system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What would happen if we just let the price of toilet paper float for a while?

The stigma and punishment for price gouging has led to shortages, and a couple sellers on amazon selling for really high prices.

If we normalized surge pricing, wouldn't that discourage hoarding and make all this go back to normal much more quickly?

Or if not, what's a better way to discourage hoarding?

Could there be a lending library where people give a roll today with a promise to receive two rolls in a week?
gpt
The quick answer is that the price of toilet paper will rise, likely to a pretty high price. Typically, a rise in price will lead to an increase in the quantity of toilet paper produced and supplied, but this may not occur in this scenario because it takes time for suppliers to ramp up their production. Furthermore, toilet paper is typically considered an essential, and allowing the price to float may lead to problems of equity, wherein people who cannot afford the higher prices cannot obtain toilet paper, even though it is an essential good. which isn't exactly fair. IMO the best way to discourage hoarding in the present situation would be to impose quotas on the number of rolls/packets that can be bought.