Amazon has clamped down on sellers selling surgical masks at extortionate prices, but it seems others are still trying to make a profits from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
Liberty Marketing, a digital marketing agency, decided to analyse how much alcohol gels were being sold for online. Researchers found that Lidl hand sanitiser – branded as Cien Antibacterial Hand Gel (50ml) – was being sold on eBay for £29.99, when a bottle in store costs 49p.
The market research company also found that Tesco’s own brand hand gel, sold at 75p in store, was being sold for on eBay for £9.
Uethical profiteering
Governments and health agencies across the world have urged people to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water, and – as a secondary precaution – to use hand sanitisers, so long as the solution contains between 60 and 95 per cent alcohol.
Pharmacies across the country are reporting a lack of stock for the hand cleaning product. Boots has begun rationing the gel, as many others report extremely high numbers of people buying it.
Sellers on eBay are trying to ‘price gouge’ which means make a profit off of a time of crisis. They are ramping up the cost of necessities to ensure an extremely high profit.
Amazon has banned one million fake products claiming to protect or even cure coronavirus from its online retail site. It says there are still tens of thousands of products on the marketplace that are overpriced.
The first case of known coronavirus in the UK was discovered on 31 January 2020, with more than 100 people in the UK now tested positive for the virus, at the time of publishing.
