Amazon warns face mask sellers not to jack up prices amid coronavirus fears
(AP Television News)
Retail giant Amazon is warning sellers on its platform not to inflate face mask prices as fears grow about the likely global pandemic of the new coronavirus, Fox Business reported.
Tech news magazine and site Wired reported that Amazon alerted merchants selling masks that don't comply with its "fair pricing policy," which requires sellers to set fair prices for its products that are not "significantly higher than recent prices offered on or off amazon" and mislead buyers.
"Amazon regularly monitors the prices of items on our marketplaces, including shipping costs, and compares them with other prices available to our customers," Amazon's seller website states. "If we see pricing practices on a marketplace offer that harms customer trust, Amazon can remove the Buy Box, remove the offer, suspend the ship option, or, in serious or repeated cases, suspending or terminating selling privileges."
Health officials do not recommend that members of the general public who are not sick wear masks. That is because the masks likely won't protect you from the virus or other germs. Rather, a mask will help prevent spreading your germs to others if you are already sick.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said this week that health officials had distributed more than a million masks so far but will need hundreds of thousands more.
Hospitals around the world are facing a shortage of masks and other supplies as producers face increasing demand and longer work hours.