People are bidding more than $200 on 'fashion masks' on StockX as coronavirus cases grow in the US
- Prices of Off-White fashion masks have skyrocketed on the resale website StockX amid coronavirus concerns.
- Several listings of items from the buzzy fashion brand are showing bids of upwards of $200, up from previous months' averages of $80.
- The uptick comes following ongoing concern over global mask shortages as demand mounts.
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While the efficacy of face masks in preventing coronavirus remains murky, some resellers looking to make a quick buck are finding success by selling designer "fashion masks" on StockX.
StockX, the resale marketplace best known as a destination for sneakers and streetwear, is selling a bevy of masks from the buzzy fashion brand Off-White's 2019 collections, with some bids coming in at more than $200. One such design, which in previous months sold for an average of $80, just sold for $211 on the site.
In a graph of the product's historical sales over time, there's a significant spike in the last week as incidents of the coronavirus have risen across the US. It also comes following a scarcity of masks that has persisted since January, when concerns about the virus' spread began to mount.
Another mask that was formerly selling at an average of $83 is now going for $185. StockX did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment.
Meanwhile, on Off-White's official website, the masks are completely sold out.
Still, most medical professionals say masks aren't especially helpful in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
"There's little harm in it," Eric Toner, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Business Insider's Holly Secon. "But it's not likely to be very effective in preventing it."
