But it does have impact -- people with greater need (i.e. those willing to pay more) can get what they need from the middleman, even if they wouldn't be able to

But it does have impact -- people with greater need (i.e. those willing to pay more) can get what they need from the middleman, even if they wouldn't be able to in a first come first served system (which will inevitably be abused by people who can automate stuff, something that can also be seen in registration of limited time slots). They are effectively paying the middleman for reserving the goods for them. Direct to consumer sales are a relatively new thing. Retailers and other middlemen are still the overwhelming majority of volume for stuff like masks, toilet paper, soap. Or do you buy toilet paper online straight from the manufacturer? Btw, in a country without significant manufacturing capacity, everyone importing the needed goods is a "parasitic rent seeker". On the other hand, if you are talking about hospitals and other institutional buyers, from what I've seen, it was mostly US based institutions and companies outbidding everyone else. Are you saying that you would have preferred those masks, respirators or ventilators remained in China or the EU?