Although it launched on June 5, the Nintendo Switch 2 is still only being sold via lottery in Japan, which means you can’t just walk into a store and buy one. This huge demand has prompted a flood of Switch 2 consoles to hit online marketplaces like Mercari Japan over the past week.
Although price gouging and scalping have been widely criticized, Switch 2 listings and the frantic comments they attract from users desperate to get their hands on Nintendo’s latest console have attracted parody listings of… light switches.
It is not clear who had this “bright idea” first, but light switch-themed “Switch 2” listings have been popping up on Mercari Japan since last week. These feature wall-mounted double light switches, which can be loosely referred to as “Switch 2-ko” (literally “2 switches”) in Japanese — hence the joke. One troll made such a light switch from cardboard, listing it for 67,000 yen (approx. $465) under the title “Nintendo Switch 2 (Domestic/Japanese language version) Console,” and quipping in the description: “I have no idea how you are supposed to play it.”
Commenters on the listing have been going along with the joke, saying things like: “Please reduce the price to under 50,000 yen. I want a Switch 2-ko,” and even: “Do you have a Switch 3?”
The Switch 2 has become a hot resale commodity on online marketplaces in Japan, with demand driving the price up. This situation has drawn comparisons in the Japanese media to the country’s current rice shortage, which has led to sharp price increases and bare supermarket shelves as people rush to buy up rice when they can (source: JB Press). One commenter on the listing referenced this in a dramatic post: “For my daughter! I was going to buy a Switch 2 but I decided to stockpile rice! I gave up (on the Switch 2) to purchase suuuuper old rice!”
Parodies aside, there are also serious listings on Mercari Japan for “a couple of switches” that are popping up in people’s Switch 2 searches. This has caused some amusement on social media, like in the post below: “I was looking at Mercari thinking ‘Switch 2 is really getting resold,’ when I saw this and snorted.”
Switch2転売されてるなーってメルカリ眺めてたらこれあって鼻水出た pic.twitter.com/gCqN6LV1bZ
— 💚 白菊 💚 (@Shiragiku___) June 5, 2025
At the time of writing, Switch 2 consoles are being resold on Japanese online marketplaces at prices ranging from around 69,000 yen (approx. $479) to well over 120,000 yen (approx. $834). As part of its efforts against scalpers in cooperation with Nintendo, Mercari Japan has placed a cautionary note at the top of all Switch 2 listings on its site, warning users about price gouging and urging them to think carefully before they buy.
Globally, Switch 2 is a huge hit, selling 3.5 million units in just four days. That’s enough to make it the fastest-selling Nintendo hardware ever.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
