Just over a week before the Nintendo Switch 2 release date, June 5th, the Japanese gaming giant is taking measures to ensure that fans can get their hands on the console for a fair price, or at least give them the best chance of doing so. Nintendo released a statement today, May 27th, announcing initiatives to prevent “fraudulent” listings of its new products on third-party sites. In other words, Nintendo aims to tackle scalpers on popular marketplace sites in Japan.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders were pretty hectic, causing retailer sites to crash, and we’ve seen reports of a disappointing number of orders being canceled just weeks ahead of launch day.

Nintendo partners with Japanese marketplaces

The statement released by Nintendo earlier today addresses three popular marketplaces, labeled “flea market sites,” in Japan: Mercari, Yahoo!, and Rakuten Rakuma. Yahoo! Auction has already issued a statement to outright prohibit sales of the console for an indefinite amount of time.

Nintendo says that these marketplaces will “proactively remove listings” that are seen to violate their respective terms of use. Much like the US, Switch 2 pre-orders caused havoc in Japan, so it’s nice to see Nintendo trying to tackle scalpers that will no doubt aim to resell the highly anticipated console at an inflated price.

The problem is, many scalpers have likely already reserved their new consoles. We’ve already seen eBay listings showing up in the U.S. soon after launch, though one Redditor was determined to take them all down. Yahoo! Shopping in Japan has issued an unusual warning to customers, asking them to “stay calm” during the Switch 2 release. Japanese outlet Game*Spark reports that the retailer warns against breaking guidelines, such as listing products that are not in stock.

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Charlie Noon

Charlie is the Affiliate manager for PC Guide. He has a vast understanding of most PC hardware and consumer essentials, using his knowledge to provide the best products and the biggest deals.