How to Make Money from Blood Donation

Making money from donating your blood can be very difficult as there is generally a glut in the market. Many blood donation organisations do not pay donors but might give them gift giveaways like cheap t-shirts.

Though blood donation organisations can sell blood at a high price they do not make much profit from it. Blood donation organisations have high operational costs where labor costs take up most of the costs. This is the reason why blood donors are hardly paid for their blood. You should consider this if ever you are thinking about going into the blood donation business.

There are cases where blood donation organisations have to sell blood at a loss because of the dual factors of oversupply where they cannot handle maintenance and not much demand. The high cost of operating a blood donation business is usually offset by plasma and platelets income.

Plasma

Plasma is the largest component of the human blood. It is a clear fluid that contains enzymes, antibodies and proteins. It is made up of 90% water and is pale yellow in colour if you see it.

Plasma is taken from your body similar to blood. Blood is taken from your body and then a machine separates the plasma from your blood and the blood is returned to your body. The procedure does not take long which is about an hour and a few minutes.

Just like any medical donation procedures before you can donate plasma you have to provide your health and medical information. You for example needs to be at least 18 years old and must not have undergone tattoo or piercing procedures for at least a year.

If you are living in the US You can get paid up to $50 per donation but plasma is created by the body on a regular and relatively fast basis that you can donate more than once a month or a week. There are individuals online that claim to earn between $300 to $400 per month from donating plasma. The more a person weighs the more plasma they can donate and earn.

Plasma gets bought mostly by pharmaceutical companies. They use it to create treatments for a lot of sicknesses like genetic diseases, autoimmune disorders, those who suffer from burns and trauma and so on which makes them quite valuable.

Because of this the plasma donation business is a competitive business. Plasma donation organisations regularly run promotions to attract donors. New donors for example can get bonuses from being first time donors. Check the websites of these organisations to see where you can get the best payout for your plasma.

There is good demand for plasma and many people of all levels are making money from it. The UK for example imports plasma from the US which makes good money from those involved in the business from both countries. There are stories of Mexicans crossing the border into the US to donate plasma in exchange for money.

Platelets

Platelets are blood cells that help control and stop the bleeding of your wounds by forming scabs and coating your wounds. Donating platelets is much more similar to donating plasma than donating blood. Like plasma platelets are created by the body regularly and quite fast that you can donate up to once a week.

You also get compensated depending on the frequency of your donation and also by how much you can donate at any given time which is dependent on your weight just like donating plasma. You can earn up to $50 per donation.

There is Global Demand

As can be seen there is more money one can make from donating plasma and platelets than donating blood. However we must not forget that all three of them blood, plasma and platelets are needed by many sick people around the world.

For example in India during the monsoon season many get sick and need blood products but there is always a shortage that the families of the sick have to personally do the task of going to blood donation agencies just to hope of finding plasma for their sick family member.

As can be seen blood products donation can involve 2 or more countries. Perhaps one can create a system where the citizens of an economically disadvantaged nation will financially benefit greatly by donating blood products to the citizens of wealthier countries but with a shortage of blood products donors.

Conclusion

There is not much money in blood donation as most of the time there is plenty of supply to go around. Plasma and Platelets are another case altogether as they can provide decent income but not much if you are from a first world country where the standards of living are high.

If you are from a developing country and get paid in first world country compensation then this could be a viable source of revenue for you. This could help financially in need people if such system is in place. Note: International students are not allowed to donate blood, plasma or platelets as a source of income.