I believe the poster was referring to bad actors who have tried to buy up all the local supply so they can resell it at higher prices, not people just stocking up a bit on toiletries for their personal use. Yes, the latter can also cause a shortage but that’s not the cause of the ethical dilemma here nor is it the motivation for price gouging laws.
Yes, exactly: there's a definite distinction between hoarding from fear and hoarding for a desire to profit/exploit disasters. The latter just make the former worse in a disturbing feedback loop that has led to empty shelves.
