Scalpers Are Making A Killing In Japan With Nintendo Switch 2 On Launch Day

Japanese marketplace sites Mercari and Rakuma have been flooded with Nintendo Switch 2 listings from scalpers within minutes after the system officially launched in Japan.

As of June 5, 2025 2:00am Tokyo time, NintendoSoup found 19 sold listings on Mercari, and 7 sold listings on Rakuma. Not to mention, there are dozens of unsold listings that are expected to be bought up once the majority of the Japanese population wakes up in the morning.

Sold listings indicate that the Mario Kart World set fetches between 75,000 yen (USD525) to 85,000 yen (USD595), while the standalone set goes for 65,000 yen (USD455) to 75,000 yen (USD525). For comparison, the Japanese-Language Mario Kart World set and standalone console retails for 53,980 yen (USD378) and 49,980 yen (USD350) respectively. This is no doubt a huge profit for scalpers.

Some Japanese Nintendo fans have voiced their disappointment at the sheer number of listings by scalpers, and said that Nintendo’s measures have failed to combat scalping. It’s worth keeping in mind that while Mercari and Rakuma are cooperating with Nintendo to stop fraudulent listings, they did not agree to take down listings of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles that are in the seller’s possession.

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