The Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf debuted with much fanfare as the first mass-market electric vehicles. However, it appears that the supply did not match up with the reception. Many dealers were only able to receive a select few of the electric vehicles, creating a situation where many buyers were vying for one car.

That situation is essentially a dealer's dream, as the competition creates an opportunity to take advantage and charge as much as possible. Many dealers frown on so-called "price gouging" – marking the price of the vehicle up by thousands of dollars – but others see it as standard operating procedure on vehicles such as this.

According to BNet, the prices for some of these Volts and Leafs are getting astronomical. One California dealer is reportedly asking for an extra $20,000 on top of the Volt's already-high $41,000 MSRP. An early adopter of the Nissan Leaf told the news source that he was once offered $70,000 for the car, and many others offered to pay as much as $10,000 over retail.

Fortunately for buyers, combating price gouging is simple – just wait. If you need a new car today, it's better to spend a few thousand on a used car and wait for the price of the car you really want to drop. Even better is to wait until the model you're eyeing hits the used car market itself, where you can really snag it at a discount. When the time comes for a vehicle purchase, New Jersey State Auto Auction is a great spot to take advantage of low prices.