I discovered why everyone in France is ordering the Nintendo Switch 2 (Launch Edition) from the USA instead of waiting local restocks

The curious reason I looked toward US retailers

It is April 2026, and the global launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 (Launch Edition) has been nothing short of chaotic. While I tried to secure a unit in Paris last week, I quickly realized that local stock was vanishing into the hands of resellers. My research showed that Nintendo prioritized US stock levels significantly for this launch. This led me to explore how I could shop a tax-free US address to get my hands on the console faster and cheaper than what the French secondary market is currently demanding.

Start Your Buy For Me Request for Nintendo Switch 2 (Launch Edition)

Merchant Amazon US Best Buy Target

Ship To Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d'Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Türkiye Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands

Your Email

Product Url ^*

Product Name ^*

Unit Price (USD)^*

EST Service Fee: $40.0 $20.0

Quantity ^*

Color

Size

Instructions

Submit your proxy shopping order now and enjoy 50% OFF the service fee.

Plus, get 10% OFF international shipping on your first shipment.

Submit Order

Just a moment, securing your connection...

I found that by using a parcel forwarding service, I could access inventory from major retailers like Best Buy and Target that simply don't ship directly to Europe. This strategy has become my favorite way to ensure I don't miss out on Day 1 hardware.

My essential shipping estimates for the console

Before I committed to the purchase, I needed to know if the logistics made sense for my budget. I used a shipping calculator to get a clear picture of the costs. Based on my experience with the Nintendo Switch 2 (Launch Edition) packaging, here are the estimates I used for my planning:

Navigating the lithium battery and shipping rules

I had to be careful about the power source inside the console. The Nintendo Switch 2 (Launch Edition) contains a high-capacity lithium-ion battery. When I reviewed the shipping rules for international transit, I made sure my courier could handle Section II of PI967. Most major carriers allow this as long as the battery is contained within the equipment, but it is always something I double-check to avoid my package being flagged as restricted goods.

How I bypassed US store restrictions with the BuyForMe service

My biggest hurdle was the checkout process at some of the most popular US tech retailers. I tried to use my French credit card at a few stores, but the orders were instantly cancelled. Many US stores block international credit cards or refuse to ship to known warehouse addresses. This is where I decided to use the BuyForMe service.

We found that this proxy shopping method is the most reliable way to secure high-demand electronics. By having a local US team purchase the item with a domestic card, the retailer sees it as a standard US transaction. For me, this was the difference between owning the console and staring at a "Transaction Declined" screen. It is the safest way to guarantee an order doesn't get caught in a store's fraud filter.

What I learned about French import taxes in 2026

I always remind my fellow collectors that shipping to France involves the La Douane. Since the value of the Nintendo Switch 2 (Launch Edition) exceeds the basic threshold, I prepared for the 20% VAT plus any applicable administrative fees. Even with these costs, importing from a freight forwarder in a tax-free state like Oregon meant I saved on US sales tax, which helped offset the French import duties.

My unit arrived at my door in Lyon just five days after reaching the warehouse. By choosing a reliable freight forwarder, I bypassed the scalpers and joined the next generation of gaming before most of my neighbors even saw a restock notification.