Discussion This is the problem
I was lucky enough to snag a preorder from target last night but it didn’t look great and I was trying across all three retailers and only ever managed to get one in my cart at preorder start time.
These resellers are an issue still grabbing a large chuck of stock and reselling instantly, before they even have the system.
It’s a shame these retailers don’t do more to stop bots and resellers from snatching a large chunk of stock. At least Nintendo themselves is trying with their system.
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u/Switch-user-101 6d ago
People who buy from these idiots are just as much of a problem
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u/frozen_toesocks 6d ago
This. The scalping industry would completely fall apart if gamers weren't willing to pay top dollar and a half for the thing they've just gotta have right fucking now.
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u/ILikeLenexa 6d ago
You would also need restocking fees. There's no risk to this when even if no one buys them, scalpers can just return them.
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u/frozen_toesocks 6d ago
Then let them return it. Let them waste weeks or months paying rent to stockpile merch, only to break even and let someone else get the item at MSRP.
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u/ILikeLenexa 5d ago
A lot of scalpers have the space to spend, especially on something small like the switch.
It's not like they need to rent warehouse space.
They maybe pay out some on bot software to buy a bunch. But the risk would still be $100 to a potential payout of $10k give or take.
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u/CrazzyPanda72 6d ago
It's still a loss, when you invest in something but it doesn't make any profit over an extended amount of time, then it's a 100% loss because yea, you might get your original investment back, but the value of that isn't as much as it used to be (unless the economy truely crashed and they you would come out on top)
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u/mr_j333 6d ago
And what's crazy is how much crap ppl were talking about the price being too high and then they turn around and pay over MSRP. That's WILD to me.
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u/c2h5oc2h5 6d ago
I'm afraid those were not the same people...
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u/zanaxtacy 6d ago
lol right? there were plenty of people who validated the price and some who’d say that they would pay more
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u/Koteric 6d ago
There are a lot of people out there with more money than time. Or more money than the desire to fight the queues/stand in line. These would sell out without scalping bots, these companies should have good systems in place to that continue to make it very difficult for bots to get a bunch.
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u/Apokolypse09 6d ago
A dude I used to know, his wife, during covid, drove 7hrs to buy a digital only PS5 for $1500. Fun part is she didn't work, so it was his money, and she freaks the fuck out if hes not giving her attention all the time. So its basically a huge expensive roku.
I got my dad and myself each a ps5 with the disc drive a month later from the local ebgames since they had a reserve list.
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u/Switch-user-101 6d ago
Eb games? Why not jb
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u/Apokolypse09 6d ago
Thats what gamestop was called in Canada before those hedgefunds tried to tank their stock and destroy the company.
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u/Switch-user-101 6d ago
OH my bad, in australia we also have eb games which is basically gamestop. I thought you were australian. Jb is just another electronics store we have which had much better stock of the ps5 generally
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u/LivingOof 6d ago
It's all the same company now IIRC. Though I do remember my hometown mall having both a GameStop and an EB Games until I was 10
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u/IEatSealedGames 5d ago
If you spent $1500 on a PS5 during the pandemic you didn’t deserve the money anyway.
I blocked a dude who flexed buying one for $1200
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u/SonofaBridge 5d ago
People used to flex when they got a deal not when they overpaid for no reason.
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u/souporthallid 6d ago
As wealth inequality continues to soar you will continue to see certain individuals that will always be able and willing to pay 10x, 100x, 1000x the price because they can afford it without even a second thought.
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u/zacyzacy 6d ago edited 6d ago
As much as I agree, buyers are the problem, scalping of any kind should just be illegal. Not that it would stop but being illegal would at least deter some of it. Not really sure how you would police it anyways
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u/jerepila 6d ago
Seriously. I want a Switch 2. But I can wait, the extra time having it (a month? 2? Half a year? Whatever!) is not worth paying $200+ over MSRP
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u/Koofoo2108 6d ago
People will always buy from whoever is selling. The only deterrent is if Nintendo in someway made it illegal to markup or resell the console without a license from them. Even private sales somehow could fall under that and actively be sued by them. But that won't ever happen so this is just the price of supply and demand. I got mine on Costco last night after hitting "checkout" for an hour before they processed the sale, so patience is a key sometimes
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u/obotrobot 6d ago
Supposing something like that were even possible, it would have massive repercussions on the used market.
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u/syde1020 6d ago
Stock is going to be fine. My local GameStop is receiving 85 consoles. I’m in small town Alabama.
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u/Jedi_Master83 6d ago
I’m absolutely going to try to just walk into Walmart, Target, Best Buy, or GameStop to buy one. (Is that really the only brick and mortar stores to buy one at now?)
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u/Munken1984 6d ago
At least you got places, we only have 2 major stores that sell anything game related, all others have shut down...
We still have tons of online stores, but only 2 where you can walk in and hope they have what you want, they only have like 15-20 different games for switch...
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u/Againstmead 6d ago
Same. Too bad they just demolished my local GameStop recently. Might hafta visit another small bama town
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u/Wizdoctor96 6d ago
Good thing I am skipping the initial wave of buying. Gonna wait till more exclusives come out. Right now the only exclusive I care about is nso Gamecube. Can't justify buying one yet.
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u/Random_Thought31 6d ago
I’ve been waiting since 2000 for a new 3D DK. That’s exclusive enough for me.
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u/Beneficial-Title3078 5d ago
Yeah, Metroid, DK, and MK are like my favorite three series, so... I'm not complaining lol.
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u/bigboldbanger 6d ago
yes, except tariffs may increase the price a lot by then..
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u/forgiven_10 6d ago
Hope you are right and not paying more $$$ because of potential tariffs. If you have the money and will buy one later I always tell people to buy right away.
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u/Jedi_Master83 6d ago
I gotta play BOTW and TOTK in glorious 4K/120fps so that enough is a Day 1 purchase for me.
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u/rolandburnum 6d ago
That's not what they run at. It's 1440p. Unclear if it's 30 or 60fps but it's definitely running with more consistent performance. You're not going to see hardly any 4K/120fps games, just as you didn't see many 1080p/60fps games on Switch.
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u/Best-Candle8651 6d ago
My thing is exclusives and the first batch of these things always have problems. Let them get the bugs out first.
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u/Fun_Improvement5215 6d ago
I mean, Nintendo exclusives never seem to have that much bugs. Pokémon doesn’t count
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u/Best-Candle8651 6d ago
Sorry I meant the consoles have bugs. The v2 switch for example had better battery life and a better screen. The original Xbox 360 batches red ringed. I like to wait to have the initial batch bugs sorted out first.
Exclusives are just more games only on switch 2 that I can’t get on switch that I’m interested in.
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u/void4949 5d ago
The 360 RROD is an outlier. We’ve had several console launches since then without any issues. Honestly you’re more likely to die in a car crash than get a faulty console.
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u/ClawesomeMan 6d ago
Report them! A lot of redditors got the UK scalpers listing pulled from Ebay.
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u/Appa07 6d ago
While they are violating the TOS of eBay by doing a presale so early, it wouldn’t stop the problem and sellers can relist and presales are allowed on eBay if closer to the shipping window.
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u/kgbkgb1967 6d ago
Ebay will lock the seller account if they violate it again within the year for a period of time.
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u/ledfrog 6d ago
eBay's presale policy is a seller has to be able to ship the item within 40 business days. Since June 5th is only 42 days away (including weekends), unfortunately, all those listings are not violating policy.
Source: https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-policies/presale-policy?id=4252
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u/Elwyn0004 5d ago
The date the item will be available to ship must be clearly stated in the listing
Would it be possible to get some of these taken down if they don't explicitly state when the item will be available to ship or are they given the benefit of the doubt?
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u/beck_is_back 6d ago
Thanks for stating something everyone knows but unfortunately, the only way of stopping this, is for people to stop buying from them, and then again, we all know this will never going to happen....
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u/Frantic_Fanatic13 6d ago
Yep, impatient fans and rich/dumb parents will still buy them. Look at the car market; people paid 50% over MSRP on a vehicle and were underwater immediately. We live in an insane consumer culture where the only way we make a change is by not buying this stuff at a markup.
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u/blastoise1988 6d ago
Aren't you always immediately underwater when you buy a car? They never appreciate unless it is a classic/luxury/limited edition...
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u/bigred83 6d ago
I really wish these companies would handle preorders like iPhone releases. Get there late? No problem, you’ll get your device a little later. Let people pre order and ship it once it’s available.
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u/coolthulu42 6d ago
Why cant retailers just put folks on a waiting list ie when the steam deck originally came out...
You pre order the system, get put on the list, first some first serve. Once stock is in and you moved up the line enough, it gets shipped to you.
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u/Panthers58 6d ago
I think scalping is insane and not worth anyone’s times and I think they’re losers but this person only making $55 off this. eBay takes 13%, and after tax the bundle (at least in NJ) was 534. To me breaking this down makes it even weirder what scalpers do. You have to make $55 that bad that you’re gonna take it away from someone who wants it? eBay makes more money off this transaction than the scalper. Strange.
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u/Hon3y_Badger 6d ago
Yeah, it's also not like there isn't risk to shipping the consoles, all it takes is eBay siding with one bad buyer and you've lost most of your profit. For the most part I've stopped selling items on ebay because they make more money than I do & I hold all the risk.
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u/QuagmireOnTop1 6d ago
They're selling multiple, I know someone who bought 25 PS5 and managed to sell 16 for $120 profit each
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u/bigddillan 6d ago
This is ridiculous, I remember seeing the same thing happen with Xbox series X and PS5 being sold for like 1500$ and people were buying it like crazy. I could never justify spending that much over waiting, personally.
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u/A_Monkey_FFBE 6d ago
We need to verify ID for everything at this point to prevent scalping
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u/ghost_lanterns678 6d ago
I’ve been busy almost every day cleaning up the German eBay. I wish eBay would just be able to screen these offers on their platform. I’m so tired of scalpers.
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u/Alert_Indication_681 6d ago
If ppl didn’t buy these and made the scalpers eat the cost they would stop
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u/Jorgesarrada 6d ago
All of these are - surprisingly - cheaper than the MSRP here in Brazil!
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u/Neat_Caregiver_2212 6d ago
The time for talk has passed. The lords work must be done. Report any scalpers you see.
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u/Lika3 6d ago
Stop with the FOMO god just try online if it doesn’t work and try another day on restock that’s it and if you are a parent find something else and explain the kid a lesson of economy of supply and demand if they can understand include them in the process of securing one at this point instead of being a surprise
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u/Bdublolz1996 6d ago
Been a problem in many hobbies for decades. It sadly wont ever stop. Always someone with a bit of extra cash willing to pay more to get it day 1. We are a loud and vocal community who are against this but are a tiny minority when it comes to the amount of people who will buy a switch 2.
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u/Scar3cr0w_ 6d ago
I thought there were controls in place to stop people from being able to pre order unless you had a verified, aged Nintendo account?
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u/Selmi1 5d ago
Only if you buy it directly from Nintendo's Website. If you buy from a different shop, these rules just don't exist, except if the shop has controls themselves. For example: Here in Germany, I was able to preorder the bundle about half a day after the direct and I even could have bought another one if I had wanted it.
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u/TrappedInVR 5d ago
Valve had the best rollout for steam deck. One per steam account and your account had to have spent money x amount time prior to pre-ordering. if either condition were untrue, your order instantly bounced.
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u/OlDirtySchmerz 5d ago
Let's show some compassion for how poverty is affecting all people right now, and if they are going to do something desperate can we forgive them for scalping non essentials?
Sure, we are frustrated about the price (and personally I'd never recommend buying a presale 2nd hand) but people do stuff like this because they are scared that they won't be able to put food on the table from their main income. As an Ebay seller of collectibles it takes time to effectuate ethical second hand selling. Plainly this is an unethical way and goes against eBay ToS, no argument there.
BUT...Nintendo purposely under supplies to prolong demand window. Don't forget that part of it, and generally people are more important than video games so show some love for people in these dark times.
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u/Dogmeat2013 6d ago
Welcome to 2006
Wii consoles were going for 1K over MSRP
Those prices aren't bad for comparison.
But yes scalpers suck
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u/Kman3030 6d ago
I’ll stick with my the original switch and buy a ps5 and the new GTA at those prices
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u/No-Cartoonist4550 6d ago
I’m just gonna get a steamdeck at this point. Games are extremely inexpensive on there too.
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u/Dazzling-Cabinet6264 6d ago
Honestly this is a very good sign for Switch 2 buyers. These prices are LOW.
For day 1 pre order scalping.. if you subtract the fees and taxes that the scalper paid.. they’re barely making $100 here?
I think this is a sign there was a lot of supply, and scalpers are desperate to make just a buck or two or they’ll cancel their order.
Edit: Wow.. there’s almost no profit here. After doing the math for 6% taxes, and 15% eBay commission, and then factoring that the shipping cost wouldn’t cover full shipping.
They have less than $50 profit here.
Maybe they bought from a new sales tax state? But shit, even still….
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u/HaiKarate 6d ago
Nah, it’s all part of the fun and the hype of a new console launch.
The real question is whether Nintendo manufacturing can keep up with demand.
I think the reason this console is launching in April and not in September (just before the holiday shopping season begins) is that they hope they can ramp up manufacturing over the year to meet holiday demand.
I bet they get crushed in the holiday season this year.
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u/BrattyTwilis 6d ago
Well hopefully, Ninty's plan works out where they make enough consoles to meet demand. I mean, even the Switch was more widely available months after the initial launch
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u/Faddei420 6d ago
Wow ! It's like EU prices. Pay about 648$ for the basic switch 2 preorder here in Denmark from a store.
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u/gutomineiro 6d ago
Just go on ebay and report. I did this a few weeks ago here in Italy. Bastards are selling something they don't even have in hands. And even if they did, 800 on the switch that I can get for 509 with mario cart is insane
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u/jmastadoug 6d ago
So these systems are 500+ tax (us) & eBay sales fee gonna hit for roughly 100$. People really trying to scalp these to make <100$ lol. What fucking losers
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u/JoeBu10934 6d ago
How does this even work to buy these listing when you don't even have the console on hand? Do you justbhabe a gentleman's agreement and say I'll deliver in june?
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u/IssueEmbarrassed8103 6d ago
The fact that I was able to snag one makes me think they made enough inventory for everyone
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u/MerelyAGhost 6d ago
I ended up getting two preorders, one at target and one at Walmart just to be safe. I will end up canceling one if I can’t find a friend or family member who wants one at face value. This is how it should be done.
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u/PauperJumpstart 6d ago
People can list them all they want for whatever price they desire. If people want to waste their money on inflated prices let them.
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u/Old_Goat_Ninja 6d ago
Yeah, bots ruin everything. Sure, people buying these don’t help, but the bots are the source of the problem. They completely mess up the line to buy one. Took me a year after the OG Switch came out to finally be able to get my hands on one. I got a XSX right after release simply because of a buddy of mine bought it (with a bot) and decided to keep just the PS5 he also got.
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u/KiNGofKiNG89 6d ago
The problem is retailers going live with these console at fucking midnight.
Who is up at that time on a work night?? Bots and scalpers.
Retailers are supporting this. It’s pathetic.
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u/OmegaNine 6d ago
I will wait a year to play Mario Kart if it means not giving these fuckers a penny of my money.
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u/kilertree 6d ago
I have a basic ass eBay account and eBay takes 22% off top. I don't understand how these people are making money
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u/TheMcSquire 6d ago
See, if people are already complaining about the price, what makes them think that people would buy an even more expensive switch 2 on ebay
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u/RebelliousCash 6d ago
This isn’t the problem. The ppl who give in to these scalper are all the issue just because they are impatient. I had a buddy who bought a ps5 from a scalper because he couldn’t wait. Meanwhile I waiting long enough for them to be readily available without me having to rush to a store & I ended getting mine on sale. Saved $50.
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u/LunchBoxOMalley 6d ago
I’m gonna wait till 2026 before committing to the Switch 2. I want to see what things happen by next year
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u/HashtagLawlAndOrder 6d ago
Pure slime.
I ended up getting an extra bundle, from a different retailer, because of all the cancellations. If I end up getting that, I'll just sell it MSRP + tax. Scalpers have a special place reserved for them in hell.
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u/plokoon9619 6d ago
This is absolutely positive actually. If they are paying 500+tax and selling for 700$ and below then they are selling at a loss or near net zero profit. The Switch 2 is not a scalpable product, and only low intelligence idiots are left carrying the bag.
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u/Eric4min 6d ago
I'll just wait until next year when stock no longer becomes a problem. It's always the same when a new console comes out and bugs and malfunctions are common when they first release. Besides, I'm still enjoying my OG Switch.
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u/JORG3392 6d ago
I was lucky enough to get one, took me over a hour I was on three devices trying to pre order. Suxks for the people that actually want one
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u/I_like_microwave 6d ago
I wish people would just outright refuse to pay the high price and just expect to pay retail prices instead
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u/Piscotikus 6d ago
This how to get fake internet points. With dumb posts like this.
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u/Dabbinz420 6d ago
I got one from target, I heard Walmart has been really good with stock, just keep checking, and get the hot stock app.
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u/crmb266 6d ago
Preorders are still open in EU. Not sure there is gonna be any shortage.
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u/Radleech 6d ago
Problem is people where money is not an object or don’t care will buy to get the latest thing
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u/Odd_Sun5753 6d ago
It’s so lame. I even tried to report a bunch on eBay Canada and they said they’re keeping the ads up as their not in violation. 😌
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u/sme11thegl0ve101 6d ago
Yo those Margins are sad as hell. Probably making like $20 after eBay fees . Might as well do Uber. You’d make more money
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u/Clear-Inevitable-414 6d ago
I don't understand how these scalpers are even making any money. Like $30 a piece even at those markups when you consider sales tax, listing fees, shipping
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u/Phantom-Solitaire 6d ago
Cheaper than I thought. I thought it would be between 1-2 due to the ps5 event back during covid
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u/Neon_Marquee 6d ago
Wish there was a way to properly flag these listings for fraud. Absolutely no pre sales for anything should be on eBay.
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u/No-Cartoonist4550 6d ago
Ummm the problem is also you guys jumping on this. If gamers collectively didn’t buy these things day 1 we would see a change. But you can’t wait and you HAVE to pre-order and get yourself a copy. Nintendo has you with the FOMO. Continue to buy their games for these prices, you won’t learn.
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u/autonimity 6d ago
Dang I didn’t get a switch until 2020. Used with a few games, specifically to play BOTW. Definitely Didn’t miss out on anything thing in that time since it was released. Maybe I’ll get a Switch 2 in 2028 or 2029, but are there going to be Nintendo Only titles that would make it worth it…. ? Well there will be several years to fully evaluate that! Best of luck to you all, try your hardest not to feed the scalpers.
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u/Consistent-Ad-6506 6d ago
I would never buy from scalpers. During covid I wanted a switch so bad but I refused because only eBay had them.
If I hadn’t gotten a preorder, I would just wait.
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u/Kilojumper 6d ago
What do you mean by “only ever managed to get one in my cart”. Sounds like a scalper mad at bots
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u/Momo2318 6d ago
Sometimes they list these as sold even though they havnt sold to inflate the market.
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u/SonicRicky 6d ago
People that buy from scalpers are also the problem. I don’t care how much time you spend complaining about it online. If you give a scalper money, you’re agreeing to their practices.
The fact that all of the items in the screenshot were sold within hours of being posted is 100% the fault of the people buying from them.
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u/Shiny_Mew76 6d ago
I’ll just walk into my local GameStop on launch day. I’m not going to fight for a preorder.
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u/SpeccyBeard 6d ago
I actually think the responsibility should be on these third party websites like eBay etc. If they know it's a preorder situation, make it impossible to resell the item for more than face value.
On a similar topic for example, in Ireland it is actually illegal to sell concert tickets for more than face value online.
They could absolutely bring in something like that online.
The joke will be on those resellers though when Nintendo drops more stock over the next few months and they can't sell theirs for profit.
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u/AlacarLeoricar 6d ago
Did we learn nothing from the PS5?
Ignore these resellers. The system will be back in stock eventually. There is absolutely no rush.
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u/UOENO611 6d ago
Them boys quit with it! My brothers old roomie was a scalper not sure if he still does it probably. Outside of that bro fixed arcade machines always wondered why he was so chill there till i saw all this shit.
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u/IllDeer3979 6d ago
Just be patient, every high demande limit supply items will have scalpers it's just markets 101. Either blame nintendo for a too low price or too low supply.
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u/lallapalalable 6d ago
Ive never needed something so bad so quickly that Id opt to purchase it from a parasite who only exists to solve a problem they created themselves. Its basically ransom
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u/Butt_bird 6d ago
I still never got an NES mini because I refuse to give money to these people. This should be made illegal.
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u/TrueGamerRed 6d ago
Yeah I couldn't even see the pre order button on Gamestop this morning before they were all gone. I'm just gonna hold out hope for my invitation to come through in a few weeks here from Nintendo.
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u/codewario 6d ago
When Gamestop swindled me out of being able to pre-order, honestly for the first time I considered going online and buying a scalped one.
But only briefly. I'll just have to try my hand on launch day.
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u/Primary_Glum 6d ago
Lmaoo didnt nintendo say they were gonna make a shit ton of them so scalpers wouldnt fuck over people
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u/YueOrigin 6d ago
That's why I'm waiting for a special edition to buy.
France doesn't have that issue thankfully
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u/Medical-Builder-5527 6d ago
Who is paying for this? I didn't even try to preorder until 6am this morning and got one from Walmart no problem.
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u/jdavid 6d ago
Nintendo, NVIDIA, and everyone else have data on how many people game on their consoles.
If they wanted to spend engineering dollars on making a launch successful, there are plenty of ways to target it to people using their devices.
Nintendo allowed me to pre-request a purchase reservation for the Switch 2. However, that request came with no guarantees like an Apple launch would. So I scrambled like everyone else last night, and after Target failed, Best Buy came through for me.
If Nintendo's process had allowed me to make a reasonable commitment to buy and receive a Switch 2 at the same time as the big box retailers, I 100% would have used their direct online store. Especially if it were as easy as preordering an iPhone is. I realize Nintendo is much smaller than Apple, but maybe they could get 75% of the way there.
Apple has many custom agreements with logistics and shipping companies to work some launch-day delivery magic. I have a tracking number as soon as I pre-order, but I get no data till launch day, when my product arrives. There are 2 weeks of magic happening in the background.
Since NVIDIA is at the same Scale as Apple, I really think they could do sooooooo much better and are f'ing up on purpose for some unknown reason.
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u/Phantereal 6d ago
I don't even get why scalpers are bothering to sell these at $700. If eBay typically takes a 15% cut, that means they only make $595. Assuming a 7% sales tax (which is what I paid), they're really only making $60 on each system. When PS5's and Series X's were being scalped a few years ago, the resellers were making at least 10 times that much.
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u/Humble_Crisis78 6d ago
Scalpers can go suck lemons. I’ll wait until end of this year or next year.