How to Sell Your Spare Adderall: A Guide for the New Dealer

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Disclaimer: It is a felony to distribute Adderall without the appropriate licenses as described by the Controlled Substances Act. Study Breaks and its writers are in no way liable if any person or persons are caught selling or attempting to sell controlled substances.

Adderall on campus is par for the course these days — someone you know has it or knows someone who can get it.

But when you’re the one who has the prescription, things can get a little dicey, especially if you don’t need however much you’re getting. What do you do? Hoard the extra for a time when you don’t have mom and dad’s health insurance to cover the doctor’s visits and prescription, or convert those extra pills into some pocket money you can use now?

Most importantly, how do you unload those extra milligrams without getting caught? Whether or not you’ve already begun selling your spare Adderall, there’s a lot to consider: Who to sell to, how much to charge and, most of all, how not to get caught by the wrong people.

If you’re on the more cautious side when it comes to laws and the breaking thereof, you’re probably also thinking about your reputation, any future career you’re working toward and that horribly disappointed look your parents will give you if they ever find out. It’s up to you if the risk is worth getting that new laptop you’ve been [slowly] saving up for, getting to eat something other than ramen or the end-of-finals bender you’ll definitely need.

As ubiquitous as Adderall is on college campuses, it can also be relatively easy to divest yourself of however many pills you’re willing to part with. You just have to be smart about it, and well, you did get into college.

I reached out to contacts across several campuses to get a comprehensive look at the various ways in which the prescription black market of higher education operates. Each campus works a little differently from others, so it’s best to observe the drug landscape of your own school to better place yourself in a position to profit. However, most of my contacts were willing to help a new kid out — so long as you don’t ruin it for the rest of them.

Some Basics on Not Getting Caught

The most obvious tip that came up was never to call Adderall by name when discussing a transaction in public or online.

“We call it candy,” says Carlos. “I’ve got a buddy of mine up at [redacted] who texted me one time to see if I got any yellow highlighters, his had run out.” Adderall by any other name still gets you through that cram session.

Yolanda disagrees, or at least doesn’t care. “S–t, no one’s gonna rat you out,” she told me. “Most people looking for Adderall talk about it to anyone, trying to find it. There’s a ‘You saw and heard nothing’ kinda thing at school. No one cares, and if they do, it’s cause they want some too.”

Another student, Nicole, advises against even bringing it up over electronic communication. “[Don’t] talk about Addy on any social media, text, nothing. I mean, that’s hard, but if anyone messages you on Insta, Twitter, anything, don’t reply, you’re just setting yourself up. SnapChat is alright. Basically, you don’t want any black and white evidence laying around.” Coincidentally, most of these interviews were conducted via Snapchat.

Speaking of black and white, one hard and fast rule is to never give a buyer your prescription bottle. “First of all, you don’t want some rando knowing how much you get, your address or where you get your script from,” says Zach. “That’s just asking to get robbed. And second of all, no cop is gonna believe you ‘accidentally’ left your script of Schedule 2 drugs in the glove compartment of someone’s car.”

Sell to the Right People

You probably started selling or giving away Adderall to a friend, which requires a certain amount of trust from both parties, especially if you’ve been close friends for a long time. “It’s like, thick as thieves, you know?” says Stephanie. “You’ve got dirt on them, so if they ever rat you out … you know?” That kind of security can be difficult to emulate with people you don’t know and may not have anyone to vouch for them.

People talk, and depending on how much Adderall you have on hand (and to spare), eventually a friend will ask if you’re willing to sell any to their friend. “I never, ever, ever make contact with anyone who buys my Adderall that I didn’t know before I started selling it,” says Michael. “If my friends wanna help out their friends, they’re the middleman.” When I asked Michael about the extent of his precautions, he said, “It’s not just about keeping my shit under wraps. I don’t want to be hit up by all these people every time I re-up [refill my prescription].”

On the other hand, be careful who you call a friend. “The problem is, sometimes, your friends change when you’re their Addy source,” says Stephanie. “Things get weird. It’s not just when they want it for extra cheap, either. Some friends, it’s like that’s all I’m good for. We never hang out anymore unless they want to ask for Addy or I’m giving them Addy.”

Get the Right Price at the Right Time

Despite how abundant Adderall may seem on campus, the prescriptions generally aren’t, making each pill worth a good chunk of change. “I sell for $5 a pop, 20 milligrams each,” says Carlos. “I’ve been to schools where they go for $8 or $10, even when it’s not finals week. I think $5 is the base price on most campuses, but it’s always good to check around, make sure you’re not going too cheap.”

Because it’s a controlled substance, getting the prescription is much harder than going to a doctor and asking for it. “You gotta go to a psych, the medical one, to get prescribed,” explains Josh. “Gotta go back pretty regularly, too. That takes effort.”

The price should reflect the cost of doctor visits, the actual prescription and the risk factors while still maintaining value to the buyer. “Finals week is the best,” says Yolanda. “I’m kinda stingy up ‘til then, so I got a lot to sell, then jack up the price. People so desperate, they’ll pay damn near anything to get through finals.” College kids are, as rule, broke to some extent or another, so be careful of pricing too high or you won’t be able to sell any. If you’re dealing with buyers who are seasoned in the fluctuating costs of Adderall, you’ll have an even harder time.

Regardless of the time of year or semester, bulk buyers do generally deserve some kind of discount. “Yeah, it’s a lot in one go, and if they get caught, it could be worse for both of us,” Michael points out. “But then again, it’s one transaction, versus a lot of little ones. Overall, less risk in my opinion.”

How to Go About Transactions

“Don’t be a revolving door,” says Zach. “Everyone can tell the idiot dealers when they’ve got 20 people coming in and out of their place every five minutes. Hang out with your people, sit in the car and smoke with them while making the cash and stash transaction, something. Just don’t be obvious.”

So there you have it, straight from some of the veterans on your very campus. Whether or not you decide to start — or continue — selling your excess Adderall, it always pays off to be informed.