Why Are Supplies Remaining Out of Stock?

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

Well I would guess if this is what is done in Egypt their hoses reach.

I think we could shimmy it through the window in our half bath - it is close to our outdoor facet - .

Moving to Egypt is not a practical solution for many people.

Shimmying a hose through a window more so, I would guess - but I don't have any source to cite for my guess so maybe I'm wrong.

Quote:

but now that I have TP no need to adjust

If the TP shortages continue, people are going to start selling TP privately for profit.

If that happens, the garden hose might be preferable to being price-gouged by TP-hostage-takers.

1 Reply

@livinglava,

It is illegal to price gouge during an emergency .

And their are other paper products you can substitute in a pinch.

2 Replies

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

It is illegal to price gouge during an emergency .

Sure, and it's illegal to sell recreational drugs too; yet somehow it happens.

Quote:

And their are other paper products you can substitute in a pinch.

Like a garden hose?

1 Reply

@livinglava,

And people will report them and then the authorities will take over - like these guys that was trying to do this:

https://www.today.com/news/brothers-who-hoarded-17-700-bottles-hand-sanitizer-forced-donate-t176028

Two brothers who went viral for hoarding 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer said they would donate the critical supplies after the Tennessee Attorney General's Office opened a price gouging investigation.

In today's environment it is difficult to get away with stuff like this -

Here is one with TP
8 people arrested for price-gouging toilet paper, hand sanitizer, masks
https://www.kwch.com/content/misc/8-people-arrested-for-price-gouging-toilet-paper-hand-sanitizer-masks-568967401.html

And this
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/covina-man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-price-gouging-in-sale-of-masks/2342867/

A Covina man was arrested for allegedly marking up the price of N95 masks and selling them online, authorities said Wednesday.

Johnwill Baldonado, 30, was arrested on Tuesday, booked on a misdemeanor price-gouging offense and released on $1,000 bail, according to the Baldwin Park Police Department and the sheriff's department

So yeah perhaps short term - they will be selling but it won't last

1 Reply

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

And people will report them and then the authorities will take over - like these guys that was trying to do this:

https://www.today.com/news/brothers-who-hoarded-17-700-bottles-hand-sanitizer-forced-donate-t176028

They were trying to resell sanitizer on some online platform, like ebay or amazon. If people tried to sell recreational drugs or alcohol or tobacco online the same way, they'd get in trouble too.

If people don't want to get caught selling black-market toilet paper, they won't do it openly. Some still might get caught, just as some recreational drug dealers get caught.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

It is illegal to price gouge during an emergency .

And their are other paper products you can substitute in a pinch.

There's a particular product I sell on ebay (been selling for quite some time) that I received notice I am currently prohibited from selling. It fell under the heading of "price gouging"

When I got the notice, I asked them about it, since (a) many other people sell it and have been for a long time (b) My net profit on it is quite low, like between $3 and $4 each for the 4 piece packages I sell.

The reasons I sell this product is because on an average day I'll make 6 sales of this stuff, which adds up (to the tune of $500 to $600 before income tax a month), and also because it's something that just gets taken along to the post office with whatever else I sell. It's kind of a no brainer thing.

Anyway, the current prohibition is because it is such a common household item, which everyone has and uses. Ebay said they did not want anyone but a few approved vendors who acquire their product from central regional warehouses to sell it at this time, to prevent potential shortages and gouging. They said they are notifying everyone else to hold off selling it for now.

I get that. I'm looking forward to the time I can start selling it again. Although I was surprised at first, after some thought I realized it was the right thing.

I'm glad for these checks and balances being implemented, because it's fair to everyone who wants and needs/uses certain products.

2 Replies

@livinglava,

You mean like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHOW3h5mDcQ

1 Reply

@chai2,

As far as selling black market stuff.

Sure, that's going to happen.

In my case, I sell openly on a public platform.

However I don't know if it's really accurate to compare it to selling currently illegal drugs.

For items like TP, other necessary household items, it's not like most people are going to know how to seek out some black market for dial soap.

I'm not innocent or naive, and back in the day I guess I smoked my fair share of weed, and at one point stupidly tried something else, which thank goodness I didn't like. But it wasn't like I had some regular dealer or knew where to go to buy illegal drugs. It was a casual friend type thing.

If I ran out of tampons (which I don't need any more) or toothpaste, I don't think, and I don't think most people would, start scouring the streets or asking neighbors and friends if they knew anyone who could hook us up with someone selling tampax out of their trunk.

I mean sure, there would be a level of that. But I wouldn't compare it to selling heroin or anything.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

You mean like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHOW3h5mDcQ

OMG so funny!

That made my day.

0 Replies

@chai2,

chai2 wrote:

If I ran out of tampons (which I don't need any more) or toothpaste, I don't think, and I don't think most people would, start scouring the streets or asking neighbors and friends if they knew anyone who could hook us up with someone selling tampax out of their trunk.

I mean sure, there would be a level of that. But I wouldn't compare it to selling heroin or anything.

The point is that people would have to advertise through word-of-mouth if they were getting in trouble by advertising online.

You're trying to compare toilet paper and tooth paste with recreational drugs on some other level, which was never the point. The point was that illegal drug dealers know not to post ads on ebay (or if they do they do using some kind of code language).

I wonder what the code language would be for toilet paper or tooth paste: maybe something like selling Christmas ornaments and then rolling them in toilet paper, or selling toothpaste as skin cream/gel.

1 Reply

@livinglava,

But you were the one that brought up illegal drugs, not me or linkat.
No, I'm not getting the point comparing the 2.

I already said in that last post that sure, regular people would be trying to get needed products through word of mouth with friends. As in one person will tell another they saw a particular store got a shipment in. Or, a person might buy a few extra of an item, knowing their friends need it to, and would give it to them for the price they paid.

I really don't think your average person is going to resort to any code language to buy tampons or TP.

No. You're 100% right. I don't see the point you are trying to make at all.

I can't sell a certain product online at this time, as explained above. But I'm not going to advertise what I sell by word of mouth around where I live because (a) There wouldn't be enough people buying it. It only makes sense listing it online because my sales are all over the country.
(b) It would be SO much more trouble than it's worth.

I'm trying to think of the logistics of "getting the word out" that I'm holding whatever products people need. Then having to be contacted directly by each of these people, then do I go to them, do they come to me? So now I have to expect people showing up all hours? Then friends of friends get involved and people I have no desire to be around are in the loop?

If this isn't your point either, then what is?

And please, don't start with the snide, "well if you can't figure it out" comments.
I'm serious. What exactly are you saying?
I'd like to have a civil discussion where I might learn something.

I have a pretty good head for business, and I'm just not getting where this is something useful.

1 Reply

@chai2,

I don't get it (although I respect your self-sacrifice). How does this make any sense?

How does preventing you from selling your product prevent shortages?

It seems to me this policy means there will be fewer items available and more people will go without

0 Replies

@chai2,

chai2 wrote:

But you were the one that brought up illegal drugs, not me or linkat.
No, I'm not getting the point comparing the 2.

That's because you seem to be one of those people who sees and analogy and reacts by looking for the aspects of the things being compared that are not analogical.

It's like if you would say bowls are like buckets in that they both hold liquid, and then someone responds by saying that buckets are big and have handles but bowls are small and don't have handles.

Quote:

I already said in that last post that sure, regular people would be trying to get needed products through word of mouth with friends. As in one person will tell another they saw a particular store got a shipment in. Or, a person might buy a few extra of an item, knowing their friends need it to, and would give it to them for the price they paid.

I really don't think your average person is going to resort to any code language to buy tampons or TP.

It depends how long the shortages continue and how desperate people get.

Quote:

No. You're 100% right. I don't see the point you are trying to make at all.

And you are clearly quite satisfied with that, so thanks for playing; sorry there's no consolation prize.

Quote:

I can't sell a certain product online at this time, as explained above. But I'm not going to advertise what I sell by word of mouth around where I live because (a) There wouldn't be enough people buying it. It only makes sense listing it online because my sales are all over the country.
(b) It would be SO much more trouble than it's worth.

If high unemployment continues, and there are TP shortages, you could have people coming around with TP at $1/roll or whatever, making $100/day selling TP. It would be sad and pathetic, but in the absence of some other better opportunity, they might stoop to that.

Quote:

I'm trying to think of the logistics of "getting the word out" that I'm holding whatever products people need. Then having to be contacted directly by each of these people, then do I go to them, do they come to me? So now I have to expect people showing up all hours? Then friends of friends get involved and people I have no desire to be around are in the loop?

If this isn't your point either, then what is?

My point is that the people who were trying to price-gouge with hand-sanitizer got caught because they were doing it online.

Quote:

And please, don't start with the snide, "well if you can't figure it out" comments.
I'm serious. What exactly are you saying?
I'd like to have a civil discussion where I might learn something.

I have a pretty good head for business, and I'm just not getting where this is something useful.

Well, if you want to take it to a saner level of business-thinking, try to come up with a way to manage supply-chains efficiently so that human time and resources are minimized, but that people don't take their free time and abuse it to hoard things and try to drive up prices that way.

In other words, how do you get people to just accept an economy where prices are low and everybody's time isn't required, yet people don't abuse their free time to try to make money in ways that don't add any value to the economy and really just harm others by making their lives more inconvenient and expensive.

1 Reply

@livinglava,

Ok.
Well, despite my asking you be civil and educate me, you don't want to, and want to analyze me instead of answering questions.

We have no idea at this point how long this situation is going to last, and it's not my job to come up with ways to manage supply chains, and other. Not sure why you're putting that on me, or others. Why is that my job?

Why don't you do that? Why don't you figure it out? Why are you asking me to do it?

Finally, no, I'm not satisfied, clearly or otherwise with not understanding your point. That's why I asked you to clarify. But since you're not going to address that, and instead want to pretend you know mine and others thoughts and motives, I guess we'll leave it at that.

It seems you want me and others to come up with answers, so you can knock them down. Is that fun for you? You do it often enough.

Again, what was your reason to bring up illegal drugs, comparing them to word of mouth advertising, as opposed to selling online?
I had no idea you were making any sort of analogy, and if you are, I don't know what it is.
Maybe it's not that I don't understand analogies. Maybe it's that you don't make very good ones. No insult intended, but it's not always the fault of the person who is politely saying they don't understand, and please explain, and could be the problem of the person making the analogy.

If that's the case, than don't make an analogy, and say it in a way we/I can understand.
I don't notice anyone else saying they understood you either. Either here or on other threads. So if multiple people don't get you, is it all of us? Or you?

I'm not looking far enough in the future to a time where everyday items have to be sold covertly like illegal drugs. Word of mouth advertising is a lot of work, and at first at least, and usually works locally.
If something is being prohibited online, I'll find something else to sell that isn't. I've been switching products and focus for years, going with what is needed and easy to supply at any given moment.
I sell on line because it's the least amount of work I've ever done, it's fun, and secondary to that is income. It seems the money comes when I'm not paying attention to that, and more to the customer. So, when I'm told I'm prohibited for the time being to stop selling a particular thing, it's no problem to me.

I'm flexible.

2 Replies

@chai2,

Chai - this is the walk away part.

LL has noted previously that she does this for entertainment.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

Ah.
Thanks.

I'm gonna walk away Rene.

0 Replies

@chai2,

chai2 wrote:

Ok.
Well, despite my asking you be civil and educate me, you don't want to, and want to analyze me instead of answering questions.

I'm just engaging in discussion with you. I thought I was being civil. You seem to feel otherwise, but I have no idea why.

Quote:

We have no idea at this point how long this situation is going to last, and it's not my job to come up with ways to manage supply chains, and other. Not sure why you're putting that on me, or others. Why is that my job?

You said you had a strong mind for business, so I tried to convert the issue into a positive/constructive one instead of whatever you were calling inane or insane or whatever word you used (sorry I can't go back multiple posts from this screen).

Quote:

Why don't you do that? Why don't you figure it out? Why are you asking me to do it?

You can do or not do whatever you want. I was just telling you a constructive way to approach the issue, i.e. as a challenge to solve.

Quote:

Finally, no, I'm not satisfied, clearly or otherwise with not understanding your point. That's why I asked you to clarify. But since you're not going to address that, and instead want to pretend you know mine and others thoughts and motives, I guess we'll leave it at that.

You sound like yet another person who would rather have interpersonal back-and-forth instead of engaging in useful discussion.

Quote:

It seems you want me and others to come up with answers, so you can knock them down. Is that fun for you? You do it often enough.

It's just constructive dialogue. If I have a critique, do you think I should avoid saying it?

Quote:

Again, what was your reason to bring up illegal drugs, comparing them to word of mouth advertising, as opposed to selling online?
I had no idea you were making any sort of analogy, and if you are, I don't know what it is.

I'll explain it one more time, but you haven't listened before so I doubt you will this time:

The people hoarding hand-sanitizer were advertising it online and that's why they got caught. If they had not tried to sell it explicitly online, or not advertised online at all, they might have gotten away with it. It's the same with illegal drugs. People don't advertise them online, at least not explicitly, so they can avoid getting caught.

Quote:

Maybe it's not that I don't understand analogies. Maybe it's that you don't make very good ones. No insult intended, but it's not always the fault of the person who is politely saying they don't understand, and please explain, and could be the problem of the person making the analogy.

Analogies are as complex or simple as you make them. Mine was simply about overt vs. covert advertising and getting caught. With some people, you could say a lake is analogous to a pond because they are both bodies of standing water, and someone will say it's a bad analogy because lakes are bigger and people boat in them but not in ponds. It's just a question of focusing on similarities or differences.

Quote:

If that's the case, than don't make an analogy, and say it in a way we/I can understand.

But it's easier to understand that people get away with selling things covertly when you think about the culture of illicit drug use and all the dealing that goes on when people aren't getting arrested for it.

Quote:

I don't notice anyone else saying they understood you either. Either here or on other threads. So if multiple people don't get you, is it all of us? Or you?

The analogy is good, so I guess it's everyone who is being difficult for some reason, e.g. because they don't like me and want to shun me or make communication difficult for me because they don't like me.

Quote:

I'm not looking far enough in the future to a time where everyday items have to be sold covertly like illegal drugs. Word of mouth advertising is a lot of work, and at first at least, and usually works locally.
If something is being prohibited online, I'll find something else to sell that isn't. I've been switching products and focus for years, going with what is needed and easy to supply at any given moment.
I sell on line because it's the least amount of work I've ever done, it's fun, and secondary to that is income. It seems the money comes when I'm not paying attention to that, and more to the customer. So, when I'm told I'm prohibited for the time being to stop selling a particular thing, it's no problem to me.

I wasn't encouraging you or anyone else to hoard toilet paper, toothpaste, or anything else to make money.

I was explaining how it's wrong, exploitative, and causes economic problems; and that people should avoid making money in ways that make the economy worse instead of better.

Just because you can make money doing something doesn't make it a good thing to do. Some people will justify any business activity by saying it contributes to GDP/growth, but that is false. Lots of things contribute to GDP/growth that do more harm than good.

Making life more difficult for people in order to milk more money out of them is exploitative, even though it makes them money and contributes to GDP/growth.

0 Replies

Why Are Supplies Remaining Out of Stock?

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