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Re:The N95 mask shortage America can't seem to fix by edouard-harris on Wednesday September 23, 2020 @09:30AM (#24566815)
Increasing prices does restrict availability now, but as a step on a path to increasing availability in the future (because the higher prices incentivize eventual capacity-building, which lowers prices and increases quantities).

Keeping prices low restricts availability now and in the foreseeable future.

Re:The N95 mask shortage America can't seem to fix by bleepblorp on Wednesday September 23, 2020 @10:36AM (#24567587)
Executives are greedy, not stupid.

They're not going to respond to a short-term increase in prices--in any market, not just pandemic-related PPE--by increasing long-term production capacity. They know that demand will eventually drop before they can pay off their capacity investments.

Indeed, in the absence of price controls, cutting production in the face of increased short-term demand can increase profits by raising prices.

There's a reason the oil industry routinely shuts down refineries, pipelines, and other infrastructure for 'scheduled maintenance' during long weekends, after all.