The duty-free policy for masks has nothing to do with sellers! Sellers who sell masks at high prices may be prosecuted

Last weekend, mask sellers and onlookers were all sweating. First, Amazon announced that it would strictly investigate sellers selling masks and other epidemic prevention materials. Then, the review of the mask category in the United States was closed, and it was reported online that the review windows in Japan and Europe were subsequently closed.

Unexpectedly, not long after the news was released, the United States announced that it would waive tariffs on epidemic prevention supplies such as masks, disinfectants, and disinfectant wipes.

Then there was new news that Amazon has opened up the review of the mask category, but the review is very strict and only the personal protection category can be listed. Currently, the service providers are the ones who released the news, so please keep your eyes open to determine whether it is true or not.

But I can tell you that the above news about tariff exemption has nothing to do with us.

Masks are exempt from tariffs? It has nothing to do with us

I found some news from foreign media and checked the official website of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the accurate news is that 27 medical device companies' tariff exemption applications to USTR were approved. Foreign media generally believe that this is a signal that the US government will relax tariffs on epidemic prevention products.

Therefore, sellers who want to sell masks should pay attention. If masks are inspected, they still need to pay tariffs. Almost all of those who successfully applied for tax exemptions at the USTR are American companies. It is very difficult for Chinese sellers to obtain tax exemptions.

Currently, the WeChat Moments are using the gimmick of tax exemption for masks and other epidemic prevention materials to encourage sellers to enter the market. Without exception, they are all service providers with vested interests. The mask craze is now at its craziest, and it is most likely that false information will spread everywhere. It is recommended that sellers who enter the market or wait and see should carefully confirm the source and authenticity of the information.

Those who want to enter the mask market not only have to deal with these news that may reverse at any time, but even the Amazon platform has recently announced further crackdowns on sellers of masks and other epidemic prevention materials.

Amazon revealed to the media last weekend that it will cooperate with state regulators to investigate and prosecute third-party sellers who take advantage of the epidemic to engage in price fraud on Amazon.

As early as last week, Amazon actually announced that it would remove products suspected of price fraud and violating pricing fairness. By the time the above news was released, Amazon had deleted more than 530,000 listings.

But this effort is still not enough, and even government officials have noticed this situation. Last week, a U.S. senator contacted Amazon to report that the price of Purell hand sanitizer had recently increased from $10 to $400, and asked Amazon to make improvements.

When Amazon later disclosed the data to the media, it claimed that it had suspended thousands of seller accounts suspected of price fraud and had begun cooperating with prosecutors in several states to prosecute some serious offenders.

Amazon's claims are not groundless. Last week, a large number of mask sellers were shut down due to price gouging. Those who have read our seller stories last week should know this very well (for those who missed it, click here to review).

Setting a high price during this period is undoubtedly giving money to Amazon. Amazon can really block your account at any time now, and will not tell you what the price should be to avoid price fraud.

Even Amazon's own backend policies are very vague about the principles of pricing fairness and price fraud. There is no mention of any clear judgment indicators at all. It only says that the price will be compared with the historical selling price and the selling price of other products in the same period.

Under the current circumstances, our sellers’ purchase prices are definitely much higher than last year, so the pricing naturally cannot be the same as the historical price or just slightly higher.

However, there is no clear judgment standard for price fraud clauses. In this case, as long as you set a high price, Amazon can accuse you of price fraud at any time and directly close your store. The current mask and epidemic prevention material industry is a business that is truly on the edge of a knife.

In this environment, the small investment of small and medium-sized sellers will not make any splash at all. Instead of following the trend of making mask products, it is better to take advantage of the fact that everyone is paying attention to masks and do the opposite, and further polish the current products or categories.