because they can, as folks start to stock up on school supplies

It's the ECONOMY. Gas is on the rise I noticed yesterday. SIGH

that's just cray cray. I think sometimes if something is discontinued or about to be, that happens. Otherwise, that just seems insane.

There is another vendor selling for $7.85 on Amazon.

" It's not 'the economy', it's gouging "

Kind of - or you can call it capitalism if you like......People are buying things cheaply and selling them for higher prices. The value is what someone will pay for it, and this isn't a necessary item (like gouging prices on food or safety goods).

If you bought it from a toy store, rather than an open marketplace like Amazon, it would be $10 or less.

I should have looked a bit further. I suspected that shopping around would yield different results but I just replied without looking into it. link I just did a quick google search and you can see the range of prices. I didn't search for actual availability which is another KEY factor.

That has happened to the ink for my printer. A so so printer is fine for me and my Kodak works great and the ink is easy to change. Kodak went out of business, but the ink was still available until July of this year. It was $35 to $38 for a set of black and color. Now is is not avaiable and Walmart no longer sells it. It is available with their "markeketplace sellers" for $68. Amazon for $86. Same ink. I bought an off brand that fits for $55 from Amazon.

All the resellers bought up all the Kodak ink and are selling for 100% profit..

I read several years ago about some guys who would buy toys at the big box stores when the toys went on clearance. They then sold online to a tremendous profit. They pulled in millions.

Sometimes it's supply and demand. I can get DH's favorite (discontinued) coffee online for three times what it originally cost. Not playing that game.

Seeing that puzzle book reminds me of the summer neighbors took their two kids, ages six and seven, to see the sights in Europe. The kids sat in the backseats of rental cars with puzzle books, prodded to look at major monuments, the Alps, etc. When school started teachers discovered both kids were extremely nearsighted.

Does the term gouging apply only to necessities? Not according to the dictionary definition:

price gouging

noun mainly North American

the action or practice of overcharging customers for something by sharply increasing its price, especially in order to take advantage of sudden high demand: in the coming weeks the medication will be running out, leading to shortages and price gouging.

price-gouge

verb [with object] mainly North American

overcharge (a customer) for something by sharply increasing its price, especially in order to take advantage of sudden high demand: the website has been cracking down on retailers attempting to price-gouge their customers | [no object] : some big hotels price-gouge during popular weekends.

And it's been shown now that a lot of the price inflation that was blamed on economics has been essentially price-gouging by companies taking advantage of the situation.

Absolutely, Carol.

" Does the term gouging apply only to necessities? Not according to the dictionary definition"

OK, but that's when I get upset about it. If a company wants to charge outrageous prices for a toy or an airline ticket, I look at my priorities and budget, and make some choices. I may choose not to patronize a store or a company, but I figure they made a choice, and so do I.

"And it's been shown now that a lot of the price inflation that was blamed on economics has been essentially price-gouging by companies taking advantage of the situation."

I believe consumers have a right to full information, in order to make the best decisions for themselves.

I did find out that the company is no longer making them. Too bad, they were really great!

Kathy, I've run into that with things I buy for myself too. There was a particular shampoo/conditioner that I loved and when I went to reorder it, the price had tripled. I went digging and found out the manufacturer had discontinued that kind and so some people leaned heavy into supply and demand, and were trying to really profit from their remaining supply.

As for me, I found something else. I didn't like it that much. Ha.

I read that customers are revolting and companies are paying attention. I noticed in my grocery store that some items had slashed prices. Before the pandemic, a box of generic tissues was 89 cents. Later $1.99!!! Now slashed? to $1.89. I pay 99 cents for Comet at Target and it's $1.99 at my grocery store, price gouging by the greedy corporations will backfire on them if the consumer decides not to pay.