Despite some notable concerns around pricing for the Switch 2, folks are nevertheless anxious about the impact that scalping may have on the upcoming console launch.
Scalpers have been a plague on recent console releases, buying systems at their RRP before flogging them online at severely inflated values; a practice made exponentially worse should the console in question be hard to come by.
We have our hopes that the Switch 2 will be relatively easy to find come 5th June 2025, but Nintendo itself is making sure that only the most passionate fans will be able to get their hands on one – at least directly through My Nintendo Store in the UK. Prospective owners will need to prove they’ve been subscribed to Switch Online for at least 2 consecutive years, have played Switch 2 games for a substantial amount of time, and be opted-in to receive marketing emails from Nintendo.
One retailer in Japan, however, is seemingly envious of Nintendo’s ability to filter out the bad actors and wants to implement its own method of combating scalpers. In a recent post on social media (thanks, Automaton), Nojima Online is asking the public for their best ideas in potentially filtering out the scalpers from the genuine Switch 2 customers.
It’s had several decent responses, too. User ‘tatuya’ says “make customers show identification, open the instruction manual, the inside of the box, protective plastic, etc., and write their names on it”, while ‘千葉すずスロウン’ highlights a few potential ideas, including selling the console out of the case, making customers sign a warranty in their name, and actually quiz customers on their Nintendo knowledge.
Meanwhile, user Fuji says that customers should have to state what it is about the Switch 2 that makes them want to buy it. We feel it would be pretty easy to fudge this question, but we admire the effort regardless.
Hopefully, there will be enough Switch 2 consoles out in the wild that we won’t even have to worry about scalpers ruining everyone’s fun. If you’re concerned, however, then make sure you check out our full pre-order guide and make an informed decision on your own purchase sooner than later.
