Taiwan’s premier is urging the public to avoid hoarding toilet paper after a reported spike in prices by manufacturers spurred a run on supermarket supplies. 
 
 The island’s government is monitoring distributors and retailers for signs of price manipulation after local media said major toilet-paper brands would boost prices by as much as 30 percent from next month, spurring anxious shoppers to stock up on the product and strip store shelves over the weekend. 
 
 More than half of the varieties of toilet paper listed on Yahoo’s Taiwan shopping website were out of stock on Tuesday. The Fair Trade Commission says it will investigate whether the major brands have been colluding over prices, warning that the offense is punishable by fines of as much as 100 million New Taiwan dollars ($3.4 million). 
 
 While ordinary Taiwanese may be in panic mode, the crisis initially proved good news for related companies. A gauge of paper stocks surged by a record on the Taiwan exchange on Monday, with YFY Inc., Taiwan’s biggest toilet paper maker by market value, jumping 7 percent before pulling back Tuesday. 
 
 U.S. pulp prices have risen more than 35 percent in the past year, contributing to the hike in toilet-paper costs. But the outlook may turn for Taiwan. 
 
 While paper prices are expected to continue trending higher in the long term, the government’s actions and competition in the Taiwanese market may mean the reported price hikes don’t actually come to pass on the island, said Taishin Securities Investment Advisory Co. Vice President Huang Wen-ching, who tracks local paper stocks. 

 Toilet paper price hike prompts Taiwanese shoppers to panic-buy stock 
 
 Updated 
 
 Taiwanese supermarket shelves have been stripped bare by people panic-buying toilet paper. 
 
 The weekend shopping frenzy came as suppliers warned the price of the household staple was on the rise. 
 
 Here's how the story unrolled. 
 
 Suppliers give a bum steer? 
 
 On Friday, toilet paper suppliers told Taiwanese supermarkets they would raise prices by 10 to 30 per cent from next month. 
 
 The suppliers said the increase was caused by the higher cost of pulp, the raw material used to make tissues. 
 
 One of the largest suppliers, YFY Inc, said the cost of transportation and packaging had also gone up. 
 
 Taiwan's state-owned Central News Agency (CNA) reported consumers would have to pay NT$260 ($11.32) for every 12-pack of toilet paper, up from NT$200 ($8.71). 
 
 The news prompted the government to announce it would investigate whether suppliers had colluded to undermine market order. 
 
 No square to spare 
 
 Photos posted to social media on the weekend showed shoppers rushing to stock up on toilet paper. 
 
 But some consumers were met with nothing but empty shelves. 
 
 The Department of Consumer Protection said supermarkets would be able to restock, while the Taipei Times reported all of the island's four major supermarket chains had promised not to raise retail prices or hoard merchandise. 
 
 Department director-general Wu Cheng-hsueh said the chains had already set their sales plans and were prepared to sell toilet paper all-year round. 
 
 Topics: consumer-protection, business-economics-and-finance, taiwan 
 
 First posted 

 Shelves usually stacked with toilet paper, kitchen paper and boxed tissues stood empty in many supermarkets Taiwan's premier called for calm Tuesday following a desperate run on toilet paper on the island, sparked by speculation of imminent price hikes. 
 
 Shelves usually stacked with toilet paper, kitchen paper and boxed tissues stood empty in many hypermarkets and supermarkets as residents stockpiled supplies. 
 
 Major online retailers had also run out, including PChome which reportedly sold five million packs of toilet paper in three days. 
 
 "We ask the public not to panic and not to rush to buy," Premier William Lai told reporters. 
 
 "The supply is sufficient and everybody will have toilet papers to buy," he said. 
 
 The panic buying started after major hypermarkets were informed by toilet paper manufacturers of a 10 to 30 percent price hike from mid-March due to rising international pulp prices. 
 
 The Fair Trade Commission said it had looked into the matter and met with representatives from three major toilet paper suppliers and five top retailers to warn them against price-fixing on Tuesday. 
 
 There was online anger as some accused the government of ignoring price fixing by manufacturers. 
 
 "The government wouldn't have paid attention if people were not snatching up toilet paper. The lousy government is only saying price-fixing is illegal after the media reported it," read one post on Apple Daily's website. 
 
 Explore further: Japan gov't calls on citizens to stockpile toilet paper 

 Taiwan’s premier is urging the public to avoid hoarding toilet paper after a reported spike in prices by manufacturers spurred a run on supermarket supplies. 
 
 The island’s government is monitoring distributors and retailers for signs of price manipulation after local media said major toilet-paper brands would boost prices by as as much as 30 percent from next month, spurring anxious shoppers to stock up on the product and strip store shelves over the weekend. 
 
 More than half of the varieties of toilet paper listed on Yahoo’s Taiwan shopping website were out of stock on Tuesday. The Fair Trade Commission says it will investigate whether the major brands have been colluding over prices, warning that the offense is punishable by fines of as much as NT$100 million ($3.4 million). 
 
 While ordinary Taiwanese may be in panic mode, the crisis initially proved good news for related companies. A gauge of paper stocks surged by a record on the Taiwan exchange on Monday, with YFY Inc., Taiwan’s biggest toilet paper maker by market value, jumping 7 percent before pulling back today. 
 
 U.S. pulp prices have risen more than 35 percent in the past year, contributing to the hike in toilet-paper costs. But the outlook may turn for Taiwan. 
 
 While paper prices are expected to continue trending higher in the long term, the government’s actions and competition in the Taiwanese market may mean the reported price hikes don’t actually come to pass on the island, said Taishin Securities Investment Advisory Co. Vice President Huang Wen-ching, who tracks local paper stocks.
– Good luck finding toilet paper to buy in Taiwan: After TP suppliers warned last week that the price of the stuff was set to rise by 10% to 30% thanks to an increase in the price of the pulp used to make it, consumers started panicking. Shoppers hurried to stock up on toilet paper, resulting in bare supermarket shelves, reports ABC News, which has rounded up photos of said shelves shared on social media. One TP supplier also blamed the price increase on a rise in the cost of transportation and packaging. The government has announced it will investigate whether suppliers are colluding to raise prices, the Japan Times reports, and Bloomberg reports Taiwan's premier has even urged people not to hoard TP. "We ask the public not to panic and not to rush to buy," Premier William Lai told reporters Tuesday, per Phys.org. "The supply is sufficient and everybody will have toilet papers to buy."