Induction cooktops sold out on Amazon, quick commerce apps amid LPG cylinder shortage

Induction cooktops are selling like hotcakes on ecommerce and quick commerce platforms after a shortage of commercial gas cylinders triggered panic buying by retail consumers.

As of Thursday, induction cooktops were unavailable on Amazon as well as quick commerce apps such as Zepto, Swiggy and Blinkit in major cities, including Bengaluru, New Delhi and Mumbai.

On Flipkart, meanwhile, delivery timelines for these cooktops have stretched to 8–10 days.


Earlier this week, quick commerce platforms were selling kitchen appliances at discounted prices amid a surge in demand.

On Tuesday, Eternal-owned Blinkit was offering discounts of up to 72% on cooktops. Swiggy's Instamart had discounts up to 60% on hobs, with some products already sold out. Zepto was offering up to 40% off on premium kitchen appliances, including induction stoves.

Demand for these products has surged as consumers are worried about the possible unavailability of LPG cylinders for domestic use after the government paused supply for commercial cylinders. That stoppage has resulted in thousands of restaurants, cloud kitchens and quick service restaurants (QSR) chains shutting down or reducing operations across the country.

Well-known chains such as Curefoods, Biriyani Blues and FreshMenu have reduced their operations or closed kitchens in certain areas.

“We haven’t got gas from our suppliers for the last 3-5 days. We don’t even know if it will take three days, 10 days or months for the situation to normalise,” said Rashmi Daga, founder and CEO of FreshMenu.

Some small and large food chain owners said cylinders were being sold on the black market for Rs 2,000-3,000 in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru.