Toilet paper rip-off: Dunny roll shortage sparks booming black market with hoarders charging OUTRAGEOUS prices for a single roll
- Opportunists are trying to turn a huge profit during the coronavirus panic
- They are buying up toilet roll and flogging it for extortionate prices online
- It comes as worried supermarkets limit shoppers to just one pack per person
- Shelves have been left bare as families struggle to stock up during the crisis
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
The toilet paper shopping shortage has created a black market online, with cruel sellers flogging a single roll for as much as $200 to desperate households.
As the coronavirus outbreak continues, supermarket shelves are being stripped bare by profiteers, hoarders, and families who are stocking up on essentials in case they are forced to self-isolate.
Rolls of toilet paper are being sold for extortionate prices on websites such as eBay, Gumtree and Facebook's Marketplace.
One advertisement on Facebook listed a single roll for $100, while another was seemingly charging $200.
Another tongue-in-cheek message offered a roll for $1,000 - or $10 per sheet.
Facebook sellers have been trying to profit from the crisis, with this opportunist selling one roll of 'premium' toilet paper for $200 (pictured)
Some opportunists are seeing the change to make money during the crisis, flogging toilet paper for extortionate amounts online (pictured, a seller on Facebook Marketplace)
Supermarket shelves have been stripped bare by shoppers worried about having to self-isolate for two weeks because of the coronavirus (pictured is a Melbourne store on Monday)
The seller wrote: 'Brand new condition (no visible skidmarks) , DNA tested negative to coronavirus. Be the talk of the town with this luxury toilet paper at your next doomsday prepper meeting.'
There were 456 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia as of noon on Wednesday.
One Gumtree seller in Melbourne was offering a 48-roll pack of toilet paper for $80.
It cost $52.67 at Officeworks.
Another Gumtree advertister, offering single packets for $45, was placing a 10 roll-per-customer limit on online purchases.
'Thank you for your support during the last 7 days we worked hard to fetch more toilet paper for whoever missed out,' one Gumtree seller said.
'Hurry! limit 10 rolls per customer.'
Another seller was flogging 200ml bottles of Dettol hand sanitiser, usually $8, for $25 each.
Hand sanitiser on Facebook was being sold for up to $200 for one bottle.
Another Facebook seller (pictured) was trying to sell a four-roll pack for $250, but it is likely to be a hoax as it is advertised as being 'off white/brown'
Shelves are bare across multiple Australian supermarkets (pictured, left) as worried families stockpile toilet roll (right)
It comes as Australian supermarkets are forced to impose buying restrictions to ensure vulnerable customers are not left empty handed.
Coles has introduced limits on sales of pasta, flour, uncooked rice, paper towels, paper tissues, toilet paper and hand sanitisters, as its shelves were left bare by panic buyers.
Customers are only allowed two of those items each, with similar restrictions in place in Woolworths and Aldi.
The chaos prompted Woolworths to introduce an elderly-only shopping hour, to allow vulnerable residents time to buy the things they need.
On Tuesday morning, it was slammed as a 'PR stunt' as worried customers found shelves were empty of essentials - including toilet paper.
One seller offered a single bottle of hand sanitiser for $120 (pictured), trying to make money from the crisis
Hundreds of elderly and disabled shoppers joined a 100-metre long queue outside Woolworths at Ryde, on Sydney's lower north shore, on Tuesday.
It was hoped they would be able to stock up on items they will need should they go into coronavirus quarantine.
But once inside, shoppers quickly discovered the aisles were less crowded but the shelves were as bare as they have been for the past few weeks.
On March 6, three women were filmed in a remarkable fist fight over toilet paper at a Woolworths supermarket.
One joker was offering this single roll of toilet paper (pictured) for an incredible $1,000 on Facebook Marketplace
Another Facebook seller was flogging a single bottle of Dove hand wash, usually around $8, for $25 (pictured)
The bizarre brawl is understood to have taken place in Chullora, 15km west of Sydney's CBD, as Australia's coronavirus panic sets in.
Hysterical screaming broke out as the trio battled in the aisles, with the incident seemingly stemming from a mother and daughter stockpiling toilet paper.
After spending hours queuing for the store to open at 7am on Saturday, the women poured in - with the mum and daughter piling their trolley high with toilet paper.
The fight began when a third woman tried to take one of the precious packets from the trolley, sparking mayhem.
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