DETROIT – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel sent cease and desist letters to four third-party sellers on Amazon that have been price gouging during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Nessel said her office received complaints about Dealz N-KY, Happy Small Hands, HotDealz73, and ZXL Distribution Group.
Recommended Videos
Dealz-N-KY is an out-of-state seller that sold to a Michigan customer. The other sellers are Michigan-based.
According to Nessel’s office, Dealz-N-KY sold a product to the customer at a “grossly excessive price,” while the other sellers inflated the price of items customers will likely be buying during the pandemic.
Through enforcing its own Marketplace Fair Pricing Policy, Amazon identified a group of third-party sellers who have grossly inflated prices in the midst of the pandemic. Amazon provided Nessel’s office with a list of Michigan-based sellers who had done so.
Amazon has suspended the sellers, and Nessel will seek to ensure these sellers do not retain profits from their alleged wrongdoing. Her office also wants to prevent them from moving their business to other online marketplaces.
Nessel’s office has received 3,096 complaints of COVID-19-related price-gouging as of 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Call 877-765-8388 to report price gouging.
Her office has been handling complaints about stores and online retailers that are increasing prices on items people have been buying more frequently.