Scalpers are always at risk whenever something new and coveted is released. Be it consoles, games or TCG packs, these vultures swoop in first, buy them in bulk and sell them at inflated prices. This appears to be a major problem with physical copies of video games in Japan, as Yahoo Auctions has introduced a new feature to thwart scalpers.
All newly released games sold on Yahoo Auctions and Yahoo Flea Market in Japan are capped at MSRP. This will make it impossible for scalpers to make money from these games by charging exorbitant amounts. The scalping issue exploded after the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, and Yahoo has finally addressed the issue.
Yahoo has found a simple solution to scalping in Japan.
In a recent statement (thanks, VGC), Yahoo announced that it would ban sellers from listing new video games at higher than retail prices. Not only will the site not allow you to create listings, but in some cases, they may even suspend a seller's account.
“Yahoo! Flea Market and Yahoo! Auctions have a long history of addressing deceptive resale practices, such as out-of-stock listings and image theft,” the statement reads. “With the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 in June 2025, we took more drastic measures to avoid disrupting the trading environment, including banning secondary market listings for the first time.
“Now, to ensure a safe and secure trading environment, we will be introducing a 'provision prohibiting the sale of new game software at a price higher than the regular price for a certain period' in the game category from November 13, 2025. We will continue to strive to create a fair and sound trading environment. We ask for your understanding and cooperation.”
These new limits should help reduce scalping problems, at least on Yahoo sites. Hopefully, more sites will implement this policy to really solve the scalping problem.
- brand
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nintendo
- original release date
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June 5, 2025
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$449.99
- operating system
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ownership
- solve
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1080p (portable) / 4K (docked)
- HDR support
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yes
