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The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to be the biggest console launch of all-time, crushing the joint record of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. As with any hardware launch, many are worried about the inevitable scalping surge that will attempt to resell Nintendo’s console for higher than its recommended retail price.
In order to combat scalping in Japan specifically, Nintendo has officially partnered with a number of online marketplaces to make sure that re-selling the new console on launch is kept to a minimum.
Nintendo works to stop Switch 2 scalping
In a press release from Nintendo of Japan, via VGC, the company explained that it has officially partnered with Mercari, Yahoo! Auction and Rakuten Rakuma—the region’s three most popular online marketplaces—to stop “unauthorised listings of products related to Nintendo”.
The three marketplaces will be working together with Nintendo for “proactive listing removal” of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles that are sold for exorbitant amounts. With Nintendo already vastly underestimating the demand of the new console in the region, this will help to ensure that Japanese gamers actually get the console.
Additionally, Yahoo! Auction explains that the new handheld console may even be classed as a “prohibited item” during the launch period. However, this has yet to be decided. The company explained that the device has a potential for “high visibility, significant demand as high-priced resale items, and a high likelihood of causing disruptions such as hoarding or price spikes” which, in-turn, becomes a disruption for the “trading environment”.
This partnership is just one of many initiatives to stop scalping for the Nintendo Switch 2. Across the world, eBay has been removing hundreds of listings for the upcoming console, and players can only buy the console directly from Nintendo if they have an active and used Nintendo Switch Online account. In Japan, stores are only selling the device to valued customers as well.
As a business, the console ecosystem typically only survives due to the sales of software on the machine, of which the console manufacturer typically takes a 30% cut. Scalpers do not buy software, only users do, so it makes sense for a console company to limit scalping as much as possible, especially during launch.
For more coverage of Nintendo’s handheld-console hybrid, read about how Cyberpunk 2077 on the device is giving other consoles a run for their money.
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