Trade Dept probes claims of overpriced masks at 7-Elevens
Responding to complaints about the price of face masks sold by 7-Eleven stores, the Department of Internal Trade (DIT) said the products in question were not covered by the government’s Bt2.50 price control.
Department director general Wattanasak Sur-iam said his staff had checked 7-Elevens and found they were selling ordinary face masks, not the surgical masks whose price has been limited as part of virus-control measures.
However, under the regulation, the mark-up on the import price of ordinary masks must not exceed 60 per cent. The DIT has asked convenience store operators for the import prices of masks, to compare them with retail prices.
The director general said overpricing of masks carried a penalty of up to seven years in prison and/or a fine of Bt140,000.
