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Hand Sanitizer Fever Hits Amazon

Hand Sanitizer Fever Hits Amazon As Purell Fetches Hundreds

(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com may be clamping down on price gouging for products that supposedly prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus but at least some online resellers appear to be still making money hand over fist.

Third-party sellers on the platform are charging sky-high prices for hand sanitizer -- a pack of two 8-ounce bottles of Purell was on sale for over a hundred dollars on Monday, for example.

Virus-spooked shoppers have been turning to online shopping platforms amid reports that shelves in brick-and-mortar stores have emptied of face-masks, disinfectant and cleaning supplies.

Last week, Amazon.com said it removed or blocked over 1 million products on its platform for price gouging and misleading claims over the viral disease. The company said it actively monitors reseller pricing that violates its policies.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nathan Crooks in Miami at ncrooks@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Polina Noskova at pnoskova@bloomberg.net, Sebastian Tong

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