Legal Definitions - profiteering

Definition: Profiteering is when someone takes advantage of a special situation to make a lot of money. For example, during a war, some people might sell things that are hard to find at really high prices.

Examples:

• During a natural disaster, some stores might charge a lot of money for things like water and batteries because they know people need them.
• When a new video game console comes out, some people might buy a lot of them and then sell them for a lot more money than they paid.

These examples show how people can use a special situation to make more money than they should. It's not fair to charge a lot of money for something that people really need or want, especially if it's hard to find. That's why profiteering is often seen as a bad thing.