If you’ve been keeping up-to-date on Switch 2 news, you’ll know that the next generation console is already being “sold” on websites like Ebay by scalpers looking to make a quick buck. In the new digital age of bots and scalpers mass buying stuff online to resell at a premium, there are fears that the hotly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 will fall victim to scalping.
However, Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, has stated that the company will take all possible measures to help combat resellers and stock shortages, particularly since Nintendo has famously had such issues in the past.
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it was nearly impossible to get hold of a Switch console from official sellers, partly on account of manufacturing issues and partly on account of scalpers looking to price-gouge the console. It made sense that so many people wanted a Switch in 2020, with games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons offering a cosy reprieve from the mundane day-to-day of the COVID-19 lockdown. Scalpers took advantage of the market and were able to source Switch consoles in bulk to then sell on at inflated prices. Other consoles and PC parts also saw similar price-gouging, both as a result of parts shortages and manufacturing delays, but also because of bots mass-buying all the stock to resell at higher values.
With the recent developments in AI technology, scalping has only become more prevalent, especially with in-demand products and events. Some companies are attempting to combat scalpers, with one of the most common solutions being to implement a max. number of items per buyer. Nintendo haven’t actually said how they’ll tackle resellers so time will only tell whether they can successful minimise scalping and price-gouging.
There are estimations that Nintendo will sell between 15-17 million units in 2025 alone, so hopefully Nintendo is prepared and ready with a plentiful stock as this is one of the biggest counters to price-gouging.