this post was submitted on 08 Mar 2026
732 points (99.2% liked)
Really Shitty Copper
745 readers
541 users here now
A community dedicated to making fun of Ea-Nasir, a Sumerian merchant circa 1750 BC, who sold exceptionally poor quality copper.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I have heard of copper theft but I never looked into the profit margins on it. Since it's usually mentioned in the context of drug addicts, like you've done, I thought it was shit money that only the truly desperate would stoop to.
Per the other commenter, it's about 10x what steel costs. That's closer than I was expecting, TBH. Maybe that it comes in easily-cut wire form is a big part of what makes it desirable for thieves.
Margin is a funny way to put it, though, since there aren't really any fixed expenses. Like a lot of criminal goods, supply is restricted more by risk of getting arrested than anything else.