[Anaxilus]

Fellow Head-fiers,
 
I know it sounds dramatic and I'm all for profit and opportunity in the market.  However, not at the expense of life and limb!  I personally find it distasteful and dangerous to encourage the hoarding and profiteering of potentially life saving drugs.  The case in questions is the insanity being propagated on Ebay with respect to Potassium Iodide pills.  It's clear quite a number of sick, disgusting people have cornered the market on the current supply of Potassium Iodide and are asking people to put a price on their own lives.  There is a time and place for this sort behavior which preys on fear.  This is not the time.  I imagine many will have lots of opinions and arguments on the matter and I feel comfortable I know what they will be.  This is just my personal opinion and sentiment.  My line in the sand has been crossed.  
 
I don't hold Ebay responsible yet, just caught off guard.  For now.  If you feel the same then contact Ebay as I have and hopefully we can get Potassium Iodide classified as a restricted item much like prescription drugs.
 
Thanks for listening,
 
Anax
 
Sample link:  http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m570&_nkw=iosat
Ebay contact info:  http://contact.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?CustomerSupport

 

[sari0n]

From the articles that I've read, radiation levels in the western part of the US are still pretty negligible at this time and it isn't very likely for the powerplant to just entirely blow up and shower the US in a cloud of radiation.  
In my opinion the hype is either going to die down very soon or stores will restock and the prices on ebay will go down.
On a side note, I agree that this is pretty ridiculous.  I had no idea about how large of a scale this was, it seems like every single online retailer that carries these pills is out of stock and even the stores here in NJ are sold out.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Wow. I had no idea.

I'm generally for a free market, but something about this disturbs me.

In the meantime, I'll rely on my tinfoil hat to repel radiation.

 

[balderon]

Sad. The profiteers never cease to amaze me.

 

[Currawong]

Allow me to point to the media networks profiteering by scaring you all needlessly about radiation which, even if it reaches you, wont do so in any amount that can affect you significantly, let alone to the degree that you'd need to take iodone pills.

 

[gopack87]

Quote:

Allow me to point to the media networks profiteering by scaring you all needlessly about radiation which, even if it reaches you, wont do so in any amount that can affect you significantly, let alone to the degree that you'd need to take iodone pills.

+1

 

[El_Doug]

Quote:

Allow me to point to the media networks profiteering by scaring you all needlessly about radiation which, even if it reaches you, wont do so in any amount that can affect you significantly, let alone to the degree that you'd need to take iodone pills.

^this sums it up perfectly

 

[roadcykler]

I would like to say I'm amazed except I'm not. Even here in the Portland, OR area, people are buying all of the stuff they can get because they are afraid of the radiation that will never get here. Doctors, scientists, physicists, and nuclear experts have repeatedly said IF the radiation gets to the west coast, it would be so diluted as to be no danger what so ever yet people still act like bloomin' idiots and buy the stuff. A couple of doctors have said that taking it with no radiation poisoning can actually be dangerous to ones health. I weep for humanity.

 

[wuwhere]

Lol, ignorance for profit.

 

[wje]

This reminds me of 9/11 in New York City.  Right after the towers were hit, a local Starbucks was charging $10.00 for a bottle of water.  

 
Profiting (or, price gouging) at a major time of need brings me sadness.  

 

[Lazarus Short]

Quote:

...hopefully we can get Potassium Iodide classified as a restricted item much like prescription drugs.
 
Thanks for listening,
 
Anax
 
Sample link:  http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m570&_nkw=iosat
Ebay contact info:  http://contact.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?CustomerSupport

Classification as a restriced item takes government action, and the government is the biggest horader out there.  People should have stocked up decades ago, like I did.  Ebay is not your friend and neither is the government.  It should be clear by now that you are on your own.
 
 

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Allow me to point to the media networks profiteering by scaring you all needlessly about radiation which, even if it reaches you, wont do so in any amount that can affect you significantly, let alone to the degree that you'd need to take iodone pills.

This is the truth of it right here ^^^

 

[mark2410]

erm if ithis was in Japan maybe but in the US it wont be needed.  so i dont really have any problems selling crap to idiots.
 
what i do find surprising is that any americans think there is anything wrong with it period.  american healthcare is largely based on ones ability to pay, more so than anywhere else so how would selling potassium iodine pills to the highest bidder any different.  i dont get why one would be okay but not the other?
 
oh and not saying that the american health care system is wrong just im failing to see the difference

 

[zotjen]

And of course these pills only protect your thyroid so their effectiveness is limited.

 

[Uncle Erik]

The media certainly does a good job of selling fear in the US. Which seems to be all the media focuses on these days.