Nintendo partners with third-party websites to stop Switch 2 scalpers


It is as inevitable as a sunrise that in the hours after the Switch 2 launch next week, third-party sites like eBay will be filled with listings for the new console. But in Japan, Nintendo has announced a new partnership with Japanese third-party retail sites to combat fraudulent Switch 2 listings.
Mercari, Yahoo Auctions and Yahoo Flea Market, and Rakuten Rakuma are the participating websites that will, according to a machine translation of Nintendo’s announcement, “proactively remove listings” and establish “a collaborative system for sharing information.” Nintendo says only “fraudulent listings” that violated the sites’ terms of service agreement would be targeted for removal.
In a translated statement on Yahoo Japan’s website, the retailer stated that there will be a probationary period for the Switch 2 starting June 5th in which Yahoo Japan will remove listings for the console or suspend the accounts selling them. According to Yahoo Japan, it will revise the probationary period as necessary.
Scalpers are the bane of any console launch. Bots flood online buying queues to snap up units before real humans can click “Add to cart.” Bot users then take advantage of consumer FOMO by listing consoles for exorbitant prices. Meanwhile, other sellers use deception to trick people into buying what they think is a console but is actually a picture of a box or some other worthless item. (Anti-scalpers would later use a version of this practice for the Switch 2.)
Hopefully, Nintendo’s plan with third-party sites in Japan works well enough to expand it to other regions.
It is as inevitable as a sunrise that in the hours after the Switch 2 launch next week, third-party sites like eBay will be filled with listings for the new console. But in Japan, Nintendo has announced a new partnership with Japanese third-party retail sites to combat fraudulent Switch 2…
Recent Posts
- Not Just Any Prime Day Deals, 220 Obsessively Tested Picks—even $1,200 off an OLED TV
- Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025 as it happened – the new Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Watch 8 are here
- The Bezos-funded climate satellite is lost in space
- Samsung’s big folding phone redesign is a breath of fresh air in a sea of AI-first phone launches
- The best 4K TV deals during Prime Day 2025
Archives
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022