Karma is digital.
This can be attested by two brothers who hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer for their get-rich-quick scheme only to find out they have no way of selling them.
Matt and Noah Colvin, hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, bought thousands of hand sanitizers and antibacterial wipes from convenience stores and mom and pop shops all around Tennessee and Kentucky—all in the hopes of earning big bucks from their re-sale.
With the threat of the new Coronavirus spreading even more than it already has, disinfectants such as hand sanitizers and antibacterial wipes are always the first ones sold out in groceries and supermarkets all around the world. So those who want to make money out of this pandemic can certainly do so by selling items like this at a premium price.
The brothers started listing their merchandise on Amazon and was able to sell 300 bottles of the hand sanitizer between $8 and $70—which was multiple times higher from the original price—on their first day.
But the very next day, Amazon pulled out all listings for hand sanitizers, antibacterial wipes, and face masks, warning sellers against price gouging and threatening to cancel accounts that are doing such. eBay eventually followed suit and even implemented stricter measures against profiteering by disallowing the sale of sanitizers or masks in the US market.
In an interview with The New York Times, Matt Colvin is still in disbelief with what just happened: “It’s been a huge amount of whiplash. From being in a situation where what I’ve got coming and going could potentially put my family in a really good place financially to ‘What the heck am I going to do with all of this?’”
After news of their stockpile went viral, the brothers are now facing an investigation by the Tennessee attorney general’s office on price gouging, just as they have decided to donate the sanitizers and wipes to the local church for distribution to those in need.
In addition, Amazon and eBay have both suspended their account as seller, and the company where they were renting a storage unit kicked them out. Add that to the fact that they have been receiving tons of hate messages for wanting to profit during a public health crisis.
So much for wanting to make a quick buck.
We cannot stress this enough–Don’t hoard. Iggy Azalea approves of this message.
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