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 milk bank or donate it to a milk donation organization.
But there is another option that many women don’t know about- selling donor 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 human breast milk to milk banks, online communities, and more!
Pump it up class! Maximize Your Pumping Output and Express More of that Liquid Gold!
Is Selling Human Milk Legal?
There is no federal law in the United States that prohibits the sale of human 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 for donor human milk.
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.
Who Can Sell/Donate Human Milk?
It may seem like a weird way to make money, but most healthy lactating women producing more milk than their baby needs can start selling or donating human milk.
Here are some guidelines used by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) for what potential donors are excluded:
- 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 and 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)
If you’re considering selling or donating breast milk, you should get it tested for infectious diseases- it can go a long way to ensure babies’ safety.
How Much Is Donor Breast Milk Worth?
So, can moms really make money fast selling excess milk besides donating it?
KidsHealth says the average baby needs 24 – 40 oz. of human milk until they reach 6 months. 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 from donor breast milk.
Learn everything you need to know to get started by signing up for Milkology’s Pump It Up Class below!
Pump it up class! Maximize Your Pumping Output and Express More of that Liquid Gold!
Places For Selling Breast Milk
Milk Banks
A milk bank calls selling human milk ‘donating’ instead, even though you do get paid at most of these human milk banks.
They usually require a minimum donation at first without pay, some of which is due to processing and getting your health info for records and safety.
Any milk bank will require you to go through an application process to meet their requirements to make sure you’re in good health.
Most human breast milk bought is by hospitals for sick and premature babies, so milk banks want donor milk to be high-quality and safe.
After being approved as a donor, your milk bank will send you shipping containers to store human breast milk until it’s time for pick-up.
You’ll need to carefully follow the milk bank instructions for freezing donor milk and the delivery process because you won’t get paid for products they can’t use!
Online Milk Communities
Most sites provide guidelines on donor breast milk purchased online, but the guidelines aren’t as rigid as milk banks.
Selling to online milk communities also means dealing with inquiries about donor 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 legitimate requests for donor milk from 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 donor breast milk due to a fetish, the bodybuilding community is another market for breast milk supply.
Some bodybuilders believe human milk is more nutritious than cow’s milk and important even for adult nutrition, so some are prepared to pay more for human breast milk.
Most bodybuilders aren’t as picky about the health or the feeding process for moms as long as the donor milk is medically tested and clean.
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 donor milk in private groups or post ads for public sales, depending on your preferences 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.
Sites For Selling Breast Milk
Here are two popular sites for selling breast milk:
- 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.
- Only The Breast is an online milk classifieds site for selling and buying milk. Sellers must pass a screening test from AccesaLabs (a cost of $259), which tests for infectious diseases like hepatitis B and C and others.
Earn Extra Money While Pumping
You could join several money-making survey sites while you’re getting donor milk ready.
Here are my favorites that will pay you to take surveys, read emails, and play games:
Another thing you can do while pumping is learn about a new side hustle to make money or start a business from home. I recommend side hustles like:
- Proofreading
- Bookkeeping
- Freelance writing
- Managing social media or Facebook Ads
My Thoughts
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 donating breast milk is always an option for extra breast milk.
There’s also breast milk sharing among family and friends, and long as all mamas are being safe for their babies.
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.
Pump it up class! Maximize Your Pumping Output and Express More of that Liquid Gold!
