So my cousin and I were drinking some beers and watching hurricane Mathew reports on the news. The news reports were saying that generators and plywood were sold out within days of the storm. We said well hell fill a truck up with supplies drive down there and start selling. People would pay 25%-50% more. That would not be the goal that’s called price gouging and is illegal and immoral for most people.  I know I’m not the first one to think of this, I’ve heard of people doing it during Katrina and Ike and sandy. However I haven’t been able to find anything about it on google.
Is this a viable side business?
Can you get a good enough wholesale price on plywood, generators, chain saws and other supplies to be able to pass along the best price to people in need.?
Can you set up the entity to do work with crowd funding as a charity that supplied goods to families in need?
Is it ethical or moral business practice?
How do you guarantee that your generator would work. If it has a problem how could you fix the situation if you’re traveling between states.

If you don't have 100% markup it probably won't be worth your time and effort.

Price gouging laws are stupid.

lowes, home depot and others are already there with truckloads of supplies.

Price gouging on food, water, med supplies, fuel, clothes and other stuff people need to live would be imoral.

Price gouging on plywood, generators, beer, bourbon , bathing suits, and other assorted goods that people don't need to live but didn't prepare enough because they were watching NFL football or bar hopping, then tough shit, supply and demand.

25% wouldn't even cover your freight and time. Far from price gouging. The big boys are already there, its great press for them.

If 25% is price gouging then you are gouged every day at almost every store you've ever visited in your life. The only exception would be commodities likes gas or grain.

I meant 25 % more than retail was before the event. On a 500$ generator your talking about selling it for 625$. 125 increase over night I'm sure some one would get upset about it and buy it any way because they don't have power to
What do you mean the big boys are doing it. I heard Trump did a charity give away of a tractor trailer of Supplies once For PR

I mean they are already there with truckloads of relief supplies. During these events you will see home depot vans and lowes vans everywhere.

If you buy and it haul it down there, you will be atleast 25% over the previous retail. Things like drywall and lumber will vary just about 25% depending on whether you buy it at a big box or local do it best affiliate in the first place.

Price gouging doesn't exist, and as such, can't be immoral.

It out to be illegal for pandering politicians make a law against the natural fluctuation of prices due to changing supply and demand conditions and calling it "price gouging."

Ok, follow me here ...

price gouging laws = welfare expectations during Darwin moments.



( former FL resident )

Excellent description!

Price gouging of any item brings people like OP to the area.  It's far better to have an influx of "price gougers" providing the necessary logistics at the drop of a hat than to simply have people go without because the concept of price gouging offends our sensibilities.  Making what OP is describing socially acceptable would damn near eliminate any shortages in future disaster zones.  Let the market meet needs.  If someone else wants to do things out of the kindness of their own heart, profiteers aren't stopping them.  We can have both attacking the problem.

I don't remember the exact incident but there was a pretty good size flood in the news in the past 10 years or so (I don't think it was Katrina) where people were criticizing private helicopter pilots for coming in an performing rescues for money.  These are people who NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE if it wasn't for the profit motive.  Think about it for a second.  Would anyone have been better off if they stayed home?

If every one follows your philosophy, then everytime there is a disaster the people will have plenty of beer and bathing suits, though at a higher price.

They will still be needing food, water, meds, fuel, and clothes.

Well, they can always drink their beer in their new bathing suits.

this.  

my parents, for ~35 years, owned a hardware store.  first we were with True Value, and then later Ace.  in the trade these are known as "co-ops".  

after a hurricane or similar event, the co-op HQ would send out a nationwide electronic bulletin with the SKUs that they would "buy back" at cost.  
they would even tell you how many of each item they believed were on your shelves.

there was minimal paperwork to put such material back onto the tractor trailer which was delivering your goods weekly.  

generators, pumps, chainsaws, etc were all "recycled" this way -- taken off the floor in unaffected states and transported via the normal co-op distribution network to where needed in florida etc.

if True Value and Ace can do it with 4000 sq ft mom-and-pop stores, well HD and Lowes...

And then there is Amazon, Costco, Sams Club, etc etc etc -- all with multi-terabyte inventory databases and the ability to move a lot of stuff very quickly.

OP, that's who you are competing with.

ar-jedi