The previous chapters reveal that purchasers have markedly lower social status and fewer connections to the Crown. For critics of office-selling, this lack of social status constituted prima facie evidence of their “undeserving” nature and the “ambitious” behavior they will exhibit in office. Yet, this is not necessarily the case: Low-status purchasers may not act differently or may be simply seeking for an opportunity to advance socially. This chapter tests the validity of these claims by combining data on the individual characteristics of buyers with the timing and profitability of the position they sought. Statistical exercises reveal that, in line with its detractors, office buyers with “worse” traits flocked to positions that offered higher profit potential and at times in which the Crown was more desperate and less likely to vet them. From the point of view of the colonial populations, this was negative selection: Sales abetting those with the most to gain financially and the least ability to rein in to enter the colonial administration. Namely, venal officials. These findings set the stage for future chapters exploring the consequences of this change for the colonial administration.