If You Need Coronavirus Supplies, Try Using NowInStock

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Illustration for article titled If You Need Coronavirus Supplies, Try Using NowInStock

Screenshot: David Murphy

Please don’t panic buy. We know this is easier said than done. We don’t have a toilet paper shortage per se, but it’s tricky to come by, sure, since everyone went out and bought it as if we were in the apocalypse. And don’t even get me started on hand sanitizers—important, absolutely, but pretty difficult to find at the moment depending on where you live.

If you find yourself running low on supplies and you need a little extra help sourcing household goods, including TP, cleaners, paper towels, hand soaps, and laundry detergent (to name a few items), check out NowInStock.net.

While I’ve typically used the site to help me find to-be-sold-out video games, its expanded household goods section is useful for those who need to know exactly when retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Home Depot have more items in stock.

For example, here’s the hand sanitizers listing—mostly Amazon, but a few other retailers in there from time to time.

Illustration for article titled If You Need Coronavirus Supplies, Try Using NowInStock

Screenshot: David Murphy

If there’s a particular sanitizer you’re looking to purchase, first make a (free) account with the site. From there, click on the new “Add/Manage alerts” button that replaces the “FREE Alerts” icons in the above image. You’ll then be able to add items to your tracker, like so:

Illustration for article titled If You Need Coronavirus Supplies, Try Using NowInStock

Screenshot: David Murphy

Those little colored icons are critical, as they determine how and when you’ll be notified. From left-to-right, they are:

  • #1: Enable a text alert when the item is in stock
  • #2: Enable a browser alert when the item is in stock
  • #3: Receive an email when the item is in stock
  • #4: Activate to receive alerts when items are in stock (important!)
  • #5: Activate to receive alerts when items are available for preorder

So, in this case, if I wanted to get text messages about when I could buy that sweet Purell, I’d click the first and fourth icons. Easy as that. You can check your full list of trackers on your My Account page, where you can tweak the alerts or remove the items entirely.

Again, please don’t use this service to stock up on unnecessary amounts of items you don’t need. And if you do this just to put stuff on eBay, you’re a terrible human being. Otherwise, all’s fair in coronavirus and shopping; I hope you get your paper towels.

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