In the autumn of 2020, as a pandemic had strained supply chains and left many families hunting for ordinary pleasures at home, Nintendo Switch consoles briefly reappeared at Amazon for $299 after months of being listed as sold out. The moment carries the familiar shape of scarcity: a product people wanted, a shortage that invited opportunists to charge several times the price, and a retailer's direct offer standing apart from that market. Whether the window stays open, and whether more units will follow, remains unknown.
Nintendo Switch Back in Stock at Amazon at $299, Amid Lingering Scarcity and Third-Party Price Gouging
Months sold out, then $299 straight from Amazon
Mark
Why is a restock of a $299 console news?
Mimi
Because for months it wasn't available at that price. Amazon is selling the Animal Crossing Edition directly, and that's the version people had been looking for.
Mark
And the direct-from-Amazon part matters why?
Mimi
Third-party sellers on Amazon had been listing Switches at $500 or $600, according to BGR. Buying from Amazon itself avoids that markup.
Luke
Worth saying that the $500 to $600 figure is BGR's description. The piece doesn't give dates, listings or how many sellers did it.
Mark
What about the claim Amazon wouldn't gouge because of the Purell pricing?
Luke
That's an inference. The article offers it as reasoning, not as a documented policy. It's plausible, but it isn't proof.
Mimi
The practical point is the timing. Shipping estimates were already slipping, so stock looked like it was going fast.
Mark
Do we know how many consoles Amazon had?
Luke
No. The article gives no quantity, and it says plainly that nobody knows when more will arrive.
Mark
And the motive of the piece?
Luke
It's a deals post with affiliate links. BGR may get a commission, so the urgency in the tone deserves that context.
Mimi
The Switch Lite at $199 was the fallback if the standard model sold out.
The Pulse
- Nintendo Switch consoles sold directly by Amazon reappeared at $299 after months of empty listings.
- Third-party sellers on Amazon reportedly asked $500 to $600 for the same device, stirring anger over price gouging.
- Shoppers are racing to secure the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Edition before the batch sells out.
- Shipping estimates were already slipping, and no one can say when Amazon will restock again.
In the autumn of 2020, as a pandemic had strained supply chains and left many families hunting for ordinary pleasures at home, Nintendo Switch consoles briefly reappeared at Amazon for $299 after months of being listed as sold out. The moment carries the familiar shape of scarcity: a product people wanted, a shortage that invited opportunists to charge several times the price, and a retailer's direct offer standing apart from that market. Whether the window stays open, and whether more units will follow, remains unknown.
On October 22, 2020, Nintendo Switch consoles sold directly by Amazon returned to the retailer at $299, after months in which they had been listed as sold out. BGR, which reported the restock, noted that the console remained hard to find nearly everywhere else.
The model on offer was the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Edition, which many shoppers had been hunting for. Amazon was also selling the game itself for $49.94. The central distinction in the story is between Amazon selling the console and third-party sellers doing so. During the pandemic, scarcity pushed some of those sellers to ask $500 or $600 for a standard Switch, a figure reported by BGR rather than independently documented, and the writer condemned them bluntly. The Amazon-direct price, the article argues, was not inflated, pointing to the company's pandemic pricing of Purell as a sign it would not gouge.
The window appeared short. Shipping estimates were already slipping, and no one could say whether more consoles would arrive after this batch sold out. Other Switch products were also available, including digital game codes from $14.99 to $59.99 and Ring Fit Adventure at $79.99. For those who wanted the standard model, the gray Switch Lite was listed at $199.
As a deals piece with affiliate links, the article notes that BGR may earn a commission and that prices can change without notice. Whether Amazon restocks again, and when, is the question left hanging.
On October 22, 2020, Nintendo Switch consoles sold directly by Amazon reappeared at the retailer for $299, after months in which they had been listed as sold out. BGR, which reported the restock, noted that the console remains hard to find almost everywhere.
The model on offer is the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Edition, the special console BGR says many shoppers have been hunting for. Amazon was also selling the game itself, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, for $49.94 at the time of writing.
The distinction between Amazon selling the console and a third-party seller doing so is the center of the story. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Switch consoles have been scarce across retailers, and BGR says third-party sellers on Amazon took advantage of that. At one point, according to the article, some of them were asking $500 or $600 for a standard Switch. BGR's writer is blunt in condemning those sellers, though the figures are the publication's own account rather than something independently documented in the piece.
By contrast, the Amazon-direct price of $299 is not inflated, the article argues. It points to Amazon's pricing of Purell hand sanitizer during the pandemic as a reason to expect the company not to gouge on consoles, which is an inference rather than a stated policy.
The window may be short. BGR cautions that shipping estimates were already slipping, which suggests stock was moving quickly, and that nobody can say if or when Amazon will have more consoles after this batch sells out.
Around the console, Amazon had other Switch products available. Digital download codes for games ranged from $14.99 to $59.99, with some deeply discounted, and physical game cartridges were in stock in the same price range for buyers willing to wait for delivery. Ring Fit Adventure, the fitness accessory and game, was back in stock at $79.99.
For those who miss the standard console, the Nintendo Switch Lite in gray was listed at $199. The article is a deals piece with affiliate links, so BGR may earn a commission on purchases. It adds that prices can change without notice. Whether Amazon restocks again, and when, is the open question.
Notable Quotes
There's no telling if or when another opportunity like this will arise, and shipping estimates are already slipping.— BGR
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Economy & Finance