Throughout Taiwan, shelves that once held packets of toilet paper have been stripped bare.
Shoppers are reporting empty aisles, the result of a bulk-buying spree by frantic customers.
According to Taiwan's largest home shopping channel, ET Mall, demand for toilet paper was ten times higher than normal on Saturday and Sunday.
his followed warnings from manufacturers that the price of toilet paper is set to rise by 10 - 30 per cent next month, due to rising raw material costs.
Manufacturers are blaming production disruptions in Brazil and forest fires in Canada for the rising global cost of short fibre pulp, which is used to produce toilet tissue.
But shoppers say it's the fear of running out, not the rising price, that sent them running to the shops.
Will consumers be caught short?
According to Taiwan authorities, no.
While many shops reported selling out of the soft white sheets on Sunday, Taiwan's Department of Consumer Protection said supermarkets would be able to restock their supplies.
Taiwan's government, the Executive Yuan, has launched an investigation into whether local toilet paper vendors colluded to raise prices unjustifiably.
In a statement released on Friday, the Executive Yuan said the government's price stabilisation task force has asked the Fair Trade Commission, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Consumer Protection Committee to verify the price rise announcement made by toilet paper manufacturers, prompting the surge in sales.
