Nintendo is said to be planning to double the production of the Nintendo Switch to meet the massive demand for the hybrid console. However, a GameStop executive believes that the supply shortage for the Nintendo Switch will last for the rest of the year, well into the holiday shopping season.
With the massive supply shortage for the Nintendo Switch having no end in sight soon, scammers have started taking advantage of the demand for the hybrid console. Gamers should be careful on the deals that they see online for the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Switch Scammers Spotted On Amazon
As big retailers such as GameStop and Best Buy see their stocks of the Nintendo Switch being sold out almost immediately after being replenished, gamers have turned to other channels to be able to purchase the hybrid console. One such channel is on Amazon, where customers can purchase items either directly from Amazon or from third-party sellers.
A quick look through the listings for the Nintendo Switch reveal third-party sellers who are trying to sell the hybrid console for much more than its $300 price tag, which is understandable given how difficult it is to get stocks of the device. However, a look at the other end of the spectrum reveals several sellers listing the Nintendo Switch with a price tag of half its retail price, with some even selling the hybrid console for less than $100.
For unsuspecting customers, and perhaps also for overly desperate gamers, the chance to buy such a high-demand device for less than half its price is too good to pass up. However, if a deal is too good to be true, it likely is not a real one.
Most of the discovered listings for cheap Nintendo Switch bundles came from accounts that have had only a handful of reviews or even no reviews at all. This should be a red flag for customers, as it is likely that scammers only created these accounts to make a quick buck off of the demand for the Nintendo Switch and perhaps also created bogus reviews to make the listings seem more legitimate.
Avoid Scammers Online
The problem of scammers being able to post their imaginary wares online is not only found in Amazon, as various online selling websites are also experiencing such a problem. The Nintendo Switch, with its highly publicized supply shortage due to the massive demand for the device, just happens to be a prime product for scammers to use for their schemes.
As mentioned, if a deal seems too good to be true, it is probably a scam. If retailers were able to acquire units of the Nintendo Switch, why would they sell the hybrid console for less than half of its price when it is very likely that someone will purchase it for even more than its retail price?
Customers should be very careful in discerning which online accounts are legitimate sellers. Accounts that have just been opened and with only a few reviews should be avoided, though long-standing accounts with several reviews could still be scams if the last review was left a long time ago.