re: Coronavirus price gouger stuck with 18,000 bottles of sanitizers after Amazon bans him

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Why should the government be the arbiter of what is and isn't a fair price for something?

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Well for situations like these, among other reasons. Unpredictable and extraordinary conditions that drastically effect the market at the detriment of health.

Let’s play this scenario out. We’re in a 100% capitalist economy, no government intervention. The market price of cleaning and sanitary products jumps through the roof. No problem because 80% of the country can suck it up and bite the bullet but the low income families can’t. With a virus like this where the best defense is personal hygiene, that’s devastating. The spread of this is uncontrollable and won’t slow down. Hospitals and the healthcare system get overwhelmed. All in all, I’d argue the economy is much worse off in this scenario and government intervention (in this scenario) is a small, small price to pay.