AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Empirical Audio => Topic started by: audioengr on 31 Mar 2020, 05:05 pm
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I want to help with the PPE situation. I was trying to buy some respirators for NYC hospitals on ebay and discovered that ebay is removing all listings that try to sell N-95 respirators, even legitimate ones. I guess they are tired of the scams and don't want any more losses. Too bad.
But, before they shut down a couple of legitimate ebay accounts, I was able to make some email contacts so I can order these outside of ebay. They are of course more expensive than the non-Covid-19 pricing, but still not that bad, around $4-5/mask. These are desperate times after all. I have ordered a case or more of these and the first box shipped today. I hope to get 200-300 masks. This is all out of pocket for me. I have also bought some Tyvek PPE suits on ebay. These listings are not blocked by ebay, but finding a medium is really difficult. As soon as I recieve these, they are going to the hospitals in most need, namely Elmhurst in Queens and Brookdale in The Bronx.
If any one wants to contribute, we would appreciate any amount. I need to send the PPE express to NYC, across the country, so it's expensive. PayPal send money to: nugent@empiricalaudio.com. You should be able to use family and friends for this.
I will post photos of the PPE when I get it and before I ship to NYC hospitals. I will ship it express directly to the ones in the most need.
Thanks and stay healthy and at home,
Steve N.
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I appreciate the sentiment of what you're trying to do, however no middleman who is hoarding cases of N95 masks should be rewarded for ONLY marking up 400% what they normally sell for in that quantity. They should be shamed on social media until they pass them on at their cost of original purchase to local officials. imho, of course.
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I appreciate the sentiment of what you're trying to do, however no middleman who is hoarding cases of N95 masks should be rewarded for ONLY marking up 400% what they normally sell for in that quantity. They should be shamed on social media until they pass them on at their cost of original purchase to local officials. imho, of course.
There were sellers wanting $300-500 for a box of 20 masks. The guys I'm buying from are asking $80, so not so bad. The original retail was $20-30. If it means saving just one life, it's worth it IMO. It's the only option we have given the crappy US for-profit healthcare system. We can thank our economic system for that. If Trump had taken-over 3M shipments and Dupont shipments instead of being a selfish, idiot coward, we would be a lot better off now.
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I appreciate the sentiment of what you're trying to do, however no middleman who is hoarding cases of N95 masks should be rewarded for ONLY marking up 400% what they normally sell for in that quantity. They should be shamed on social media until they pass them on at their cost of original purchase to local officials. imho, of course.
Some states attorney generals are prosecuting for this kind of gouging, including NY state. If I find out who it is and a name and address, I will send an email to those attorney generals. They will prosecute once this pandemic is over with.
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Again, I appreciate your sentiments in the matter. N95s in quantity sell for about .89 cents each. Again, I believe anyone sitting on cases of these things right now, not to mention to turn a huge profit, should be publicly humiliated and scorned.
The guy in Tennessee who hoarded thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer eventually gave them all to local authorities after a good public shaming.
This isn't the time to get rich.
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And just to be clear, he doesn't need to donate them. But he should contact authorities and sell everything he has for cost, or cost plus 5% to cover the handling. That's it. If you can track down who it is, use the energy to make it known publicly that he's hoarding masks.
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Thanks to those that donated. Need more donations.
Here is an article explaining why we have shortages:
https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/4/1/21196941/coronavirus-n95-mask-respirator-shortage
Here is the Chinese grey market price - $12/mask if you buy 20 (these were $1-2 originally):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000822167245.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.e9145730U3whWE&algo_pvid=5de2e7c7-7d15-452a-9835-63ef96f99bfe&algo_expid=5de2e7c7-7d15-452a-9835-63ef96f99bfe-32&btsid=0ab6fa8115857616876075061e98f3&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_
How about bidding $10K for 10 paper respirators:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3m-respirator-mask-10/392745776473?hash=item5b7178f559:g:YaUAAOSwv-5eg7n0
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Many of my respirators have been shipped to me today. Should be here on Saturday.
I am getting a lot more than I expected. I asked the supplier to send me all he had.
As a result, I could really use some more donations, even $20 helps. This will save lives, particularly healthcare workers lives. These are our soldiers in this war.
Send PayPal $$ to nugent@empiricalaudio.com
Don't send these soldiers to war without bullets. :o
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Steve,
I just donated some via Paypal. I'd have given more, but I already gave somewhere else for the same cause.
Thank you for your effort!
Michael
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Thank you very much Steve for securing the much needed masks and sending them to those in need. Please accept my contribution.
Take good care and stay safe.
Ken
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Here is some good advice to follow to protect yourself:
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/202...sheets/coronavirus-proof-your-home/index.html
Thanks to all that donated in the last 24 hours. Much appreciated.
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I"m glad you can find access to some, and thank you for taking the initiative to make it happen. I've been scrambling to get some n95's for my RN daughter in the DFW area. She's been working Covid-19 for the past two weeks, and her numbers are really starting to climb. They estimate Dallas Ft/Worth is about 14-20 days behind NYC, and they aren't expecting to re-supply in time.
I saw that Robert Kraft of the NE Patriots just brought back 1.2 million mask yesterday, with another large number coming in a few days. He sent the team jet to China to pick them up, and landed in Boston. So if a single rich guy can do this, why have we failed so miserably at a federal level to provide for our health care workers? As a citizen I'm outraged, as a dad I want to punch someone.
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Now they're getting somewhere.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1175111
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I"m glad you can find access to some, and thank you for taking the initiative to make it happen. I've been scrambling to get some n95's for my RN daughter in the DFW area. She's been working Covid-19 for the past two weeks, and her numbers are really starting to climb. They estimate Dallas Ft/Worth is about 14-20 days behind NYC, and they aren't expecting to re-supply in time.
I saw that Robert Kraft of the NE Patriots just brought back 1.2 million mask yesterday, with another large number coming in a few days. He sent the team jet to China to pick them up, and landed in Boston. So if a single rich guy can do this, why have we failed so miserably at a federal level to provide for our health care workers? As a citizen I'm outraged, as a dad I want to punch someone.
Simple answer: We have a for-profit medical system and an ineffective federal government.
This pandemic has shown us all the fallacy in having a for-profit medical care system and the downside of electing an incompetent administration.
Steve N.
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Now they're getting somewhere.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1175111
Wow, a government agency actually doing it's job. I love it.
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I'm glad you feel that way. The people you're dealing with are criminals, plain and simple. Give all the information you have about about the seller to that task force and let them seize his stash. The "couple cases" they say they have could be the tip of the iceberg.
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Fortunately NYC are plenty of millionaires certainly the hospitals will full of supplies.
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Fortunately NYC are plenty of millionaires certainly the hospitals will full of supplies.
Have you been watching the news at all? Almost all NYC hospitals are short on PPE.
There are a LOT of regular people living in Brooklyn and Queens, not wealthy. Millions.
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Too bad the big guys dont want donate.
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Thanks for doing this Steve.
Last Thursday I asked my daughter who is a NICU nurse in NC if she wanted the box of 20 N95 masks I have had for years....bought for a Mers or Sars scare, and she replied she was good and didn't need them.
Friday I see a box on the kitchen table with candy I had never seen before, boxes of mac and cheese, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, moisturizer etc...
I asked my wife what was up and she said that R*****n made some Fakebook postings and she seemed scared, so she was putting together a care package for her. R*****n was a roommate of my daughter and now a Nurse in the ED at Columbia Presbyterian in NYC.
I texted my daughter to see if she thought she would like the masks and my daughter assured me she would.
She received the package on Monday and was VERY appreciative of the masks and also mentioned the skin moisturizer.
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Thanks for doing this Steve.
Last Thursday I asked my daughter who is a NICU nurse in NC if she wanted the box of 20 N95 masks I have had for years....bought for a Mers or Sars scare, and she replied she was good and didn't need them.
Friday I see a box on the kitchen table with candy I had never seen before, boxes of mac and cheese, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, moisturizer etc...
I asked my wife what was up and she said that R*****n made some Fakebook postings and she seemed scared, so she was putting together a care package for her. R*****n was a roommate of my daughter and now a Nurse in the ED at Columbia Presbyterian in NYC.
I texted my daughter to see if she thought she would like the masks and my daughter assured me she would.
She received the package on Monday and was VERY appreciative of the masks and also mentioned the skin moisturizer.
Good for you. It turns-out that most of us can really survive without even leaving our homes. You have to forgo fresh fruits and veggies for a while, but canned peaches, dates and dried fruits from Amazon, Costco and Target etc.. can suffice. Canned and frozen vegetables work. Meat can be replaced with jerky, canned fish, nuts and beans. Eggs are a problem, although you can probably get powdered eggs. Not too good though...
Steve N.
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I realize we just moved slightly off topic, but we shouldn't stop buying fresh food, it's too valuable to waste. The only thing that should be available from big retailers online are essentials for life. Same for shipping companies. None of their workers have ANY protection equipment working shoulder to shoulder. They should be working skeleton crews until they can assure worker safety. Amazon is trying to hire 100,000 employees why, to infect them?
Come on, we can't be with nurses and doctors and not be with workers in agriculture and at grocery stores, online retailers, shipping companies, etc. Everyone needs protection.
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I realize we just moved slightly off topic, but we shouldn't stop buying fresh food, it's too valuable to waste. The only thing that should be available from big retailers online are essentials for life. Same for shipping companies. None of their workers have ANY protection equipment working shoulder to shoulder. They should be working skeleton crews until they can assure worker safety. Amazon is trying to hire 100,000 employees why, to infect them?
Come on, we can't be with nurses and doctors and not be with workers in agriculture and at grocery stores, online retailers, shipping companies, etc. Everyone needs protection.
I have some non-medical masks that I'm providing to my local grocery for checkers and stockers. Also, my private post office people.
Here is what 3M is doing:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/trumps-battle-with-3m-on-masks-escalates-over-us-exports/ar-BB128k78?ocid=spartandhp
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I have gotten $740 in donations from 2 forums so far. Thank you everyone.
Most of the masks I am purchasing for $4 each I believe and there are 640 of them coming according to the supplier. I already have 20 that I got on ebay for $14.66 each before they shut-down sales of these. (The Chinese are asking $20 each right now.)
I will not be billed for the 640 masks until I receive them, and he says he may lower the price from $4 each.
The non-medical masks I mentioned in the previous post are not part of this. Those are for local organizations.
I have spent $211.34 on gowns and goggles so far, but I need to get more.
The expected total for the 1860 and 1860S masks is $2853.00.
Together I expect to spend $3064.34 on respirators, gowns and goggles so far. The express shipping for these will probably be in the $300 range.
This is the first shipment. There will be more as more equipment arrives.
Steve N.
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Even with the hi demand I was able to buy mask at 0.70 cents each.
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Even with the hi demand I was able to buy mask at 0.70 cents each.
a 3M 1860?
This is what the care givers are wearing and needing. This is what they trust.
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No a industrial product its cloth, hand made.
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First PPE arriving.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=206798)
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All of the PPE for the first shipment has arrived. 500 respirators, 2 large Dupont suits and 1 3X large Dupont suit, and my first try at a sealed goggle.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=206874)
Packing it into 2 boxes, one headed for Elmhurst and have not decided on the other one yet, maybe Mount Sinai Beth Israel. Mt. Sinai has 800 beds at least in Manhattan and they are hurting for PPE. On the news last night. I'll talk to Cuomo's folks to see where the need is greatest.
Steve N.
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Awesome effort, Steve! :thumb:
Michael
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I have been offered another 500 respirators, but I am running low on funds. My PayPal account is tapped-out. I could use more donations. :thumb:
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Steve,
Remember 'transparency'.
At what individual price are the 400 respirators being offered? What is the estimated shipping cost? Will they be shipped to your home only to be sent out a second time, or sent directly to the hospital?
Michael
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Donation sent. Thanks for taking the initiative Steve!
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Steve,
Remember 'transparency'.
At what individual price are the 400 respirators being offered? What is the estimated shipping cost? Will they be shipped to your home only to be sent out a second time, or sent directly to the hospital?
Michael
He says $4/respirator. Shipping is a small cost, so he usually eats it. It's his contribution. I have to make connection to the hospital and put a letter inside the box, so they come here first.
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Thanks to all who donated. Second shipment went out today to Lenox Hill. Had a hard time contacting the other hospitals, but still trying. I plan to do one or two more shipments because they are short on protective suits and I have a bunch coming. Some arrived today. Also, I am getting 4 more cases of small respirators and one case of regular respirators in the next week.
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Steve,
I just read a nurse's account of the hell that just one hospital's ICU is like. All I could say, think, type after reading it was, "HERO!" :cry: I just sent you more money.
Michael
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Thanks for the donation. It's needed. I decided to get more masks and suits and do 4 hospitals, two in Manhattan, one in Queens and one in Brooklyn.
The PPE arrived today at Elmhurst in Queens and Lenox Hill in Manhattan.
I'm over $5K into this now. About $1k is from your donations.
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Second group of PPE is here.
600 respirators, 27 suits and one box of medium gloves. Split between Maimonides, Mount Sinai and Lenox Hill, all in NYC.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=207254)
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Amazing Steve. Such a great thing you are doing, and I love this about you.
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Luckily, I didn't fall for this:
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3080746/five-students-among-31-suspected-online-scammers (https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3080746/five-students-among-31-suspected-online-scammers)