How to restock a Pokémon card vending machine

A card vending machine earns when its spirals are full of packs people want. Restocking is the job that decides that, and most of the time it goes into opening boxes, not into choosing what goes in.

Start from what sold, not what is new

Before you order, count what is left in each spiral. The sets that emptied first are your reorder list. A new release can earn a spiral or two, but the sets that have already proved themselves should keep most of the machine.

Order loose packs, in tens

Booster boxes have to be opened, the packs counted out and the cardboard thrown away before anything reaches the machine. Our packs arrive loose, in tens, so there is nothing to break down. Count the bundles, load the spirals, done.

Sold in tens: every set is ordered ten packs at a time, so your counts stay simple.
Mix any sets in one order: ten of one set and forty of another is a normal order.
$250 minimum order: most operators order around 80 packs at a time.

How many packs per set

Fill each spiral with one set, so a buyer knows what they are getting. Then size each order to the spirals a set holds, times how often you restock. If a spiral holds twelve packs and empties every week, a two-week order for it is about 24 packs, rounded to the ten.

Check every pack is sealed

Operators get complaints when a pack looks opened. Check each one as it goes in (see How to check booster packs are factory sealed). Ours are factory sealed and never weighed or searched: we do not sort out the heavy packs.

A restocking checklist

Count what is left in each spiral and note which sets emptied.
Reorder the sets that emptied first; give a new set a spiral or two at most.
Order in tens, mixing sets in one order.
When the box arrives, check the seals as you load.
Write down what you loaded, so next week's count means something.

Ordering from Plutos

Plutos Collectibles supplies wholesale Pokémon and One Piece booster packs to vending machine operators. Sign in, tell us about your machines in a short application, and you can order as soon as you are approved. We ship from the United States.