Amazon this week told Reuters that it has banned the sale of more than a million products in recent weeks that claimed to cure or defend against the coronavirus. Tens of thousands of additional listings attempting to price-gouge customers have also been taken down, the online retailer added.
“There is no place for price gouging on Amazon,” a spokesperson told the publication.
Using price tracker service camelcamelcamel.com, Reuters identified multiple items that had seen a significant price bump in recent weeks including a 10-pack of N95 masks for $128 up from an average selling price of around $41 and a respirator two-pack for $24.99 that normally goes for less than $7.
COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, first surfaced in the Wuhan region of China in December 2019. As of this writing, more than 83,000 cases have been confirmed with at least 2,800 deaths attributed to the virus.
The health scare has caused disruption around the globe, resulting in travel restrictions, cancelled events and the stockpiling of supplies.
