Business
That $400 Bottle of Hand Sanitizer Is Very Hard to Police
- Laws against price gouging exist but may be largely symbolic
- Software drives up prices on Amazon, EBay when demand spikes
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Around the world, governments are sounding alarms about price gouging and threatening crackdowns as the coronavirus outbreak spreads fear and a surge in demand for hand sanitizers and face masks.
But it’s unlikely that vendors will stop demanding $400 for a two-pack of 2-ounce bottles of Purell, which usually goes for $10, anytime soon. The anti-gouging laws on the books are tricky to enforce when demand suddenly outstrips supply.