Amazon is reportedly deleting some third-party listings that jack up surgical mask prices as the coronavirus creates a shortage (AMZN)

REUTERS/Phil Noble

• The coronavirus outbreak has led to a shortage of protective masks and other medical supplies, leading some sellers to significantly increase prices.
• Amazon has been trying to prevent the practice on its platform, alerting sellers who may be in violation of its pricing policies, according to Wired.
• Most states in the US have "price gouging" laws which prevent businesses from taking of advantage of consumers by charging exorbitant amounts of money during emergencies.
• Authorities in countries such as China and Italy have also received complaints about price gouging since the outbreak, while Amazon has faced similar challenges before.
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As people across the world try to protect themselves from the Wuhan coronavirus, which has now claimed 2,700 lives and infected another 80,000, demand for medical supplies has spiked. As a result, prices for products like surgical masks have jumped to several times what they normally cost, with businesses and individuals selling masks in bulk at a premium on sites ranging from Facebook to Craigslist. 

However, Amazon has been cracking down on potential price-gouging on its platform, according to Wired. The report said third-party sellers have received emails from Amazon alerting them about masks that are "not in compliance" with the company's fair pricing policy, which bans sellers from charging "significantly higher than recent prices offered on or off Amazon."

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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