Amazon Marketplace and eBay are failing to crack down on a spate of Coronavirus profiteering by sellers, according to a Which? investigation which uncovered a wide range of products for sale with inflated prices.

At the start of this month, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) warned that traders should not be exploiting the outbreak to take advantage of people through price gouging, and threatened to take strong action if the problem persisted.

However, the consumer organisation found that third-party sellers are still using the current situation to list overpriced items that are difficult or impossible to find in local shops.

After analysing the websites in recent weeks, Which? found consistent overpricing of household items including cleaning products, thermometers, baby milk formula and tampons.

There were hundreds of active listings and auctions for dramatically overpriced items, including a £40 thermometer priced at £300 on eBay and £150 on Amazon. A £3 bottle of disinfectant was on sale for £29.99 on eBay and was more than three times the recommended price on Amazon.

Meanwhile on eBay’s auction site, bidding sent the price for a bundle of three bottles of Dettol spray and three packets of antibacterial wipes to £210.

Which? also found that consumers were actually buying these overpriced products from eBay, despite the extortionate prices. For some listings taken down during the investigation, eBay showed that multiple items had already been purchased before the listing could be removed.

The research also demonstrated a failure of filters and other checks put in place by eBay and Amazon to adequately protect consumers, despite both having stated publicly that they have taken action on the issue.

Both claimed to have removed listings and suspended or terminated accounts during the Coronavirus crisis, but Which? argued their investigation showed they need to be doing more.

Sue Davies, head of consumer protection at Which?, said: “Online marketplaces have taken some action against Coronavirus price gouging, but our investigation shows unscrupulous sellers are still cashing in on people’s fears by selling essential items at extortionate prices on eBay and Amazon.

“These companies must make good on their pledges to stamp out coronavirus profiteering, and if they fall short the CMA must be ready to take strong enforcement action,” she continued, adding: “The government should consider how it will work with the retail sector as a whole to keep the price of essential items reasonable as the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak continues.”

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