Tennessee brothers taking heat for buying 17,000 bottles of hand-sanitizer, Amazon pulls sales

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WTVO) — Two brothers in Tennessee are going viral online and taking heat after stocking up on hand-sanitizers to make a profit.

The New York Times reports that after the first coronavirus death was announced in the U.S., Noah and Matt Colvin went on a road trip to clean out shelves at local stores.

While millions of people search for products to protect themselves from the spread of the coronavirus, some sellers on Amazon are holding stockpiles of hand sanitizer and crucial respirator masks that many hospitals are now rationing https://t.co/mUhY8Pv4K7

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 14, 2020

Over the next three days, the two traveled over 1,300 miles and filled their truck up with thousands of bottles of the desired hygiene products.

Once they returned home, they posted around 300 bottles that sold immediately, ranging from $8 to $70 a piece. Amazon removed their thousands of listings the next day. To them “it was crazy money,” but once the story went viral online, many others pointed out it was cruel price-gouging from a pandemic.

Matt Colvin in Hixson, TN bought 18,000 bottles of sanitizer before the shortage surrounding COVID-19.

He admits to cleaning out stores in multiple states— intending to sell for profit on Amazon.

Amazon took down his listings— he says he is considering donating. @WRCB pic.twitter.com/hfg8j0u43g

— Hunter Hoagland (@HunterHoagland) March 14, 2020

After harsh pushback, it seems the brothers had a change of heart. Colvin tells the NYT that he is currently looking for ways to donate the products.

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