Nintendo has now opened pre-orders for Switch 2 in the US, and it’s been as chaotic as you’d expect. Numerous retailers sold out of their allocation almost instantly, while customers report having confirmed orders later cancelled, and – as with elsewhere – there simply does not seem to be enough stock to meet demand.
Over on eBay, the predictable wave of US Switch 2 pre-order resales has now begun. The same happened here in the UK earlier this month.
Sold listings seen by Eurogamer show numerous people have now paid nearly double the console’s recommended retail price ($449, or $499 with Mario Kart World) to secure a console.
But something else is also going on too. As spotted by IGN, a small handful of fans have begun posting fake Switch 2 listings to flood eBay with offers for… a picture of a Nintendo Switch 2 printed on a piece of paper.
These fake listings are clearly labelled within their description as something no human should pay $500 or more for. Instead, these have been created to make identifying the real scalpers more difficult, and it is meant to confuse bots scouring eBay stock.
eBay is flooded with Switch 2 scalpers and… people fighting back against scalpers by making fake listings at retail price
very interesting. I’ve never seen this kind of thing before.[image or embed]
— Nintendeal (@nintendeal.com) April 24, 2025 at 6:54 AM
“Please note: You are ordering a picture of the Nintendo Switch 2,” one seller wrote. “This listing is to combat bots and scalpers. No refunds. You will receive an png image of a switch 2. No console.”
“This is just a printed photo of the Nintendo Switch 2 to prevent scalpers and/or bots,” wrote another. “Once again if you buy this, you will only be receiving a printed photo of the Nintendo switch 2 in an envelope via mail!!! DO NOT BUY!!!!!!”
“Do not, I repeat DO NOT BUY this unless you are a bot or just wish to donate $550 to me,” wrote a third. “I will be shipping a laser printed image of the switch 2 mario kart world bundle and that will be all you get. NO REFUNDS. NO. REFUNDS. NO REFUNDS. You will NOT BE REFUNDED you will be receiving the picture whether you like it or not.”
You get the gist.
Switch 2 stock looks like it will be limited at launch worldwide, but particularly in Japan, where Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa revealed an astonishing 2.2 million people had applied to buy a Switch 2, a number that “far exceeds the number of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles that can be delivered” at launch.