Amazon’s annoying lack of Switch 2’s may be down to Nintendo re-sellers

I know, it’s difficult to stave off the Nintendo Switch 2 FOMO right now. Stock of the recently released handheld continues to pop up randomly online, but securing a Switch 2 on Amazon – especially in the United States – isn’t easy. The console’s enormous popularity isn’t the only factor seemingly in play, though, as Nintendo is reportedly withholding stock from the retailer.

Bloomberg reports that the Japanese company is allegedly blocking Nintendo Switch 2 units and other products from being available on Amazon US. As a result, it means that Amazon’s US arm isn’t part of the record-breaking sales the handheld is currently enjoying. While other parts of Amazon’s infrastructure in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan can sell customers Nintendo’s new portable gaming console, the United States is still struggling to be part of the wave.

Sources close to Bloomberg claim that Nintendo’s grievance is over “a disagreement over unauthorized sales,” implying that third-party sellers and resellers are part of the issue. Before the Nintendo Switch 2 took the world by storm, much of its pre-release hype included concerns about rising tariffs and price hikes in the United States and Canada.

Although Nintendo is managing to sell the console at its recommended retail price, some Amazon sellers are supposedly undercutting the Japanese gaming giant significantly. Bloomberg’s sources purport that “sellers were buying Nintendo products in bulk in Southeast Asia and exporting them to the US.”

Last year, reports of new Switch games pulled from Amazon worried players about playing titles such as Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In our research, Amazon sellers in the United Kingdom are pushing the Mario Kart World bundle beyond its $499.99/£429.99 price. In the wake of Switch 2 being harder to find, both companies offer a comment to Bloomberg.

An Amazon spokesperson says that “the claims made by Bloomberg regarding our relationship with Nintendo are inaccurate. Amazon is pleased to offer Nintendo products directly to our customers as part of our commitment to providing an exceptional shopping experience with the widest selection possible.” Meanwhile, Nintendo expresses, “there is no such fact. We do not disclose details of negotiations or contracts with retailers.”

Is there something bigger afoot, or is it all just crossed wires? Either way, good luck getting a Nintendo Switch 2.

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