Cigarette Vending Machine Success Stories [2025]
A cigarette is one of the highly in-demand tobacco products. Depending on location, a cigarette vending machine can pay off in the first few months. If you plan to start a cigarette vending business, consider areas where tobacco sales are permitted. To minimize startup costs first purchase the high on-demand cigarette brands. Ensure a competent display of brands and analyze what sells best in your preferred location.
In this list, you'll find real-world cigarette vending machine success stories and very profitable examples of starting a cigarette vending machine that makes money.
1. Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe ($78K/year)
Scotty, the founder of an online business selling cigars and tobacco products, got his start in the tobacco business with a small kiosk in a local mall. Seeing the success of big companies like Amazon and eBay, as well as the opportunity with pipes and pipe tobacco, he decided to jump into e-commerce in 1999. Over the years, he made strategic shifts in product selection and rebranding, navigating changes in regulations and market demand, to build a successful online business.
How much money it makes: $78K/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
How many people on the team: 6
Entrepreneur Scotty shares how he started an online business in 1999 selling premium cigars and pipe tobacco, eventually becoming the largest direct-to-consumer distributor of pipe tobacco in the USA and generating over $6.5k/month in revenue, and how he pivoted his business from RYO supplies to premium cigars and tobacco products.