Tell Amazon: No price gouging during a pandemic

Online price spikes of up to 200 percent on essential supplies shouldn’t have been allowed at the beginning of the pandemic -- and they certainly shouldn’t still be happening a year later.

But an analysis by U.S. PIRG Education Fund found that pandemic price hikes are still a major problem on Amazon. Out of 750 listings surveyed -- including masks, hand sanitizers, thermometers and patio heaters -- 409 saw price increases of more than 20 percent, and 136 at least doubled in price.

That’s unacceptable -- especially during a pandemic when so many of those products are essential to families’ health and safety. That’s why we’re calling on Amazon to do everything possible to ensure fair pricing on its site. Add your name today.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, unscrupulous sellers have been using the crisis to unfairly inflate prices of essential goods. And Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, has had some of the most egregious examples -- such as a 50-ml bottle of hand sanitizer for $459.

After more than 350,000 people -- plus dozens of state lawmakers and attorneys general -- called on Amazon to take stronger action to prevent price gouging on its site, the company insisted it has a zero-tolerance policy for price gouging. But nearly a year later, Amazon was not fully living up to that promise.

In December, a survey of 750 products across 15 different categories revealed that, compared to pre-pandemic costs, more than half of the listing prices increased by 20 percent or more. One hundred and thirty-six products doubled in price -- and one cost a staggering $4,000 more than it did last year.

Amazon has a Marketplace Fair Pricing Policy for a reason -- it’s time for stronger action to enforce it. Send your message to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos today.