earnings. Smaller operations trade lower and larger ones higher; the full range by size band is published on this page.

Route valuations get quoted as rules of thumb passed between operators. These figures come from actual listings and closed sales, with the sample size shown for every number.

Median multiple

3.17×

60 listings with reported SDE

Median asking price

$125K

168 active listings

Median SDE

$41K

60 listings

Find your range

Enter your seller’s discretionary earnings — net profit plus your own salary, personal expenses run through the business, interest, depreciation, and one-time costs.

Annual SDE

Multiples by business size

Size is the single largest determinant of multiple. Bands below the 8-listing minimum are shown with sample size and no median.

SDE band	Listings	Lower	Median	Upper
Under $75K	30	2.21×	2.96×	4.32×
$75K - $150K	9	2.85×	3.54×	4.59×
$150K - $300K	2	—	sample too small	—
$300K - $500K	4	—	sample too small	—
$500K+	4	—	sample too small	—

What moves you within the range

Location agreements

Written, assignable contracts with real terms are the asset. Handshake placements transfer poorly and buyers discount them heavily.

Machine age and card readers

A fleet that already takes cards is worth more than one a buyer has to retrofit. Age of equipment sets the capital expenditure the buyer models on day one.

Route density

Stops per mile drives the labor cost of running the route. A tight geographic footprint prices above a scattered one with the same revenue.

Commission structure

What you pay locations comes straight out of the buyer’s margin. Below-market commissions that are due for renegotiation get priced in.

A correction

How long a sale actually takes

Active listings in this market show a median of 29 days on market. Listings that actually sold show 199 days.

Both numbers are correct and they measure different things. Anything still listed is being measured partway through its run, which drags the figure down. Only completed sales tell you how long the process takes. Most published “days on market” statistics use the first method, which is why the number you have probably seen is roughly 7× too low.

Based on 168 active and 32 closed listings across 61 brokerages. Data through November 11, 2026.

Where your business actually lands

The range above is what comparable businesses are asking. What yours is worth depends on contract quality, owner dependence, and how the books present — none of which a calculator can see.

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