how can ebay still allow ''some sellers'' to list N95 masks while removing other listings ?

[hiser_industries]

blows my mind that identical listings for masks were removed by ebay  while others are allowed to continue and even relist.. any given day you can search ebay  ''US''  for'' N95 masks'' and find over 2,000 listings.  95% of those are price gouging and yet they are allowed to continue selling while others were/are  kicked off. (Ebay dosent mind collecting the associated seller fees on these items either. )   I realize there are folks whoe have the funds and wish to purchase these masks and sanitizers for the safety of their own families. So its good that ebay allows ''some sellers'' to still provide those to the public at whatever price.

Has any ebay sellers whos listings were deleted/banned  tried other avenues of selling their n95 or sanitizer products to the public ?  

[impartation1]

"{{{The listings ARE being removed.

If items were sold here at a reasonable price, they'd just be bought up by opportunists, to sell elsewhere.  As we can see in the Announcements section, eBay tried to discourage price gouging, then several days later when that didn't work, they instituted the complete ban.}}}"

The listings are NOT being removed.  There are "authorized sellers" selling fake N95's and continue to sell them even after being reported.  These products will kill people giving them a false sense of security.  Further, there are "authorized sellers" that continuously sell $2.50  N95's for $24.00 each and unauthorized sellers can NOT list the same ones for sale for $4-$6 each.  This is nothing short of racketeering, while creating a corrupt monopoly, in order to keep the prices inflated.  In addition, there are certain 3M N95's, that are distributed by FEMA only, in the U.S., and yet somehow find themselves being sold for exuberant prices by "authorized sellers"!!  They are ALL price gouging, in violation of Federal Law. 

[impartation1]

{{{Removing eBay as a way for opportunists to sell the items at inflated prices discourages them from clearing out the supplies at regular-priced outlets such as your local CVS. The only way to keep prices from being ridiculously inflated is to remove the opportunities to sell them at above-market prices, e.g., eBay auctions. If your local CVS shelves aren't being cleaned out by opportunistic eBay sellers, then they are more able to keep them in stock for grandma to purchase.}}}

CVS doesn't even have any genuine NIOSH rated N95's in any stores I've seen, since February.  They sell fake KN95's with ear loops, that never seal tight enough to achieve an N95 standard.  Any mask will lose up to 60% of its efficacy if not sealing properly, even a P100.  Therefore, your theory, although well thought out, holds no water.  I currently have genuine N95's and N99's for a few dollars each and can't list them, while price gouging "authorized sellers" are listing them with impunity for $16-$35 each.  That is monopolized racketeering, of which ebay profits immensely, at the detriment of the American public, and in violation of Federal Law.

[maros9416]

Precisely! Here in NYC every street corner has a pirate vendor with a push cart filled with PPE. The china made N95 masks are $40 for a box of 50. That is the going street price, you can try to charge more, but no one is going to pay it. The disposable blue masks are down to $10 for 3 boxes. The only ones I see gouging is Home Depot and Walgreens which charge over $10 a box for these same blue masks. However, 3M N95 masks are impossible to find, and Lysol spray is about $10-$15 a can, but it's around. The market has been flooded around here since about late May. 

[maros9416]

Yeah, but CVS is gouging as well. That's the hypocritical **bleep** that goes on! CVS charges about $12 for 50 blue masks. Joe Blow on the street sells them for $4. There isn't enough difference in protective quality to charge 3x the price. 

[maros9416]

You will find n95 masks at $40 for a box of 50 masks and all the PPE you need on Main st in Flushing. NYC is full of PPE, every bodega and street corner seller has them. 

[maros9416]

At $12 per mask your price is the highest on eBay.

[maros9416]

I had to read that post twice! They did say $12 per mask! That would be $288 per box of 20. There is no other listing higher than that! All the more why the gouging rules are in effect. Perhaps the seller thinks they are providing a service and doing nothing wrong, but the numbers don't lie!

[maros9416]

That's a shame. Here in NYC hospitals have to keep a 90 day supply by law now. I wonder why they don't use rubber contamination suits and the large respirators that Asbestos removal guys use over and over everyday. Hopefully, the vaccine will negate the use of any PPE for the hospital workers.

[maros9416]

It is not a free market scenario with rationed goods, it creates and supports a black market. If the items are permitted to sell for 20x there actual price, then others are more willing to commit crimes to get the stuff, and the hospital workers ( whom they are rationed for ) will never see 1 item.

[maros9416]

Seems like everyone is complaining because they can't gouge like the others! The few sales that go through eventually get a strike and the listing removed, even after the sale has been long done. I've had things removed 2 weeks after I sold it. Unless you have an ' in ' overseas, and can buy a cargo ship full and sell it off reasonably, everyone is basically saying that they want to buy it and sell it for 3-20x the price to ' help '. What if it's not a millionaire who is paying $10 per mask, and it is a person on assistance or someone who was duped by hype and seen your promoted listing first and just click buy.

[portkoop-0]

Chances are millions of people the world over are trying so bad to sell these things here, just like people speeding on the highway, far more people are doing it than are getting caught but I guarantee violations are being handed out so if you don't want a headache then I might suggest don't list it.

[prmc99]

This is the best justification I've seen for ebay's inconsistent policy.  But it doesn't quite do so, I think, because ebay should be able to allow listing of certain items only as auctions with a low or zero starting price, and maybe with a capped price.  That ought to let the market dictate the cost.  That's not a perfect solution--it would require more work for ebay, and sellers could fraudulently jack up the price indirectly, using another account; but the result of an anti-price gouging policy should not be more price-gouging by the oligopoly that gets to sell these items...

[prmc99]

Has anyone heard any any lawsuit being brought?  Or anything that gained traction?  Seems like the policy remains unfair, likely harmful to consumers, and at a minimum not well explained by ebay...

[inhawaii]

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@simba6 wrote:

Better question, why should they remove any of them?  It's a free market. Don't like the price, put down your bid paddle.  Like too expensive is bad but none for sale is good?

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It's not a free market. This is Ebay's website. They make the rules. You agreed to the rules when you signed up. Don't like the rules, don't sell here.

[saatchidave]

eBay sites "Price Gouging" ...... have they looked in the mirror lately (eBay seller fees)!!