Stock X
Even designer masks are in high demand right now.
- 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.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
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.
Stock X
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.
Off-White
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."
