Amazon Seller Donates 17,700 Bottles Of Hand Sanitizer

Matt Colvin bought 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer and wipes hoping to turn a big profit on Amazon, now he's facing potential charges.

TheHill.com is reporting that the state of Tennessee will be investigating Colvin for price gouging during the coronavirus pandemic.

Amazon and Ebay have suspended his accounts, so he now has no place to move his product. He sold over 300 sanitizing items before the New York Times got wind of what he was doing and reached out for a story.

Colvin also told The Times he had been selling "pandemic packs" that he purchased from a liquidation firm that contained 50 face masks, four small bottles of hand sanitizer, and a thermometer. He sold those for $40, $50, and sometimes higher on Amazon and Ebay.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III said in the statement:

We will not tolerate price gouging in this time of exceptional need, and we will take aggressive action to stop it.

Under Tennessee law, the state can put a stop to price gouging and seek refunds for customers.

Obviously, he's a savvy guy and doesn't want to go to prison, so Colvin donated two-thirds of his stock to a local church to hand out and the state took the rest.