Why You Can Trust CNET Amazon warns face mask sellers about marking up prices amid coronavirus fears
Medical masks are getting more expensive online.
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The coronavirus outbreak has led to a shortage of masks including in cities such as Hong Kong.
Amazon is warning sellers if they're charging too much for face masks and could be booted from the site, as demand for these products soars amid fears about the coronavirus.
Citing an email, Wired reported that the e-commerce giant has been alerting sellers who don't comply with its pricing policies, which have been in place since before the outbreak of the coronavirus. Some of these overpriced face masks have been deleted from the site.
A box of 100 medical face masks was being sold for $15, almost four times the price from a few weeks ago, Wired reported, citing data from Amazon price tracker Keepa. Since the end of January, a box 20 3M particulate respirator masks nearly quadrupled, from $17 to $70.
Amazon has rules against pricing that could harm consumer trust, including pricing a product "significantly higher than recent prices offered on or off Amazon."
"Sellers set their own product prices in our store and we have policies to help ensure sellers are pricing products competitively. We actively monitor our store and remove offers that violate our policies," an Amazon spokesman said in a statement.
The company declined to say how many sellers of masks were notified that they might've violated Amazon's policies, so it's unclear how prevalent price gouging is on the site.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn't recommend that people wear face masks to protect themselves from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, unless they show symptoms of the illness. Instead, the agency says you can protect yourself through other preventive measures, such as washing your hands for at least 20 seconds and not touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Price gouging for face masks isn't the only issue e-commerce sites are grappling with amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Amazon has also reportedly been taking down listings for products that claim to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Sellers have also been warning shoppers about counterfeit masks.