Commonwealth Policy Center

The U.S. is facing a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) due to panic stemming from the novel coronavirus outbreak. People are hoarding hand sanitizer and face masks which has led to a shortage for citizens and healthcare providers. Unfortunately, some have sought to profit by engaging in price gouging. Last week, Attorney General Daniel Cameron subpoenaed six [third-party] sellers engaged in price gouging on Amazon. General Cameron partnered with Amazon to identify these sellers, based in Kentucky and Tennessee, who were reselling hand sanitizer and protective masks at up to twenty times the original price. Seeking to profit off of your neighbors in the midst of a crisis misses the mark of a good citizen entirely, and those responsible are learning this the hard way.