The Japanese company stopped selling on Amazon after noticing that third-party merchants were offering games for sale in the US at prices that undercut Nintendo’s advertised rates, according to a person familiar with the situation. Enterprising sellers were buying Nintendo products in bulk in Southeast Asia and exporting them to the US, said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential information.
Nintendo product listings started disappearing from Amazon’s US site last year, gaming news outlets reported at the time. The listings had previously appeared as “Sold by Amazon,” which typically denotes merchandise the online retailer buys directly from brands. Some Nintendo products remained on the site, but they were listed by independent merchants who sell their goods on Amazon’s sprawling online marketplace.
Amazon tried to assuage Nintendo by offering to attach labels to products that guarantee they’re authentic. Amazon uses the technique to assure shoppers products aren’t counterfeits and to help it track merchandise. But the offer wasn’t sufficient, the person said, and Nintendo ultimately opted to pull its products from Amazon in the US.
“There is no such fact. We do not disclose details of negotiations or contracts with retailers,” a Nintendo spokesperson said in an e-mailed response, declining to elaborate further.
An Amazon spokesperson said “the claims made by Bloomberg regarding our relationship with Nintendo are inaccurate” but declined to specify how. “Amazon is pleased to offer Nintendo products directly to our customers as part of our commitment to providing an exceptional shopping experience with the widest selection possible,” the spokesperson said.
