Social - Are SWIY's dealer poor or living a life of luxury?`

[frenchywife]

SWIM's dealer makes good money - SWIM knows because he/she has many clients and SWIM being a good one, can't understand why dealer lives in utter poverty - SWIM wants to know where the money goes? Maybe SWIM's connect is the exception, but SWIM can't help but notice that the quality of life has not changed - SWIM just doesn't get it - it almost seems as if dealer is earning minimum wage for there is nothing to show for the money earned - get SWIM's drift?

[podge]

Maybe swiys dealer likes to keep their income hidden to the public. Or maybe swiys dealer uses too much of their product like many dealers and as a result finds it hard to turn a serious profit.

[sweetsweetmary]

Average dealer makes less than 20,000 per year. SWIY do the math. In order for SWIY's dealer to be pulling in any sort of income it would either
1. Have to be a full time gig where your dealer is slinging serious weight, with runners and things. (If this is the case, hope SWIY isn't buying when the sirens go off). Also would have to be following the golden rule of "Don't get high on SWIM's own supply"
2. Be doing it on the side of a good serious job.

SWIM has yet to meet a drug dealer that made it from drug dealing. SWIM's buddy put 10,000 away from dealing pounds and pounds of marijuana and quit the game and now has a serious job (business bought from the marijuana profits). But sWIM finds this to be less than the norm, and noticed that SWIM's buddy didn't deal with the street, just the street dealers. So Unless SWIY is calling SWIYself an ounce a week buyer, SWIY's dealer is what most would call small time, and would most certainly be pulling less than poverty stricken individuals without a proper full time job

[frenchywife]

SWIP's response makes sense, and was also SWIM's rationale, but unfortunately the nature of the relationship between SWIM and dealer are close, and it is obvious that neither are true and SWIM is totally baffled. Let SWIM put it this way - connect lives in a trailer park and if SWIP is not familiar with that, it's a poor white community who live in mobile homes - not very prestigious at all, actually considered in the States to be low-class - not that SWIM is an elitist - very far from it - however, the point SWIM is trying to make is that due to the close relationship SWIM has with dealer, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize or see that there is something wrong with this picture - for this person lives in total squalor, is unmarried, has no children, no familial connections, and to SWIM it seems obvious due to his profession he should be living a totally better life and doesn't - what is SWIM missing?

[sweetsweetmary]

drug addiction says SWIM, it's a bitch, and if an addict is a dealer is more of a bitch. Imagine a heroin addict working at a place that offered him heroin instead of pay, how would that person live, who knows.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Originally Posted by sweetsweetmary

drug addiction says SWIM, it's a bitch, and if an addict is a dealer is more of a bitch. Imagine a heroin addict working at a place that offered him heroin instead of pay, how would that person live, who knows.

Wow thats swim's dream job!

[Nargyle]

Well swim and his dealer are pretty close friends and even though his dealer/friend can get by without many economic problems, he is by no means rich, swim lives in Peru btw, so he doesn't really know how it is in other places.

[yourimaginaryfriend]

the foot soldiers don't make any real money. one has to be higher up in the hierarchy to make real money dealing. and those people would never come into contact with the end user, so swiy dont ever see them. the hierarchy is very similar to that of a typical american corporation. the executives make 1000x more than the workers.

that book "freakonomics" discusses this whole concept in a chapter entitled "why do drug dealers still live with their moms". good book.

Reputation Comments on this post:

yep

[fiveleggedrat]

My cat was selling 1-2 ounces a week at at least double profits. Want to know where the money goes?

Getting robbed. Happens all the time (Big deals, new customers, new suppliers, etc)

Suppliers who rip off dealers (LOTS of those)

Suppliers changing often/getting arrested

Rising supply prices

In the market, all dealers are at the mercy of the supplier or higher up dealer. You have to meet/buy on their terms, which are usually insanely rediculous, eg, no testing product until you have already bought it and left, giving them the money to take and come back with product.

Imagine dropping several thousand on a bag of baking soda with your dealer who has been good for several previous buys. What do you do then?

The dealing buisness is some seriously fucked up shit.


Also, higher up dealers want the low level ones to stay where they are and not move up even though it would financially benefit them. The medium dealers are afraid of new small ones rising up. The ounce sellers beat down the gram sellers.

Lastly, the cat did not use EVER and still barely got by.

[frenchywife]

Thanks for all the insight - SWIM now has a better understanding of how the game works and it all makes sense - thanks again!

[Xaero]

Originally Posted by yourimaginaryfriend

the foot soldiers don't make any real money. one has to be higher up in the hierarchy to make real money dealing. and those people would never come into contact with the end user, so swiy dont ever see them. the hierarchy is very similar to that of a typical american corporation. the executives make 1000x more than the workers.

that book "freakonomics" discusses this whole concept in a chapter entitled "why do drug dealers still live with their moms". good book.

Bingo. You see big time suppliers all the time, you just can't tell them from the doctors and attorneys in the neighborhood. If you have the knowledge that somebody is involved with drugs, they are not big time.

PS: Sudhir Venkatesh's book is a good read, but its all about street level guys. If you're really serious about the business, buy some books on organized crime structure.

[fiveleggedrat]

Even the kilo sellers make nothing, really. Last time I saw a big mover, it was a middle age man driving a dirty, beat up minivan in the ghetto. My cat made purchases from him.

The kilo people make a decent living usually, living decent with a few bonuses. One my cat knew drove a new hummer and a rebuilt 60'something mustang, living in the burbs. Their biggest worry is getting robbed or getting snitched on.

Now, the several hundred kilo people, those are the real industry rich folks. That's who makes good money.

The kilo people usually only make a few hundred to a very few thousand per key, which isnt that good a rate of return. Getting to that level takes a big sized team working under you too, which is nearly impossible. Most of the small workers end up robbing people or getting addicted/arrested and snitching, which usually topples the chain early on. Happens all the time.

[Xaero]

Originally Posted by fiveleggedrat

Even the kilo sellers make nothing, really. Last time I saw a big mover, it was a middle age man driving a dirty, beat up minivan in the ghetto. My cat made purchases from him.

The kilo people make a decent living usually, living decent with a few bonuses. One my cat knew drove a new hummer and a rebuilt 60'something mustang, living in the burbs. Their biggest worry is getting robbed or getting snitched on.

Now, the several hundred kilo people, those are the real industry rich folks. That's who makes good money.

The kilo people usually only make a few hundred to a very few thousand per key, which isnt that good a rate of return. Getting to that level takes a big sized team working under you too, which is nearly impossible. Most of the small workers end up robbing people or getting addicted/arrested and snitching, which usually topples the chain early on. Happens all the time.

People who drive beat up minivans generaly do alot better than those who flash hummers and muscle cars. Popo have been consistently turning up the heat in the sunshine state. Flash brings attention, attention brings prison time, as well as jealous fuckboys who will rob and snitch.
Besides, coke is not where the money is at right now. At least not on the treasure coast.

PS: If you structure your organization properly, the top rung wont topple with the bottom. There should only be one person who knows the identity of the management. He's the one that transmits between management and lieutenants, and he himself is clean and commits NO crimes. Ever. But I digress...

[fiveleggedrat]

Originally Posted by Xaero

People who drive beat up minivans generaly do alot better than those who flash hummers and muscle cars. Popo have been consistently turning up the heat in the sunshine state. Flash brings attention, attention brings prison time, as well as jealous fuckboys who will rob and snitch.
Besides, coke is not where the money is at right now. At least not on the treasure coast.

PS: If you structure your organization properly, the top rung wont topple with the bottom. There should only be one person who knows the identity of the management. He's the one that transmits between management and lieutenants, and he himself is clean and commits NO crimes. Ever. But I digress...

Absolutely, you are very right. The flashy ones burn out just as quick as they rose up. My cat mentioned the minivan person because swim knows he was poor. My cat never knew the top, they are very elusive and do stay hidden.

[Matt The Funk]

This thread actually gives a VERY accurate description of a dealers economic situation haha.

[yourimaginaryfriend]

totally. no matter how addicted you think you are, or how badly you want that next gram up your nose. rest assured that your life is way better than your dealer's. he barely scrapes by, basically lives in poverty. and then, after that, he lives in prison.

[zera]

If you read Freakonomics by Steven Levitt you'll find that Sudhir Venkatesh (who actually wrote an entirely new book about his experiences, Gang Leader for a Day, which I haven't read yet) lived with and did an economic study on street level dealers in the South Side of Chicago for several years. His conclusion was that dealers made less than minimum wage, often lived with their moms, and considered being a janitor at the University of Chicago a "good job" that they wanted to get into.

The appeal from dealing was to try to make it to the top, the leader of the gang made $100,000 a year. The guys at the top make some serious dough, but the street level dealers are poor.

Reputation Comments on this post:

hmm

[frenchywife]

Thanks, SWIZ, SWIM will check out both books!

[KnobodyImportant]

The only dealers who live lavish lives are the ones that sell kilos at a time. They never actually deal with the consumer. There customer is the customers dealers connects connect.
Most people swim knows sells coke just for that extra money an there life is nice. Not luxerous. Normal $10 an hr job + $500+ a week for selling small amounts of coke = No worry about bills.

[Matt The Funk]

SWIM has been in contact indirectly and directly with the larger dealers before and a lot of the time for them to be having nice shit, they have to be selling LARGE amounts. Selling amounts, nothing personal.