[The Red Zone]

and as a side effect, there are fewer generators available when they're really needed,

Someone has yet to show how arbitraging locally increases the total number that the people get. Also, now the huckster sells to some corner of town instead of everybody knowing where they can at least possibly get one (you try the home and hardware stores, rather than cruising around wasting gas looking for a huckster).

[flashbunny]

we're waiting.

[Ichneumon]

[and as a side effect, there are fewer generators available when they're really needed,]

Someone has yet to show how arbitraging locally increases the total number that the people get.

It has been shown several times on this thread, and countless times in the real world.

First, if someone's making money selling generators at 1000% mark-up, a *lot* of people (both traditional suppliers, like the owners of hardware stores, and regular citizens) are going to realize that they too can make a lot of bucks by breaking their humps to go get more generators, overcoming all obstacles, to sell for "high" prices as well. Additionally, many people who already have generators that they don't need are going to say, "damn, I should drag this thing out and hang a 'for sale' sign on it for more than I paid for it, then buy a replacement next month after things settle down"... And countless other variations on that same theme.

Meanwhile, as I already pointed out, many people shocked by the sight of seeing generators being sold for (not just priced at, but SOLD for) 1000% markups are going to be motivated to go buy generators at "regular" prices after things get back to normal, so that they don't get screwed price-wise (or stuck without) the *next* time a hurricane hits. This increases the total supply of generators on hand the next time there's a disaster. Besides "freeing up" the in-store stock for even more people in need next disaster (i.e., the people who have now bought more generators will not be in competition with the folks who still haven't yet gotten one), it means that more people *have* generators (either previously bought, or newly bought) during the next emergency when large numbers of people need them, *and* adds to the pool of folks going, "wow, my power didn't go off this time, let's sell/rent this sucker to those who do need it" next time around, and so on.

Finally, the memories of folks who made 1000% markups on generators last time around will spur more people to lay in larger stocks of generators in advance of the *next* disaster.

*That* is how arbitraging locally increases the total number that the people get...