Summary
- Physical retailers are worried about scalpers ahead of pre-orders opening for the Nintendo Switch 2.
- Retailers like Nojima can’t use the same methods as Nintendo which has access to user data.
- Nojima has asked its followers to suggest effective anti-scalping measures.
We are just ten days away from the beginning of Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in Japan and retailers are worried about scalpers. As with any product where demand could potentially outstrip supply, scalpers are ready to take advantage of consumers’ desperation to own a Nintendo Switch 2 on launch day.
Nintendo’s official store has already announced its anti-scalping measures: users who subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online for over a year and have at least 50 hours of play time on the console will be given priority in the pre-ordering process. This isn’t going to prevent all scalpers, but it’s certainly more effective than letting them have free rein over console pre-orders.
The Age-Old Battle
Nintendo can only employ these counter-measures because it has access to everyone’s data and accounts from the original Switch. Physical retailers don’t have the luxury of this data, and so will have to combat scalpers with their own methods. In fact, an electronics retailer in Japan has issued an open call to consumers, soliciting their advice on how to combat scalpers (thank you, Automaton).
The Japanese version of the Nintendo Switch 2 is region-locked, meaning it won’t work overseas.
In a series of posts on X, Nojima requested fans use a special hashtag to educate the retailer on the best ideas for stopping Nintendo Switch 2 scalpers. Automaton has translated several responses from Nintendo fans, who have a plethora of ideas on how to best combat scalping.
The ideas are wide-ranging: making customers sign a warranty, asking for identification and writing the buyer’s name on the box and even hosting a Nintendo trivia quiz. After all, if you can’t name all the Koopalings in order of their first appearance then do you really deserve to own that Switch 2?
Nojima is already employing unique counter-measures to foil scalpers. The retailer is planning to sell the Switch on an “invite-only” basis, and will be employing a lottery system to choose successful buyers.
Pre-orders for the Switch 2 are currently open in the United Kingdom, while the United States and Canada have been forced to wait due to the uncertainty created by Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Nintendo Switch 2
- Brand
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Nintendo
- Operating System
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Proprietary
- Storage
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256GB internal / MicroSD
- Resolution
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1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)