Switch 2 listings on eBay: Be careful

As of this writing, we're about five hours away from the first midnight launch parties for the Switch 2 here in the United States. However, over on eBay, we identified more than 100 listings for the yet-to-be-released Switch 2 console.

Nintendo expects to sell 20 million Switch 2 units in the next year, but preorders have been very hard to come by for many gamers. (Check the latest stock ahead of the launch.) That can make eBay listings very tempting.

Most eBay listings for the console are priced between $650 and $750, which is a lot to ask considering that most of these sellers don't yet have the console in hand. Although the console has been released overseas in countries like Australia, the first units won't be released in the United States until 12:01 a.m. on June 5. For gamers waiting on delivery, it could take days or weeks for their console to arrive.

While some of the eBay sellers we identified are based in Australia, and thus may actually have the console, other U.S.-based sellers are only promising to sell the console after their "confirmed preorder" arrives. Some sellers are using alleged screenshots of Walmart and Target preorder confirmation pages or shipping tracking details. I know these listings can be tempting, but as Mashable's Tech Editor, I recommend purchasing through the retailers themselves.

Nintendo has actually taken steps to discourage this type of opportunism — at least, in Japan. In Nintendo's home country, the game company is working directly with third-party seller platforms like Mercari and Rakuten to ban Switch 2 listings after the launch, according to The Verge. Unfortunately, those plans don't include the United States.

I would be extremely skeptical of these listings, at least for now. The only Switch 2 units we know for certain have been delivered so far are review units, like the one received by Mashable earlier today.

So, while you can try your luck on eBay listings, we recommend exercising patience. Hopefully, once the console officially launches, retailers will have a steadier inventory available for sale. Plus, we never want to encourage hoarding and price gouging.

We reached out to eBay to ask if the early Switch 2 eBay listings violated any of their policies, and we'll update this post if we hear back. In the meantime, keep checking Nintendo and its official Switch 2 retailers to see if they have the console in stock yet:

• Nintendo

• Target

• Walmart

• GameStop

• Best Buy

• Costco