It’s a tale as old as time.
A human wants a mask to cover their face, so a mask seller purposely hikes up the price to earn more.
Thousands of years ago, when cavemen and cavewomen wanted face masks, they had to go to their cavefriend’s cave to buy some. Unfortunately for their cavefriend, cheating other people is hard when you have to look them in the eye.
But then the internet came along.
Now, scamming someone online is as easy as buying toilet paper from your toilet. And with everyone panic buying due to the Covid-19 outbreak, it’s prime cheating season.
Online Retailer Received Demand Letter from Authorities After Being Accused of Profiteering from Sale of Masks
After being questioned by the authorities over its pricing, online seller EKSK Mall has stopped selling N95 masks on the internet.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said it issued a letter of demand to EKSK Mall on 23 April after customers complained that the retailer was profiteering from the sale of face masks.
According to TODAYonline, the online store replied five days later, explaining how it prices its items.
But they also apologised and stopped selling the masks.
Why pretend to have an explanation then?
A quick google search of the retailer shows that they have products listed on both Lazada and Qoo10.
Their masks are actually still listed on Qoo10, but when you try to buy it, the site says all the masks have been sold out.
Now, the price listed for their face masks is $79, and the most you can buy is a box of 20 face masks. If this is true, then each mask would have cost consumers $3.95.
According to AsiaOne, genuine N95 masks seldom cost more than $2.50, and can be even less when purchased in a pack of 20.
But this was back in 2019, however.
In September last year, a box of 20 wouldn’t cost you more than $40, and could go as low as $20.
But as you can tell from the empty hawker centres all over the country, it isn’t 2019 anymore, and things have drastically changed.
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When you search for N95 masks on online stores like Lazada and Qoo10 now, you start to wonder why it was just EKSK Mall that received a warning over its prices.
One seller on Lazada, for example, is selling a box of 10 German-made N95 masks for $59.90, which means each mask would cost $5.99.
Another retailer on Lazada is selling a pack of 4 N95 masks for $25, so one costs $6.25.
Are these masks overpriced? It’s hard to tell at a time where there’s a short supply of masks and such high demand, but it does seem a tad steep.
No Action Taken Against EKSK Mall
Fortunately for EKSK Mall, MTI said no further action will be taken against them, but said it would continue to monitor the seller’s pricing practices.
“(MTI) reserves the right to take further control under the Price Control Act if warranted,” said the ministry.
MTI added that the Government takes a serious view of profiteering. “We remind all businesses to exercise corporate social responsibility and not take advantage of the Covid-19 situation,” it added.
If you come across any sellers who you think are profiteering, you can report them to the Consumers Association of Singapore on 6100 0315.
Don’t panic and buy masks online for such high prices. Many people are taking advantage of this pandemic to make a profit, so be wary when you’re purchasing them online and even in stores.
Plus, the gahmen gave all of us one reusable mask each, so we don’t really need to buy more.
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