Why Buying Death Runes from Shops is Profitable
Death runes are one of the few items in OSRS where the shop price (200 GP) is significantly lower than the GE price (240+ GP). This 20-25% margin exists because most players don't want to spend time hopping worlds and visiting shops — they'd rather pay extra for convenience. That's where you come in to profit from arbitrage.
The Economics of Death Rune Trading
Death runes are consumed in massive quantities by PvMers casting ice barrage, blood barrage, and other ancient magicks spells. High-level content like Chambers of Xeric, Theatre of Blood, and Nex all use death runes heavily. This constant demand keeps GE prices stable at 235-250 GP even though shops sell them for 200 GP.
The profit margin might seem small (40 GP per rune), but volume makes it worthwhile. Buy 1,000 runes and you make 40k profit in under a minute. Do this 15-20 times per hour and you're making 600k-800k GP/hr with almost zero risk.
Why Yanille Magic Guild is Key
The Magic Guild in Yanille (requires 66 Magic) stocks 1,000 death runes compared to 250 at other shops. This 4x larger stock means you can fill your inventory much faster. One world at Yanille = 40k profit. Same time spent at Varrock only nets 10k profit due to smaller stock.
If you're just starting and don't have 66 Magic yet, focus on training Magic to unlock Yanille. The profit increase from 300k/hr to 600k+/hr makes it worth the time investment.
Perfect Alt Account Money Maker
Many players run this method on alt accounts while doing other activities on their main. Since it's safe (no combat, no risk), you can set up 1-2 alts doing death rune shop runs while your main does Slayer, PvM, or skilling. This is essentially free money that requires minimal attention — just hop worlds every 30-60 seconds.
The startup capital is low (~100k to buy first batch), making it accessible for new accounts. And because there's no combat or skill requirements beyond basic Magic levels, even a fresh account can start profiting within a few hours of creation.
When NOT to Do Death Rune Runs
If GE price drops below 230 GP, the profit margin becomes too thin (~30 GP per rune = 30k per world instead of 40k). Check current prices at GE Tracker before starting. Ideal price is 240-250 GP for maximum profit.
Also, this method is very click-intensive. If you want something more AFK, consider other methods like Gargoylesor Herb Runs.
Related Methods
Similar shop run methods include buying battlestaves from Zaff (Varrock), runes from other shops, and broad arrows from slayer masters. These can be combined into a "shop run circuit" that takes 10-15 minutes and nets 100-200k profit.