Facebook (META 0.84%), Amazon (AMZN -1.44%), eBay (EBAY -5.04%), Walmart (WMT 1.31%), Craigslist and other online marketplaces are facing calls from 33 State Attorney Generals to reign in price gouging on their platforms amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In letters to the companies and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the AGs called on them to more “rigorously” monitor price gouging and laid out ways to do that.
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The attorney generals want the online marketplace operators to set policies and enforce restrictions on price gouging during emergencies, set off price gouging protections before an emergency is declared and create complaint portals for customers to report artificial price hikes.
“Increasing prices on necessities like medical supplies, hand sanitizer, masks, and other items because people are in fear of the coronavirus is simply unconscionable,” wrote New Mexico State AG Hector Balderas. “Businesses must exercise more thorough oversight to stop anyone using their platforms from price gouging, and anyone increasing prices in order to illegally profit from this emergency will be prosecuted.”
The AGs said they appreciate the efforts of the part of the online marketplaces but they aren’t enough. The AGs laid out several examples of price gouging on the platforms including a two-liter bottle of hand sanitizer being sold on Craigslist for $250 and an eight-ounce bottle going for $40 on Facebook. eBay’s platform was hawking face mask packs for between $40 and $50, wrote the AGs. On Amazon, the AGs said in the U.S. PIRG Education Fund found more than half of the hand sanitizers and face masks available on the site saw a 50% or more increase in price.
“While many of these items have since been removed, they were available for sale, and consumers are harmed when they purchase heavily marked-up products,” wrote the AGs.
