NY Attorney General Busts 3 Amazon Sellers for Price Gouging

The New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, has stopped three different Amazon sellers from price gouging.

According to a press release from the New York State Attorney General's office, three different Amazon sellers were stopped from price gouging hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic. The three sellers were Yvette Chaya d/b/a Northwest-Lux (Northwest-Lux), Mobile Rush, Inc. d/b/a Best_Deals_27 (Mobile Rush), and EMC Group, Inc. d/b/a Supreme Suppliers (EMC).

The release states that these sellers will now pay back tens of thousands of dollars back to defrauded New Yorkers. They will pay New York State over $52,000 in penalties and reimburse consumers for nearly $23,000 for overcharging for hand sanitizer.

Attorney General James stated in the press release:

Price gouging on necessary consumer supplies during an unprecedented public health emergency is absolutely unconscionable and will not be tolerated

According to the press release, Northwest-Lux sold approximately 1,168 units of Purell hand sanitizer on its Amazon store at increased prices. They charged $79.99 to $129.99 for 2-liter bottles. 2-liter bottles typically sell for just over $20 to $35. They also sold 2-packs of 20 ounce Purell bottles for $69.99, which typically cost $14 to $35. These sales occurred in March.

Mobile Rush sold approximately 3,037 units of hand sanitizer on Amazon with gouged prices. Mobile Rush sold six types of Germ-X and Purell hand sanitizer products, ranging in price from $19.99 to $159.99. Mobile Rush charged consumers $19.99 to $29.99 for single 8-ounce bottles of Germ-X hand sanitizer, which typically sell for $1.00 to $3.00. EMC sold approximately 1,884 units of hand sanitizer on its Amazon store for increased prices as well. EMC sold seven types of Purell hand sanitizer products, ranging in price from $22.45 to $299.95. Normally, they range in cost from $12.00 to $22.00.