Two brothers who stocked up on 17,700 bottles of hand sanitiser at vastly inflated prices have been forced to donate them for free.
Matt and Noah Colvin had hoped to flog the bottles online for up to $70 (£56) each after snapping them up for a fraction of the price.
But their plans were scuppered when online retailer Amazon shut them down amid the global coronavirus pandemic - leaving them with thousands of unsold bottles.
Video footage shows how the brothers gave away the remaining haul to charity at a garage lockup as an investigation was launched by state authorities into alleged price gouging.
"The Hand Sanitizer in the NYT story is being donated to a local church and first responders tomorrow", Matt Colvin said on social media before the giveaway.
The Colvins, from Hixson, Tennessee, say they have 'nothing to hide' over their actions and claim to have been sent death threats by irate social media users.
The brothers said they were exploiting 'inefficiencies' in the marketplace and were simply meeting 'demand'.
Matt had initially planned to sell the products locally after their operation was shutdown, claiming that their actions were like a "paid public service".
"If I can make a slight profit, that's fine," he told the New York Times.
"But I'm not looking to be in a situation where I make the front page of the news for being that guy who hoarded 20,000 bottles of sanitiser that I'm selling for 20 times what they cost me."
The brothers are believed to have spent up to $15,000 (£12,000) on the goods which they bought for as little as $1 (£0.80) apiece.
They scoured retail stores in the nearby area and filled a U-haul after the first coronavirus death in the United States was announced earlier this month.
But Amazon put a stop to the selling of health products such as hand sanitiser and anti-bacterial wipes following the coronavirus outbreak that has resulted in extensive panic buying of health products.
Authorities have said that the pair are still facing a criminal investigation but no charges have been filed.
"I just want to make clear that donating the sanitizers does not mean they are off the hook legally.
"If evidence establishes they engaged in price gouging we will seek appropriate penalties,' said Samantha Fisher, director of communications, Tennessee Attorney General", WRCB reported.
