# What's the cheapest thing you can buy one million of? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 29, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316 "2023-08-29T23:02:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/1 "2023-08-29T23:02:23Z")
It must be something you would have to order an exact amount of. Sand or sugar would not count. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/2 "2023-08-29T23:06:34Z")
My brother in law, a teacher of kids around age 10-12 had the students collect a million pull tabs on soda cans. Those were essentially free. It took quite a few years. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/3 "2023-08-29T23:06:38Z")
I would suspect some light metallic item, like a small washer. Or an o-ring. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/4 "2023-08-29T23:08:44Z")
Would milliliters of some liquid count? It’s not too implausible to measure out a cubic meter of something to a one-mL precision. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/5 "2023-08-29T23:09:11Z")
Flash memory cells. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/6 "2023-08-29T23:10:50Z")
Looks like you can get a million of these screws for $1000 from AliBaba: > **[Hexagon Head Wood Screw Din 571 Steel Zinc Plated 6x80mm - Buy Hex Head Wood...](https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Hexagon-head-wood-screw-DIN-571_62059068076.html?spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.p_offer.d_image.376c4041SAIaSY&s=p)** > > Hexagon Head Wood Screw Din 571 Steel Zinc Plated 6x80mm - Buy Hex Head Wood Screw,Zinc Hex Head Wood Screw,Din571 Zinc Hex Head Wood Screw Product on Alibaba.com ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/7 "2023-08-29T23:11:29Z")
The primary unit for trading water is a megalitre. Current prices at the Murray Irrigation Water Exchange are around AUD75/ML ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/8 "2023-08-29T23:11:39Z")
We probably have to restrict the limitations a bit. Should it be an item that is only sold by pieces? Then sand, water or computer memory would be out. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/9 "2023-08-29T23:14:46Z")
1,000,000 resistors are $550. > **[RM04J102CT | Digi-Key Electronics](https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/cal-chip-electronics-inc/RM04J102CT/13570743)** > > Order today, ships today. RM04J102CT – 1 kOhms ±5% 0.063W, 1/16W Chip Resistor 0402 (1005 Metric) Thick Film from Cal-Chip Electronics, Inc.. Pricing and Availability on millions of electronic components from Digi-Key Electronics. And, that’s through distribution. If you bought them direct, in that quantity, they would probably be less than half that. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/10 "2023-08-29T23:21:51Z")
I would stipulate that the quantity should be of individual units. So a million litres of water would only count if you were buying one million 1 litre bottles. I’ll let the community decide whether crypto currency should count. You can buy billions of some currencies for just a few pennies so we should probably only count physical objects. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/11 "2023-08-29T23:30:15Z")
Straight pins. You can buy them by the pound. Not sure but I think you could get a million easily. Cheap as dirt (I ain’t counting them out tho’) ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/12 "2023-08-29T23:35:24Z")
Staples. They come in boxes of 5000 for about $3 so $600 would buy you a million of them. Hmm, that doesn’t sound like an unbeatable number. But it at least gives us a starting figure. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/13 "2023-08-29T23:37:22Z")
Wheat is extremely cheap. About $7.50/bushel which is ~60 pounds. So, $0.125/pound. Which is about $2,083.33 for 1 million pounds of it. Of course, we could divide those pounds into smaller and smaller increments…really no limit to that but that breaks the thread I think. ---
**Author:** ![Turki-lurki](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turki-lurki/32/7168_2.png) [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/14 "2023-08-29T23:37:42Z")
Going with yeast. Couple of packets . They are iddy biddy. 10 cubic micrometers? Betcha a cup full is a bunch… you could calculate it. I can’t. Never learned past the ‘times 7’ multiplication tables. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/15 "2023-08-29T23:46:10Z")
Yeast cells aren’t sold by quantity, though, the way that (for instance) staples are. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/16 "2023-08-29T23:52:57Z")
Can we get a bit of clarification. First it seems you want countable things not measurable stuff like any liquid or things typically sold by weight. Do you want something which it would be possible to buy one of under ordinary circumstances. So e.e. not staples. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/17 "2023-08-29T23:54:40Z")
Count seems a difficult thing to compare. A pound of wheat costs ‘X’ amount but we can divide that pound endlessly into smaller amounts until I have a million at a really low price. Same thing with water (as mentioned above). Near as I can figure staples cost about $3.64/pound. (I am not sure I did my math right on that one) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/18 "2023-08-30T00:04:13Z")
At Staples (office supply store), you can buy 25,000 Staples brand standard staples for $7.99, or $319.60 for a million staples. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/19 "2023-08-30T00:04:28Z")
It would be simplest and cleanest if the only “thing” considered were the things you purchase by the each. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316/20 "2023-08-30T00:04:57Z")
Check my math here, as I haven’t slept in over 40 hours. 11,000 toothpicks per kg for the .3mm diameter option. At $.75 per kg that’s $68.18 for one million. And if you think I’m not ordering enough to get that quantity discount, I promise you, I always get the best price they are willing to advertise. 😉 > **[Toothpick Bamboo Toothpicks Disposable Toothpick - Buy Wooden...](https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Toothpick-Bamboo-Toothpicks-Disposable-Toothpick_1600745577780.html?spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.normal_offer.d_title.441d148643GVwY)** > > Toothpick Bamboo Toothpicks Disposable Toothpick - Buy Wooden Toothpicks,Toothpick Bamboo,Bamboo Toothpick Product on Alibaba.com [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316.md?page=2)