I was curious about it once when I was considering “hustles”. One of the biggest issues may be finding a high-traffic location where you are allowed to operate a vending machine. But if a place could use one and will let you operate for cheap/free, you could give it a shot. One learns a lot from trying. Odds are the work & issues may make it tougher than it seems on the surface (may not be as passive as you think).
Personal Income Spending Flowchart (Canada) (lemmy.ca)
Steps for 🇨🇦 taken from reddit.
How to own a vending machine? How to procurethe machine & the products? Single-use laundry detergent/ softener packs for a laundromat I'm authorized to put a vending machine into.