Switch NeonRedblue.jpg

Prior to the formal Nintendo Switch unveiling in January various retailers were hedging their bets with listings for the system, often applying speculative prices. One of the most eye-catching of these was GameSeek, which listed the console for pre-orders at £198.50. When the standard UK price for the system came out at £279.99, the retailer made a point of stating that it would honour pre-orders.

Time will tell on that, but now the retailer is saying it'll be taking pre-orders on the Neon Red / Blue unit soon, encouraging those interested to sign-up for stock alerts on the product page - it's saying they'll also be £198.50, meaning the outlet will be taking a much smaller margin (if any) on the wholesale price than any other business in the UK.

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So, what's the deal with this? Well, we feel it's important to emphasize that GameSeek is a lesser known online retailer in the UK and this could be an attention-grabbing stunt - that works, obviously, as undercutting every other retailer by £80 normally does.

There is a big red flag, though, that should make potential customers think twice - GameSeek takes the money for pre-orders up-front, whereas major retailer in the UK typically confirm and take payment right as a product is being shipped. The justification given for this policy is a little odd.

At the moment we do take payment in advance yes. We do this to deter thieves - basically if we can catch them before we ship the items, it helps the government and us greatly and also helps us the keep prices down for the genuine customers, ie you.

The question now is whether the attention-grabbing prices will be truly delivered upon - resulting in some very pleased customers - or whether there'll be issues and claims of "less stock received than expected". With the retailer taking £198.50 a time from customers and promising a bold deal, it could face a significant backlash if it doesn't make good on the transactions.

Time will tell, ultimately. For all prospective Switch owners the advice is simple - choose carefully.

[source gameseek.co.uk]