Photo by Alfredo Martinez/Getty Images
The 3M corporation has filed suit against a third-party Amazon seller called KMJ Trading Inc, which allegedly sold more than $350,000 worth of N95 respirator masks, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The products were listed for as much as $23 per mask — a huge markup from the list price of $1.27.
Amazon has struggled with counterfeit mask sales since the beginning of the novel coronavirus outbreak, when N95 masks became an urgent necessity for essential workers. Amazon warned Marketplace sellers against price gouging as early as February, ultimately restricting sales of both face masks and hand sanitizer on March 11th. KMJ’s alleged price-gouging took place before those restrictions went into effect, beginning on February…