# How much money do street level drug dealers make? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-do-street-level-drug-dealers-make/318687 "2005-08-26T03:39:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-do-street-level-drug-dealers-make/318687/21 "2005-08-26T15:33:50Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I know this is a very broad question so I will try to limit it just a little. Most drug dealers get into the business because of money or they need to support their own habit. How much money do they actually make? > > I am interested in dealers that sell to end users rather than the people that traffic it. Lets assume the dealer does it full-time with no other means of support. The dealer sells one or more addictive drugs so he or she has a base of steady customers. > > What is a good range of how much they would pull in? > > Break it out by drug and type of client if you need too. It depends on how many clients you have and if you’re a user. I knew plenty of dealers who didn’t use. Some who supported themselves slowly on the trade and others who had a Day Job ™. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-do-street-level-drug-dealers-make/318687/22 "2005-08-26T15:59:38Z")
Of course, I meant “solely”…not “slowly”. Must’ve been the drugs… ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-do-street-level-drug-dealers-make/318687/23 "2005-08-26T16:15:50Z")
> [@drgnrdr07](#): > > I used to have a friend that would deal meth at raves. Just from those few hours a week that he would deal he used to make $400 - $500. I have no idea how much he would have made if he did it full time. Luckily, he has come to his senses and knocked it off. I wonder how difficult it would be to find raves going for 40 hours a week. I mean, the reason he made so much so quickly was that his market concentrated itself in one area for him. I have a friend who is an artisan, and makes all her money on weekends (usually every other one) at art & craft fairs. If she set up a booth on the street on a Wednesday (assuming she could), she would not sell nearly as much, because she would have so few people there, and even fewer of them looking for what she’s offering. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-do-street-level-drug-dealers-make/318687/24 "2005-08-26T18:46:50Z")
> [@](#): > > That would be net. > Selling quarters ($25) - price paid as nickels ($5) profit = $20 per sale. Well, that’s a Gross Margin calculation, which accounts for cost of good sold, but doesn’t account for any other expenses. In this case, I think there’s a lot of product missing/spoiled for various reasons, a fairly high amoun of written off accounts receivable, large losses to theft (both product and cash), and likely a lot of, uh, insurance money paid to interested locals (and/or police). And that’s even leaving aside any costs if he was arrested (lawyers, fines, etc.), and chalk that up to personal risks for which he is being compensated. So I think actual net (again, even with arrest risk factored in) is going to be a lot lower than a simple gross margin calculation. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-do-street-level-drug-dealers-make/318687/25 "2005-08-26T21:24:11Z")
My roommates last year sold weed. They would buy an ounce for around $300 and sell eighths for $50. They were basically selling to just their friends, which I would imagine greatly reduces the risk of getting caught for them. They would typically break even, or maybe end up $10 ahead, selling about three-quarters of the ounce and smoking the rest. They always had enough customers to keep them smoking as much as they wanted, and I would guess they went through around $250-350 worth of weed a month, between the four of them. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-do-street-level-drug-dealers-make/318687/26 "2005-08-26T22:24:11Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Most drug dealers get into the business because of money or they need to support their own habit. How much money do they actually make? Street level sellers make just about enought to support their own habit. A user is mainly interested in his next fix. $wise it depends on the market place. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-do-street-level-drug-dealers-make/318687.md?page=1)