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Weirdest Ways to Make Money in OSRS (2026)

Old School RuneScape has thousands of ways to make GP, but not every method involves raids, bossing, or flipping expensive items. Some players make millions doing the strangest things imaginable, and somehow it actually works.

From collecting random junk to selling convenience to lazy players, OSRS has always had weird money makers hiding in plain sight.

If you’re tired of the same repetitive grind, here are some of the weirdest ways players make money in OSRS in 2026.

Picking Up Other Players’ Leftovers

This sounds fake until you realize how much valuable stuff gets left on the ground every day.

At places like the Grand Exchange, Wintertodt, or popular skilling areas, players constantly drop items they think are worthless just to clear inventory space.

Some people literally spend hours hopping worlds collecting:

* Rune items

* Food

* Herbs

* Arrows

* Clues

* Random stackables

It sounds terrible, but during busy hours you can actually make decent GP doing absolutely nothing.

It gets even crazier during big update days when players panic dump items everywhere.

Collecting Ashes

Most players ignore ashes completely.

But newer players training Prayer or Ironmen sometimes buy huge amounts because they don’t want to gather them manually.

You can stand near crowded demon areas or fire spells and collect piles of ashes for almost no effort.

Not the best GP in the game, but definitely one of the weirdest.

Selling Empty Jugs and Vials

This is one of those methods that makes you question the OSRS economy.

Certain empty items are constantly needed for Herblore and other training methods:

* Empty vials

* Jugs of water

* Buckets

* Plant pots

Most high-level players are too lazy to collect them themselves, so people make money supplying basic junk items in bulk.

It feels ridiculous making money from literal garbage, but that’s OSRS.

Looting PvP Worlds Without Fighting

Some players make millions without ever attacking anyone.

They wait near dangerous PvP areas for people to die, then rush in and loot the leftovers before someone else grabs it.

During busy times, you can find:

* Expensive weapons

* Rune stacks

* Food

* Potions

* Random valuable gear

It’s basically being a professional scavenger.

Risky? Yes.

Funny? Also yes.

Making Money From Clue Scroll Teleports

A lot of clue hunters hate running around the map.

So some players profit by selling teleport tabs, jewelry, and weird niche items needed for clue steps.

Things like:

* Redberry pies

* Goblin mail

* Team capes

* Random emote gear

Sometimes these items randomly spike because clue hunters suddenly need them.

The weird part is half the items sound completely useless until they become profitable overnight.

Charging Bones at the Chaos Altar

This one is absolute chaos.

Players training Prayer at the Chaos Altar die constantly because PKers camp the area all day.

Some people literally profit by picking up the bones and supplies left behind after fights.

Imagine training Prayer while another player waits nearby like a vulture ready to loot your dragon bones.

Classic OSRS behavior.

Collecting Big Bones From Hill Giants

You’d think this died in 2007.

Nope.

Big bones still sell consistently because lower-level players train Prayer with them.

There are players with maxed accounts who still farm hill giants because it’s low effort and weirdly relaxing.

Sometimes the oldest methods never die.

Flipping Random Fashion Items

One of the strangest money makers is merching useless cosmetic items.

Random hats, capes, holiday items, and fashionscape gear can spike hard because of trends, YouTubers, or memes.

Some players make millions trading items that serve absolutely no purpose besides looking funny.

The OSRS economy is basically controlled by boredom and nostalgia half the time.

Selling Quest Items to Lazy Players

Every day, thousands of players start quests completely unprepared.

Then they realize they need some random item from across the map.

That’s where lazy-player flipping comes in.

People buy quest items instantly because they want to continue the quest immediately.

Common examples:

* Black beads

* Logs

* Silk

* Dyes

* Balls of wool

* Spades

Tiny items. Surprisingly decent profit.

Buying OSRS Gold Instead of Grinding

Let’s be honest.

Some money-making methods in OSRS are so slow that players would rather skip the grind entirely.

A lot of players spend hours doing repetitive methods just to afford gear upgrades, supplies, or bonds.

That’s one reason why many players choose to buy OSRS gold instead of wasting dozens of hours on low-profit methods.

Whether you grind manually or take the faster route is completely up to you, but there’s no denying how much time gold saves in modern OSRS.

The Weird Economy of OSRS

One of the reasons OSRS stays interesting after all these years is because almost anything can become profitable.

Players have made money from:

* Picking flax

* Filling buckets

* Killing chickens

* Selling burnt food

* Trading monkey nuts

* Farming swamp tar

Half the game’s economy only exists because players are too lazy to do certain tasks themselves.

And honestly, that’s what makes OSRS fun.

The weirdest methods are sometimes the most entertaining ones.

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