Selling Breast Milk Safely, Legally, & Easily In 2023

Selling breast milk may sound strange, but don’t dismiss this money-making opportunity just yet!

If you’re a nursing mother who may have an overabundance of frozen breast milk, you could give it to your local baby bank or donate it to a milk donation organization.

But there is another option that many women don’t know about- selling milk online!

Selling breast milk can be a legitimate way to make some extra cash while helping another family with their babies at the same time.

Not sure where to start? Let’s talk about how to sell your breast milk!

Is Selling Breast Milk Legal?

There is no federal law in the United States that prohibits the sale of breast milk, so you can legally do so within the states and not get in trouble right off the bat.

How you conduct your business is the only thing that changes legal matters. Ensuring you deliver high-quality milk and get check-ups down will prevent bad reviews, but it can also protect you from liability with buyers.

So you’ve got the stamp of approval from us that selling breast milk is a legal business you can start and get paid for in the U.S.

Who Can Sell/Donate Breast Milk?

It may seem like a weird way to make money, but most healthy lactating women who produce more milk than their baby needs can donate or sell breast milk.

Here are some guidelines used by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) for what potential donors are excluded. If you check any of these boxes, you won’t be able to donate and may have a hard time selling as well:

• Smoking or use of tobacco products
• Use of illegal drugs
• Risk of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
• Positive serological test results for HIV, HTLV, Hepatitis B or C, or syphilis
• Medication use (non-approved medications)
• Recent history of blood transfusion
• Risk of blood-borne illnesses
• Body piercing, tattoos, or permanent makeup
• Organ or tissue transplants
• Vegans not supplementing with B12
• At-risk sexual partner
• Travel deferrals related to CJD risk
• Alcohol consumption (requires a deferral)

Who Buys Breast Milk?

Experts recommend breastfeeding over cow’s milk or formula feeding because breast milk is easier for babies to digest and helps fight infection. The World Health Organization suggests that infants should be fed breast milk during their first two years.

People decide to breastfeed their babies for various reasons, such as all the nutrients in the milk, but not all new mothers can produce breast milk, so they need to find an alternative, such as a donor bank or someone who sells breast milk.

It is often purchased by the following individuals:

• Mothers who aren’t producing enough breast milk daily for their own baby
• Parents who have adopted a baby
• Moms who aren’t able to breastfeed because of schedule restrictions
• Mothers who have tried breastfeeding, but have decided it’s not for them
• People who have a fetish for human milk
• Bodybuilders

How Much Is Breast Milk Worth?

One of the first questions that come to mind is, “Is it even worth it to sell breast milk?” If you produce more milk, you make more money to add to your income.

But pumping isn’t an easy process for everyone. It takes time and energy to hand express or pump enough from your breasts, so you need to know the cash is worth the work.

So, can moms really make money fast selling excess milk?

The answers to these questions depend on where you’re selling your milk and how much breast milk is produced each day.

KidsHealth says the average baby needs 24 – 40 oz. of breast milk until they reach 6 months. But if you produce more than that in a day, you could sell breast milk by the ounce for extra cash.

Some online sites claim buyers are paying over $2.50 per ounce. While many articles claim this, our research found the most common price listed is still $1 – $2 per ounce.

Suppose you produce an extra 20 oz. of breast milk per day and sell it at the higher price of $2 an ounce, then you could make $1200 in a month selling your excess breast milk.

Learn everything you need to know to get started by signing up for Milkology’s Pump It Up Class below! 

Selling Breast Milk

There are different processes to sell breast milk, depending on where you sell it. You’ll need to provide a clean bill of health, and some milk banks will require you to take a blood test.

It’s also essential you provide safe milk, so you need to have a way to store your milk until it’s picked up or shipped.

You’ll need an extra freezer or fridge just for storing breast milk. Store the milk in clean bags or bottles, using a date system to track the milk’s age.

Once you decide to sell your milk, it’s time to find a buyer. You can sell your milk online, through a milk bank, or with a local family.

Before advertising your breast milk online, do some research on the buyer. Please make sure they are legitimate and willing to pay you what your milk is worth.

Milk Banks

First, milk banks call it ‘donating’ instead of selling your human milk, even though you do get paid at most of these milk banks.

They usually require a minimum donation at first without pay, some of which is due to processing and getting your information for records and safety.

Most milk banks require you to go through an application process to meet their requirements to make sure you are in good health.

Hospitals are big buyers of milk banks for sick and premature babies, so they want their milk to be quality.

After being approved as a donor, most milk banks will send you shipping containers to store your breast milk until it’s time for pick-up.

You’ll need to carefully follow their instructions for freezing and the delivery process because you won’t get paid for products they can’t use!

Online Milk Communities

It may be easier to sell breast milk online, plus you can set the price of your breast milk to earn whatever amount you want.

Most sites provide guidelines on selling your breast milk online, but the guidelines aren’t as rigid as milk banks.

It would help if you voluntarily had health checks to make your potential customers feel better about buying breast milk online from you. These check-ups show that you are serious about providing quality milk and can bring in more sales.

Selling to online milk communities also means dealing with inquiries about the extra milk, as people will have questions about what they are providing their children.

You’ll also handle the shipping process, unlike the milk banks. You and the buyer will have to arrange who pays for shipping, how it will be shipped, and when it will arrive.

One of the more stressful parts of selling online is proper screening to separate the legitimate requests for breast milk from the scam requests. You must research potential buyers, even if they have good feedback on the site.

You may also include in your ad whether you are willing to sell to males, aside from advertising to new parents or single fathers.

While a few men purchase breast milk due to a fetish, the bodybuilding community is another market for breast milk supply.

Some bodybuilders believe that milk is a more nutritious method of obtaining protein, so some are prepared to pay more for human breast milk.

Most bodybuilders aren’t as picky about your health or the feeding process as moms. According to a report in the New York Post, one woman in Europe earned over $13,000 by selling her extra breast milk to bodybuilders and shared her story on TikTok.

Facebook Groups

Several online communities are dedicated to helping parents or other people locate enough milk for their babies, and Facebook has plenty of great parent communities all over the world.

If you’re looking for a discreet way to sell your milk, then selling it in private Facebook Groups may be the way to go.

You can sell milk in private groups or post ads for public sales, depending on your preference and needs.

Nursing mothers often choose to sell in the Facebook Groups because they don’t have access to local milk banks, and they don’t want to advertise in the online communities.

Other women list their offers because they want to sell their milk at a lower price to help other moms who buy milk but can’t afford the higher prices through a milk bank or online websites and need to save money.

Earn Extra Money While Pumping

Pumping can be time-consuming, but it also allows you to earn some extra money from home.

Not only can you earn extra money from your milk itself, but thanks to iPads and phones, you can earn money while you pump!

You could join several money-making survey sites if you’re willing to provide your thoughts on the internet and want to make a little money.

Here are our favorites that will pay you to take surveys, watch videos, read emails, and play games:

• Swagbucks
• Survey Junkie
• InboxDollars
• MyPoints

Another thing you can do while pumping is learn about a new side hustle to make money or start a business from home.

We recommend side hustles like:

• Proofreading
• Bookkeeping
• Freelance writing
• Managing social media or Facebook Ads

Sites For Selling Breast Milk

Mother’s Milk Cooperative

Mother’s Milk Cooperative is an online community of mothers who wish to sell or donate extra breast milk. After you pass their donor screening process, they let you donate your extra breast milk for $1 an ounce.

You must wait until your baby is at least three months old to donate (if you’re currently nursing). Plus, you won’t be paid for the first 100 ounces you donate to them.

Before sending your supply to someone in need, Mothers Milk Cooperative has a testing procedure to ensure it is safe from potential health risks before delivering it.

Only The Breast

Only The Breast is an online milk classifieds site for selling and buying milk. You create a profile and then post ads offering your milk for sale.

Only the Breast goes above and beyond to assure that the milk they sell on their site is safe for infants is fantastic. Sellers must pass a screening test from AccesaLabs (a cost of $259), which examines for hepatitis, HIV, and other diseases that can be passed to babies.

Once Only the Breast has cleared you, you can sell as much or as little as you want.

They go through the steps for collecting, expressing, storing, transporting, and freezing milk to prevent contamination in detail and offer thorough instructions on pasteurizing milk at home using aseptic methods.

Testing Your Breast Milk

Before you sell your milk, it’s important to have it tested and checked for safety. You can have it professionally tested for free (or for a nominal fee) at a milk bank or by using a home testing kit.

A home testing kit is simple and only takes a few minutes to test for bacteria and pathogens.

To find a milk bank in your area, you can visit the Human Milk Banking Association of North America’s website to search by state. Or you can do a Google search to find out.

Where you sell breast milk will determine if you need more testing or further screening.

Our Thoughts

We hope this guide helped get you started on your journey to selling breast milk. It’s a valuable commodity, and there is a growing market for babies in need.

Selling your breast milk is a great way to make extra money, but it’s important to remember that it’s not for everyone, and that’s totally okay!

If you’re not comfortable selling your milk, there are other options available to make money from home, and you can still donate your milk to families who need it.

No matter what you decide to do, make sure you are well-informed about the process and risks. Selling breast milk is a serious decision, but it can be a rewarding and profitable option for you.