Why the price difference in EUR vs USD?

bg_solidsnake

bg_solidsnake

Academy Page

Join Date: Sep 2006

Bulgaria

W/

I live in Builgaria.I bought the GWEN pre-realese yesterday for 50 levs=25 euro-with it i get the bonus and the game on the 31st of august.Our dealership firm PULSAR is really good when it comes to games coz some ppl here get like 50 euro salary per-month!

baz777

baz777

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Dec 2005

South East England

Leader: Lady Hairy Armpits S[mell]

E/

George Bush is now using US reserves to subsidise online games

I just phoned Gordon Brown and asked, so it’s true!

Miss Persephone

Miss Persephone

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by scrinner
2) If they charged 40% less then the retailers, Alot more people would be inclined to buy straight from them then from the retailers thus hurting the publishing industry badly. While I agree that the prices are much higher in some cases, Arena Net should implement some sort of system that allows them to have sales on their games thus creating a "Win-Win" situation for everybody.
Actually Anet have been quite open about the fact they would prefer people to buy direct from themselves, thats what the mission bonus pack is about.

Quote:
Originally Posted by scrinner
Also, Why are you guys complaining at a fansite and not bothering to send e-mails to NCSoft instead of whining? Players are frequently told by Anet that the best way to make their views heard is to post in the fansite forums. The community relations team, Gaile & Co, do summaries of the big forum news and submit them for reading throughout the company (as I understand it).

Personally, I'm a bit miffed abbout the price difference in the pre order pack, living in the UK. If the full version of GW:EN is priced similarly, I'll be paying just over 40% more for a digital product on which you pay no tax. If Anet manage to get Paypal support instore before the release, I'll just pay in US$ on my Paypal account.

dsielschott

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jan 2007

KURZ

W/Mo

sorry if you think that they only charge a 5% conversion fee you are mistaken.....tax on items is higher than that. I buy a video game from the store and get a 6% extra charge. So rethink that.

And if people on a full time job only get payed 50 EU a month why would you go out and spend an entire months salary on a game......... seems to me that a months salary is worth more than a game......such as food or bills

I'm just saying they are covering all the losses they get in transition of exchange: dealing with foriegn bank accounts, change over of currency, and stuff like that.

It sucks, but you cant do anything about it, other than not buying it.

Avatara

Avatara

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Nov 2006

European people are known to pay more for stuff because the European countries have a stronger economy than USA... look at the differences between euro and dollar... Being a European I always buy stuff online in America... even with shipping costs it's still cheaper than buying it at a local store.

The only concern I see is that the expansion + bonus mission pack will be more expensive euro wise than if you buy the expansion in a cheap store and buy the extra missions online...

Onarik Amrak

Onarik Amrak

Forge Runner

Join Date: Mar 2007

Astral Revenants

P/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by Loviatar
it is NCsoft not ANET.

send your bitch to the right place Why don't you show us a link to the NCSoft Forums where people can discuss this kind of thing?

Oh? What, it doesn't exist? Funny that. No, support tickets don't count because that's not a discussion.

Tooplex198

Tooplex198

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jul 2007

A/W

The U.K uses pounds not Euros

Zorgy

Zorgy

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2007

Paris, France

[any]

W/Me

The U.K uses pounds not Euros

The U.K (& few other countries) drives LEFT & not RIGHT.....

Sorry I am already out

arsie

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jun 2007

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shakkara
...I dont see why they can't make the online store cheaper... Selling too cheap from the online stores would undercut the regular stores. This will piss of retailers and distributors.

The other thing is that brick and mortar stores serve a second function of showcasing the game to potential customers. They also bear a higher rent burden. It is usually a good idea for brand owners to protect brick and mortar stores to a certain extent.

dawnmist

dawnmist

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2007

Melbourne, Australia

Serpents Maw Esoteric Echelon

R/

I live in Australia, and use the European servers.

I find it frustrating that the store locks me to British Pounds for pricing - the most expensive of the 3 options, and one that does not represent anything even vaguely similar to the bricks-and-mortar store RRP costs here (GWEN looks like it'll be about 50% more expensive than store cost).

It's not a case of ANet/NCSoft having to convert currency to their local currency - in all 3 cases (USD, Euro & Pound) I have to convert local currency to the payment currency first.

Euro would be significantly *cheaper* than Pound for us here - but Pound is the only choice we've got on the European servers (USD would be cheaper again).

I can see *no* good reason for being locked to the most expensive currency option...

*None* of these options actually reflect local currency (Australian Dollars), so in all cases there would be conversion fees to me to convert *to* the payment currency - and then further conversion fees to convert *from* the payment currency for ANet.

It really doesn't make any sense.

Unfortunately, the only Bricks-and-Mortar store here have an *appalling* track record with any prerelease bonuses that are supposed to be delivered *prior* to the actual game. Having had some *never* arrive, and others arrive only when the game itself did, I don't trust them for this kind of bonus. This leaves me with the choice of the online store or no bonus at all. Particularly after getting the "we've had the first shipment arrive, but they're already all assigned and we don't know when/if we're getting another shipment" line from them (that's what they've said each time a 'bonus' never arrived for me) - just not worth buying from them unless there was a Collector's Edition.

Lourens

Lourens

Forge Runner

Join Date: Mar 2006

this is a so useless thread plz close this thread admins maybe ppl in the us just get less paid for their jobs or they pay more taxes whatever ...

Jongo River

Jongo River

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Oct 2006

You bumped this thread almost a week after the last post, to request that? Too much pot smoking going on in The Netherlands, or something?

cr00mz

Academy Page

Join Date: Dec 2006

price difference is the best thing that has ever happened!

PS3

amazon.com - $500
amazon.co.uk - £400, ~€600, ~$850

i say yay Europe!

Thomas.knbk

Thomas.knbk

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jul 2006

It's the same with everything. I wanted to buy a 30G iPod online for $289, only to find out that offer is only available in the US. In Europe I had to pay E289 (still haven't found the euro button on my keyboard). That's thirty six percent. It sucks pretty bad, but it's hardly NCSofts (or Anet's) fault.

lucifer_uk

lucifer_uk

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2006

Nottingham, England

The Venerable Truth [TvT] The Venerable Alliance [TvH] [TvL]

R/

Am I the only one thinking £17 for GW:EN from the high street isn't that much?
Seeing as most online stores are selling to the American market @ $39.99 (£19.60).

The official online store has always been a rip off for European customers that's why I never buy anything except character slots from there.