A buddy of mine runs a small - but rapidly growing - reloading components business here in NC. I talked to him for about an hour yesterday evening. His business has more than tripled in terms of orders received and filled since the beginning of the year - the increase started before the pandemic took hold. He talked about how regular customers are placing larger orders - people that might have ordered a few hundred bullets of whatever flavor are now ordering thousands at a time.
He also talked about feedback he gets from new customers who have been gouged. One guy found H4350 powder at a brick&mortar shop in Virginia, took all four of the 8-pound jugs to the register - and put them back after he was told the price was $350 a jug.
Seems like I've read here about primers being sold for $180 a thousand - and my buddy said he's heard a number of similar reports from customers.
Panic? I'm not sure what I'd call it, but I too have been placing more frequent orders for more stuff per order. I started this long before the pandemic, recognizing the cyclical nature of component availability and panic buying after some real or imagined problem.
In case anyone wonders - I didn't link to my buddy's business because he doesn't want me to. I asked him if he was aware of the positive exposure he could get as a SH vendor. He said he was very much aware but he is struggling to fulfill all the orders his 3-person business is already getting, not to mention his difficulty in obtaining components from his own suppliers.
So buy what you can when you can (hopefully within reason; don't be the reloading equivalent of people who bought hundreds of rolls of TP at a time), and don't buy from gougers. There are plenty of businesses out there who will treat you right.