Amazon has banned 10,000 users for price gouging and removed 1million products for making spurious health claims amid the global coronavirus outbreak.
Unscrupulous online traders have tried to cash in on the health emergency as stocks of hand sanitizer and face masks have run low in stores amid panic-buying.
Two-packs of Purrell hand sanitizer, which typically sell for $12, were marked up at $119.99 on Amazon this week as people tried to protect themselves from the virus.
Amazon says it has banned 10,000 sellers attempting to price-gouge on bottles of hand sanitizer as stocks run low amid the coronavirus outbreak
Store shelves have been emptied of medical products including sanitizers and face masks as coronavirus panic-buying hits America
Amazon launched the blitz after images began circulating on Twitter, prompting backlash from politicians including California Governor Gavin Newsom.
A company spokesman told ABC: ‘There is no place for price gouging on Amazon.
‘We are disappointed that bad actors are attempting to artificially raise prices on basic-need products during a global health crisis, and, in line with our longstanding policy, have recently blocked or removed tens of thousands of offers.’
In addition to removing price-gouging vendors, Amazon also removed 1million products for providing ‘inaccurate information’.
A handful of 79 cent hand sanitizer bottles on sale in Massachusetts as manufacturers struggle to keep up with a spike in demand
Facebook marketplace has announced a similar ban on products that make false claims about coronavirus – such as offering a cure – create an undue sense of alarm, or attempt to unfairly cash-in on the outbreak.
Sales of hand sanitizers in the U.S. were up 73 per cent in the four weeks ending February 22 compared to a year ago, according to market research firm Nielsen.
That is despite the Centers for Disease Control recommending that soap and water is still the best way to protect against the virus.
The agency recommends first washing hands with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under finger nails before rinsing off.
Hand sanitizer can be effective if you’re not near a sink, but the CDC recommends using one that is at least 60 per cent alcohol to ensure it is killing the germs.
Officials are also advising people to avoid dense crowds and to avoid touching their face and mouth, as the virus can enter the body through the eyes, mouth and nose.
Malls and sports arenas are adding more hand sanitizer stations. And some workplaces have said they are stocking up, too.
Purell, the best-selling hand sanitizer, is pumping up production. Walmart and other stores say they are talking to suppliers to stock up bare shelves, but didn’t say how long that could take.
Purell says it has seen higher demand from health care facilities in addition to stores. It is adding more shifts and having employees work overtime at the two Ohio facilities where most Purell is made, says Samantha Williams, a spokeswoman for its parent company Gojo Industries.
There are more than 100 confirmed cases of the virus in America in 16 states with nine deaths, five linked to an outbreak in a care home, with evidence the virus is spreading locally
Face masks have also begun selling out, despite health officials warning they are only effective if you are already sick to prevent others from getting ill
Bath & Body Works, which sells hand sanitizers with scents like ‘vanilla rose’ and ‘pineapple colada,’ says its been able to keep bottles in stock at its 1,700 stores.
An executive for Bath & Body Works owner L Brands said last week that sanitizers made up 5 per cent of its total business and that it’s growing ‘at a very high rate.’
Walmart has seen higher demand for cleaning supplies and other items, similar to when shoppers start preparing for a hurricane. The world’s largest retailer says it is working with suppliers to stock up again on those items, including hand sanitizer.
At a Costco in Los Angeles Tuesday, hand sanitizer was gone and shoppers clogged the back of the cavernous store where workers were wheeling out pallet after pallet of bottled water.
‘Don’t believe the hype,’ one worker shouted.
Gaelen Gates says she trekked to two Walgreens, a Safeway and a CVS this week and couldn’t find any hand sanitizer.
The attorney, who lives in San Francisco, is not worried about the new virus, she’s just trying to avoid getting a cold at a music and film festival she plans to attend later this month in Austin, Texas.
If she can’t find any by the time of her trip, she has a plan: wash her hands more frequently and ‘try not to touch anything.’