Like a plague of gnats hovering around your face on a hot summer's day, or the tidal wave of noisy pop-up ads found on modern tabloid websites, scalpers are once again refusing to go away.
Earlier this week saw the announcement of a brand new Switch, the Switch OLED model, and with pre-orders starting to appear at a number of retailers, some folk have decided to gobble up an order to sell on for profit.
A quick search on eBay reveals several listings that promise to pass on a pre-order once it's been sent out to the seller this October. Some are hoping for a relatively small gain – like this one that's trying to sell the £309.99 machine for £350 plus postage – but some are, well…
Our favourite scalper listing so far is this wonderfully opportunistic effort from a seller in Wigan, UK. The listing shows what is supposedly a confirmed £309.99 pre-order from UK retailer GAME, and asks any potential buyer to hand over the low, low sum of £800 to make it their own. What makes it even worse (or better?) is that you have to travel to Wigan to collect it from the seller in-person. That'd be fun.
Obviously, we'd advise you to avoid buying a Switch OLED from random eBay sellers trying to make a profit – pre-orders are available from stores at the standard retail price, and some stores are yet to even open up their listings. If you're wondering whether or not the new Switch OLED might be for you, feel free to check out our buyer's guide to see how it might – or might not – suit your needs.
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