“So? storing gas in garages or barns is used for mowers and such, why is that a problem? And So? storing gas in garages or barns is used for mowers and such, why is that a problem? And the more it’s sold, the lower the price should be, not the other way around. If it weren’t, when people stop buying it, because it’s too high or they can’t afford it, the price does come down.”
Your post lacks a certain touch of reality. When more people are competing for the same resource, or the same amount of people are competing for a dwindling resource, price has to go up. The problem with customers buying more than they need is that they are allocating a resource that could be put to other uses (i.e., in other people’s cars).
Saying, “the more it’s sold, the lower the price should be,” is true in the case of expanded supply. But when supply is contracting, it is not a good thing for everyone to “buy more.” The aim is to give access to as many people as possible, not to allow each individual to buy as much as possible.
In this case, a case of potentially restricted supply, low prices are not good for the consumer. Why? Because dwindling supply being sold at a frozen price will not bring about market equilibrium. Market equilibrium only comes in those rarest of rare cases when supply equals demand at a particular price. Given that demand varies inversely with price, higher prices will decrease demand. If oil supply is interrupted, sellers have to raise the price to bring demand in line with supply. It’s as simple as that.