Nintendo Switch Buying Guide: How To Avoid Scams, A Broken Heart And An Empty Wallet

By Edwin Kee
Nintendo Switch
Latest updates on Nintendo Switch

You have been on the hunt for the Nintendo Switch after all this while, but have not managed to pick up any. This has left you frustrated as your friends continue to drone on and on about how fantastic The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is, while you have absolutely no chance to play nice, and do not want to get the experience on a previous generation Wii U. It has led you down the path of desperation -- one where you begin to scour the Internet for Nintendo Switch sales which simply sound too good to be true.

Be careful when treading in that direction though. A cardinal rule of thumb when it comes to making purchases online? If it is too good to be true, it probably is. The Nintendo Switch has been one game console that has continued to fly off the shelves the moment new stock arrives, pretty much in the same vein as that of the NES Classic Edition that has since been seen going up to triple the recommended retail price on places like Amazon, where third parties make a killing by selling these extremely limited units in the open market.

How about the Nintendo Switch? It looks like Amazon Marketplace Sellers have begun to make available the Nintendo Switch at unbelievable prices, ranging from the dirt cheap to the recommended retail price, or even to make a quick profit off the less patient. However, one startling pattern has emerged: money has exchanged hands, but the orders have not materialized. Do take note that the fault does not like with Amazon or most of the Marketplace Sellers who are honest, but unscrupulous folk who do not mind scamming a buyer who might be wet behind the ears.

How to identify a scammer
The million dollar question remains: How do I differentiate between a scammer and an honest seller? There are no hard and fast rules to adhere to here, but there are several general steps to take, and above all, make use of your common sense.

If you are already in the market for something, do your homework. You would most probably know the general market price of the Nintendo Switch. If an Amazon Marketplace Seller has a Nintendo Switch which is way too cheap compared to the other listings, that is a red alert.

Always refer the launch date for the seller. Assuming the seller is a newly created account, accompanied by a price point that is way too low compared to the market price, this should be another sign to get your alarm bells ringing in your head.

Customer reviews can be rigged, so do pay extra attention to those. Reading through the customer reviews will give you a gist of an idea on how the seller’s performance has been, and with experience, you can tell which reviews have been “rigged”, and which aren’t. Try to avoid sellers with more bad reviews than good, and of course, be careful with those who do not even have a single review to their name.

Most of the time, those who have been scammed experience a 1 to 2 week delay in shipping of the Nintendo Switch. This is the golden window of opportunity for the scammers to run away with as much money as possible before they “disappear”. Hopefully these tips will be able to help you in the hunt for the elusive Nintendo Switch.

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