Online shopping has proven to be a gold mine for brothers Matt and Noah Colvin, who admitted to hoarding 17,700 hand sanitizers and other items that can prevent infection from coronavirus.
In an interview by the New York Times, they related how they hoarded all the hand sanitizers and bacteria wipes they could in Tennessee and Kentucky, when the first patient died on March 1. They resold the valuable products at inflated prices, while panic about getting sick with COVID-19 increased. All the items were listed on Amazon, higher than the normal prices before they got caught red-handed.
Matt Colvin is a former air force technical sergeant who sells other items on Amazon, especially trending products online. He said that about 300 pieces of hand sanitizer were bought from $8 to $70 each piece, far more than what he paid for them. Next, about 2,000 pieces of 50-pack face masks were selling like hotcakes for $40 to $50, and at profiteering prices. The coronavirus scare was fueling this panic buying of these items. Even the inflated price did not faze online buyers.
However, Amazon got tough on sellers who overpriced and price gouged on vital items like hand sanitizers, face masks, and wipes. These items were immediately removed from the online selling platform. Soon, eBay followed suit and disable sales of these items by sellers who are taking advantage for their personal benefit.
Profiteers like the Colvins and others like them were hit by this ban. Because of this, the brothers are now stuck with 17,700 hand sanitizers that cannot be sold because these online platforms have shut them down. Americans are not happy that many of these items have been hoarded while many hospitals are facing shortages of face masks and other important medical supplies.
Colvin said that he does not want to be known for hoarding specifically, he just wants to make a profit and that is all. He added that it was not part of his plans to be known for hoarding 20,000 pieces of hand sanitizer, and sold at 20 times the price that he got it for. In defense of his action, these are his statements.
Colvin said that his actions were to solve "inefficiencies in the market place," making these products more accessible by hoarding them, and giving a chance for other places to have more access to such products easily, where it is hard to get them. He added that a demand is great for some areas, and shutting him down makes it harder for them.
As his explanation went, he believes that it is a public service and got paid accordingly too.
On Twitter many were expressing their disappointment as the Colvins profited over the COVID-19 pandemic, that has left 41 Americans dead and 2,100 cases but still counting. All over the world, the coronavirus is surging to 150,000 cases and with 5,539 dead in its wakes with no anti-viral for the pathogen.
To this effect, both Amazon and eBay were given kudos for preventing profiteering sellers to sell on these platforms. Though some have expressed disappointment for inflated prices of insulin and EpiPen injections.
Besides the Colvins who made a killing by stockpiling these 17,700 hand sanitizers, another one named Eric was able to sell overpriced face masks and earning him $35000 to $40000. But they are now shut down and left with supplies that cannot be sold easily.
Meanwhile, Tennesse Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III already sent a cease-and-desist letter to the brothers, ordering them to donate the supplies. On his e-commerce site, Colvin revealed that they will be donating the products to a local church in their area.
Related article : Coronavirus Vaccine Might Be Available Soon, Chinese Officials Say
