Nintendo fans are flooding eBay with fake Switch 2 listings to stop scalpers

28 April, 2025

Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo fans are fighting back against Switch 2 scalpers by flooding eBay with fake listings.

Pre-orders for the Switch 2 went live in the UK shortly after Nintendo’s hour-long Direct presentation at the start of the month. However, despite the company’s president Shuntaro Furukawa promising players that they won’t need to worry about stock shortages due to new anti-scalping measures, gamers are finding it tough to secure the bigger, more powerful console.

Big retailers such as Argos, Game, Smyths and Amazon have sold out of their allocations of the console while Nintendo is operating an invite-only system with strict requirements.

If that wasn’t frustrating enough, hundreds of Switch 2 listings have appeared on eBay, with scalpers charging more than £500 for the new console despite a RRP of £395.

However, Nintendo fans are fighting back. Over the past week, a number of fake listings have appeared on eBay with sellers offering a print out of a successful pre-order or a Wikipedia article about the console. These fake listings are designed to drag down the resale price of the Switch 2 and confuse the bots used by scalpers. 

“You are buying a NU notebook and a paper copy of the Wikipedia article on the Nintendo Switch 2 which will be printed in black and white on the day of purchase, NO RETURNS, NO REFUNDS, NO SCALPERS,” reads one listing. 

The same thing has happened in America after delayed pre-orders finally went live. 

Before the weekend, Nintendo fans were also reporting Switch 2 listings because, according to eBay’s own policies, all orders must be shipped within 40 days of purchase. However with the Switch 2 not releasing until June 5, every eBay listing would be against the rules. 

According to sales data, the Switch 2 could be the fastest selling console of all time. Recently Nintendo confirmed that a “significant number” of Japanese fans would miss out on the console after demand “far exceeded expectations” with 2.2million people signing up for the chance to buy one. 

In other news, Cult Of The Lamb’s publisher has revealed that someone in Vatican City bought a copy of the twisted roguelike game, one day before the funeral of Pope Francis.

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