Price gouging occurs when a business increases the cost of their offering by an unreasonable amount. While price increases can occur at any time without being considered price gouging, these should generally not exceed around 20%. State laws may dictate the amount of the increase and other considerations in determining whether a price increase constitutes price gouging. Excessive price increases aimed at taking advantage of an emergency situation during times of emergency may be deemed to be price gouging especially if competitive prices are significantly lower.