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This isn’t the companies being punished - it’s the opportunists. These vultures are driving to every small pharmacy and clearing out all the masks and sanitizer

This isn’t the companies being punished - it’s the opportunists. These vultures are driving to every small pharmacy and clearing out all the masks and sanitizer. Now that Amazon & EBay have cracked down on reseller gouging, some are sitting on stockpiles through the midst of a pandemic. * https://www.nytimes.com./2020/03/14/technology/coronavirus-purell-wipes-amazon-sellers.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage https://www.nytimes.com./2020/03/14/technology/coronavirus-p...

whatshisface 7y ago
Why don't the pharmacies raise their own prices 20x before the scalpers can get to them? The answer is probably, "they don't want to get slapped by gouging laws." So in essence this is a prohibition scenario where lawful providers don't want to touch the situation and unlawful people fill the gap.
- Erikun 7y ago
  Isn't it more likely that regular sellers want to protect their brand, something that the arbitrage seller doesn't care about? After all, the California price-gouging law only takes effect once an emergency has been declared and regular stores, presumably, weren't increasing their price by 20x before that.
ikeboy 7y ago
Amazon and eBay banned all sales, regardless of price. Anyone relying on those platforms to sell products is stuck.
siruncledrew 7y ago
Yes, for some reason people complaining about the supply-demand economics of price gouging laws seem to think Clorox, Charmin, Kleenex, etc are the ones jacking up the prices of supplies... Manufacturers producing enough quantities to sell is not the issue. The assholes that swoop in and buy out all the stock in a store temporarily to quickly turn around and sell the items for much more are doing the gouging. It's like going to the gas station right after a refill with a big-rig tanker during a time of high demand, filling up all the gas from the station, and then sitting next to the now-empty gas station all day and charging people 500% more for gas. That is why stores are now implementing quantity limits for certain supplies, so people don't just hoard them for profit and to deny everyone else access to buying the supplies.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  > Clorox, Charmin, Kleenex, etc are the ones jacking up the prices of supplies... In a shortage situation, I suspect they dial-up the production of the higher-margin product lines. The house-brand manufacturing line won't be the one that gets the extra shifts or equipment installed.
  - obmelvin 7y ago
    Well, I'd much rather buy a particular brand vs store brand than paying some dick $50 on ebay or amazon.

whatshisface 7y ago

Why don't the pharmacies raise their own prices 20x before the scalpers can get to them? The answer is probably, "they don't want to get slapped by gouging laws." So in essence this is a prohibition scenario where lawful providers don't want to touch the situation and unlawful people fill the gap.

Erikun 7y ago
Isn't it more likely that regular sellers want to protect their brand, something that the arbitrage seller doesn't care about? After all, the California price-gouging law only takes effect once an emergency has been declared and regular stores, presumably, weren't increasing their price by 20x before that.

ikeboy 7y ago

Amazon and eBay banned all sales, regardless of price. Anyone relying on those platforms to sell products is stuck.

siruncledrew 7y ago

Yes, for some reason people complaining about the supply-demand economics of price gouging laws seem to think Clorox, Charmin, Kleenex, etc are the ones jacking up the prices of supplies... Manufacturers producing enough quantities to sell is not the issue. The assholes that swoop in and buy out all the stock in a store temporarily to quickly turn around and sell the items for much more are doing the gouging. It's like going to the gas station right after a refill with a big-rig tanker during a time of high demand, filling up all the gas from the station, and then sitting next to the now-empty gas station all day and charging people 500% more for gas. That is why stores are now implementing quantity limits for certain supplies, so people don't just hoard them for profit and to deny everyone else access to buying the supplies.

Scoundreller 7y ago
> Clorox, Charmin, Kleenex, etc are the ones jacking up the prices of supplies... In a shortage situation, I suspect they dial-up the production of the higher-margin product lines. The house-brand manufacturing line won't be the one that gets the extra shifts or equipment installed.
- obmelvin 7y ago
  Well, I'd much rather buy a particular brand vs store brand than paying some dick $50 on ebay or amazon.