Remember the days when all you could grab from a vending machine was your favourite snack or maybe a Coca-Cola? Well, you won’t believe the incredible things you can buy from vending machines today.
From gold bars to luxury cars, read on to discover some of the most unique vending machines around the world. All dollar values in US dollars.
In 2010, Sephora introduced vending machines to airports across the US, providing make-up and skincare essentials for time-pressed travellers. In the years since, beauty product vending machines have become commonplace, including the likes of this Kylie Cosmetics vending machine at Orlando International Airport.
This LEGO vending machine was spotted in a train station in Germany, presumably for parents about to go on long journeys with small children and no entertainment. LEGO vending machines have since been rolled out across North America.
In 2013, London luxury department store Selfridges made headlines with its Moët and Chandon dispenser offering 200ml bottles of fizz for £18 ($23) a pop. It's a trend that clearly caught on and champagne vending machines can now be found around the world, like this one snapped in Australia.
First introduced in 2010, crab vending machines have become an increasingly common sight in China. The one pictured here dispenses live hairy crabs which are kept in a state of "hibernation" through the machine's consistently low temperatures.
Not every McDonald’s will be open to cater for your fast food cravings at 4am. The solution? A burger vending machine in the Netherlands that can satisfy your patty panic at any time of the day or night.
Forget chasing the ice cream truck or queueing in-store to buy a single cone, this Japanese vending machine is for all you ice cream lovers on the go.
You can buy farm-fresh unpasteurised milk from machines all over Europe. The vending machine (pictured) dispenses empty containers on the right and you’ll get your fresh milk on the left.
Vending machines for bike parts are increasingly on the rise in cities around the world. This one, snapped in Friedrichstadt, Germany, dispenses inner tubes to cyclists in need of puncture relief.
Now we have the full complement of fast food vending machines to enjoy. You can find these machines worldwide, especially in Europe, America, and Australia. Inside the machine are frozen potatoes (or pre-cut fries) which are then cooked at a high temperature to deliver your food to you in a matter of minutes. They even come with sauce.
To use these machines in Japan, shoppers simply insert cash and hand-select their eggs by opening one of the compartment doors. Unfortunately, with this kind of purchase, you only get one chance to pick the eggs you’d like. What do you do if they’re all broken?
Have you ever found yourself craving a bite to eat, but there are no kosher meals available anywhere? Fear not, Hot Nosh 24/6 machines in America have come to the rescue. You could grab a hot knish, some kosher mozzarella sticks, cheese pizza and onion rings.
There are also hot dogs available, but not from the same machine of course, as that wouldn’t be kosher.
This nifty little machine is found in Tokyo’s Shibuya subway station, and it will dispense single bananas, or bananas in a bunch if you are particularly hungry. It's cheaper to buy bananas from a store, but who could resist the novelty? The company behind the machine, Dole, has even provided special bins so that you never cause a comical banana peel accident again.
Here's a vending machine in France selling fresh baguettes. And it's not just the French who want to get their bread on the go as hot bread machines have been seen in the Netherlands too.
Or if it’s not warm bread you want to buy, you can always grab some bread from a can. However, this carby treat can only be found in Japan.
Do you ever need a sugar fix? One that can only be put right by a cupcake? Sprinkles bakery is at your service. The 24-hour cupcake vending machine offers you the chance to buy your favourite iced cupcake, cupcake batter to bake at home, or some sweet treats for your pooch.
Pizza vending machines have been around in Europe for a while, but Xavier University can lay claim to the first-ever pizza machine in North America. You can choose from pepperoni, veggie, or cheese. It can only store 70 pizzas inside, so if you want a pizza after a crazy night out in Ohio you better get there fast!
Perhaps more shocking is that Italy took so long to get its first pizza vending machine, in Rome of all places. A brave move in the home of pizza, the Mr. Go Pizza machine prepares freshly baked slices in just three minutes. The machine reportedly sold around 900 pizzas in its first few weeks.
Launched in late 2016, this entire building in Singapore is one giant luxury car vending machine. Autobahn Motor's ABM facility showcases 60 exotic, vintage and supercars, which buyers can browse on a tablet on the ground floor before an automated retrieval system brings your choice down.
While this is not technically the world's first car vending machine (they've been around in the US for a while), the Ferraris and Lamborghinis on offer almost certainly make it the most luxurious.
Who hasn't dreamed of holding a solid gold bar in their hands? With the Gold to Go vending machines you can at the push of a button. The machine tracks real-time gold prices on commodities markets, which means keen investors can pick up a bar or coin when the price is right. Gold to Go is available in the US, Austria, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Portugal.
Not everybody likes to while away the hours trawling through racks of clothing, so why not grab what you need from a vending machine? In 2017 Japanese retailer Uniqlo introduced 10 clothing vending machines in airports and shopping malls in several major US states.
The Uniqlo To Go machines mostly sell heat-retaining shirts and lightweight jackets contained in cans and boxes. If the items are unsuitable, customers can return their clothing in-store.
In 2014, Istanbul sustainability company Pugedon decided to take on two of the city’s major issues: too much plastic waste and an abundance of stray animals. The team created a plastic bottle recycling unit that would dispense food and water each time somebody donated their rubbish. It even featured a tray for people to pour away extra water from their bottles, which would go straight into storage for the animals.
Vending machines full of reading material have become a popular way to encourage children to read more across the world, such as this Soar with Reading vending machine that distributed free books in Houston to benefit communities affected by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Pictured is Icema Gibbs, director of corporate social responsibility at JetBlue, the company behind the vending machine.
Now find out which countries are sitting on the most gold in 2024