COVID-19: How Bad Is Price-Gouging?

By Jondi Gumz

In Santa Cruz County, a March 4 search for hand sanitizer at RiteAid, CVS, Safeway and Ace Hardware in Aptos and Target and Dollar Tree in Watsonville came up empty.

A March 5 search for hand sanitizer on Amazon turned up high prices.

A two-pack of Purell in 1-liter bottles was priced at $350, according to Jason Del Rey of Recode, reporting that Amazon told CNN last week third-party sellers were to blame, saying it had pulled more than 1 million products for price-gouging in connection with the coronavirus.

Yahoo reporter Ethan Wolff-Mann gave the example of Lysol wipes with a price averaging $11.79 on Amazon before selling out and going up to nearly $180. An N95 respirator mask priced at $15 on Amazon jumped to $249 at the end of January.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued a consumer alert on March 4, saying price-gouging on medical supplies, food, gas, and other essentials is illegal during the declared state of emergency.

He encouraged anyone who has been the victim of price gouging, or who has information regarding potential price gouging, to file a complaint at oag.ca.gov, calling (800) 952-5225, or contacting their local police department or sheriff’s office.

California law prohibits charging a price that exceeds by more than 10 percent the price of an item before a state or local declaration of emergency. Criminal prosecution can result in one year in county jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000. The civil penalty can be up to $5,000 per violation with mandatory restitution.

U.S. Sen Ed Markey, D- Massachusetts, wrote to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on March 4, giving him until March 18 to respond to  reports of price-gouging.

To combat price-gouging, eBay on March 6 banned the sale of face masks, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.

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For general information on COVID-19 call 211, or text coronavirus to 211211, or visit www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus for updates and links to state and federal guidance.

Here are some more information sources:

Health Professionals: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- nCoV/hcp/index.html

Schools and Communities: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/community/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.go v%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fpreparing-individuals-communities.html

Higher Risk: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/index.html

California Department of Public Health: www.cdph.ca.gov