Not just PS5: Scalpers selling Zelda Joy-Cons at 150% markup

(Paradigm credit: Nintendo)

Update: The first sale has finished , and the final sale cost was $178 after 22 bids. A screenshot is embedded below.

Every bit scalpers continue hoarding and flipping high-need electronics, information technology'due south left many asking where to buy PS5, where to buy Xbox Series Ten, and where to purchase Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080. Well, it seems that the upcoming Switch accessories accept also been caught up in the mix, significant fans will soon commencement request where to purchase limited edition Zelda Joy-Cons too.

Before this week, Nintendo announced that the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword would be seeing an Hard disk port to Switch. Along with the game's release on July sixteen, new limited edition Zelda Joy-Cons volition get on sale, retailing for $80. But as soon as sites similar Best Buy and GameStop began listing the particular for pre-order, scalpers took the now sold-out accompaniment straight to sale sites at inflated prices.

These are the best Switch games to play right now
Still not sold? Read our Nintendo Switch review
Plus: Skyward Sword HD is the perfect Zelda game to remaster — here why

Searching for "Zelda Joy Con" on eBay brings up multiple listings for the new limited edition controllers. Listings ranged from $170 on the low finish, all the manner to $300. There are a few auctions going on as well, with one already exceeding $152.

Doing an avant-garde search, we can see that multiple listings accept sold for more than $150, including units from Japanese sellers. Because the item is so new, we haven't seen a listing go through with a last auction price. But 1 should end in the adjacent 24 hours. When it does, we'll update this commodity to reflect the final auction toll.

A screenshot of a terminal sale price is embedded below.

Zelda Joy Con eBay Auctions — (Image credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Zelda Joy Con eBay Auction — (Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

Because of the ongoing furnishings of the Covid-19 pandemic, manufacturing around the world has been greatly hindered. This has slowed product, making in-demand products more difficult to buy. The scarcity has created a cottage industry of would-exist entrepreneurs that use bots and other means to buy up as much inventory as possible to flip for high profits. Some sites, similar Best Buy, accept added verification systems to effort and push back against scalpers. Other sites, like Newegg, have implemented a raffle system, where buyers can choose i detail they're interested in, and if they're lucky, will be offered the opportunity to buy a organization. Unfortunately, many other big-box retailers have yet to take more than stringent measures to try and halt scalping, assuasive bots to buy up inventory in seconds.

The situation has gotten so bad in countries like Japan that the police had to come up shut down PS5 sales at a Tokyo electronics shop.

While scalpers may exist the bane of gamers and enthusiasts, the scalping community feel that they're garnering unfair amounts "bad press." In their worldview, they're doing a service past making product readily available so people don't have to await in line. Granted, the unavailability is likewise their error.

Anyone who'southward trying to profit off of the Legend of Zelda limited edition Joy-Cons might be in for a rude awakening, all the same. Nintendo is more than willing to order more units from manufacturers to continue selling. For case, when supply ran brusque for the NES Archetype, SNES Classic, or Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing Edition, all were replenished months afterward.

If y'all're tempted to buy from one of these scalpers on eBay, nosotros recommend avoiding doing so. Non just volition it encourage more of this type of beliefs from scalpers, Nintendo is more than than willing to take your money. Just wait a little, and Nintendo will probable replenish the supply concatenation.

More than: Where to buy the Nintendo Switch Mario Cherry-red & Blue Edition

Imad Khan is news editor at Tom's Guide, helping direct the day's breaking coverage. Prior to working at the site, Imad was a total-fourth dimension freelancer, with bylines at the New York Times, the Washington Post and ESPN. Outside of piece of work, y'all can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word certificate trying badly to write the outset pages of a new volume.