Beware: Switch 2 Listings On Amazon Are Likely Either Scammers or Scalpers

Since then, the system has been listed on Amazon by numerous third parties, with individual sellers (i.e., scalpers) attempting to pawn off the console for more than its official MSRP. What caused many to assume these latest pages were finally legit is that they were listed at the system’s regular price.

However, as reported by ZDNet, several indicators suggest that these listings are likely not from Amazon proper. First off, Nintendo hasn’t listed Amazon as an official retail partner in the US; the official partners are still only Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and GameStop.

As for this $499.99 listing that’s been passed around, the product description is a single massive block of text that’s riddled with typos and strange formatting, like the following: “Connect with friends and family with GameChat Once [random capitalized letter] GameChat*** is setp [sic] up.” And then there’s the reviews. The page currently sits at a 1.7/5 rating, with only one positive review and several accusing the seller of being a scalper. As for the positive review, ZD Net did a reverse image search on the pictures listed and found that they were previously used in a different Switch 2 review. Basically, it seems the scalper reviewed their own page while using an image from elsewhere.

The $449.99 listing looks more legit, with a higher user rating of 4.5/5. However, looking at the comments, one user wrote “Do not buy! This is not a international version, this is a hongkong [sic] chinese version. There’s no doubt this is a scam, that“s [sic] why it is cheap. (Reginal [sic] version is cheaper than global international version).” Several other comments in Spanish indicate they received Hong Kong versions. While we haven’t directly confirmed that what these users are saying is accurate and that this is the Hong Kong version of the system, if it is, the scalper would be able to list it for $449.00 and still sell it at a profit, as the Hong Kong version costs less than its international counterpart.

Basically, the short of it is that you probably shouldn’t buy the Nintendo Switch 2 from Amazon: while it’s possible you could get a real Switch, it’s equally, if not more likely you could get swindled. If you want to play it safe, make sure you purchase from one of the retailers Nintendo listed here.