The Chinese government has encouraged global deals, but buying and selling masks is no easy feat. Traders, some just weeks into their unstable careers, have to navigate confusion, fraud attempts, byzantine customs laws and other barriers. Altruism aside, hospitals are also less likely to default on payments and more likely to know precisely what is in demand. Mask traders in Shanghai say they have wasted time bargaining over rumored caches of masks before concluding that the only reliable suppliers are top managers at the factories themselves. “I’m still being put in touch with people who claim to have caches of 3M-branded masks,” Mr. Noah said.

Source: International New York Times April 01, 2020 06:56 UTC