Are publishers racist or hate Europe ?

[Kingsnake661]

That's the way it always has been. You know why they do it? Not out of hatred or bigotry, just because they can.

I'm sure that's part of it, but you also have to take other things into account. Duties and Tarrifs, taxes, and importing expensies will factor into over all cost of a product, and vary from country to country. Plus the over all buying power of the area in which the product is sold. The US has alot of buying power, a larger demegraphic, and thus, tend to get more favorable priceing.

It's complacated. But it's not ALL greed. Only mostly. LOL.

 

[moretimethansense]

I was going to make a post that agreed with you while making a "stupid American" joke or two and a "greedy dev" joke or three but "racistic"?
Really man?

O.K. maybe it wasn't the right word as europeans or americans and whatever aren't really races,but I meant that there are unfair distinctions made,which is also what happens in racism.

Not the right word?
It's not a word at all.
The word you were looking for would be rasist, though bigoted would be better, though still not quite right for the context.

you meant racist right... god please tell me you meant racist

Gah!
How did that happen?!
Yes, yes I did...

 

[TheEvilCheese]

Not 'racist'. It isn't to pick on specific people.
It's simply because people WILL and DO pay these prices that they continue.

 

[88chaz88]

It's called VAT and import tax.

 

[mb16]

Then move closer to China. I don't know if you own a globe, but the closest route between China and Taiwan to Europe is this thing we call 'Asia.'

Do you really think it increases the cost that much? On the scales we are talking transport is a lesser cost. T-shirts are made in China and shipped all over the world but you can still get them for £2

Side note why are the release dates later in EU/AU? Why not a global release at the same time.

 

[kasperbbs]

Prices in Europe does suck, In Lithuania 3DS costs 370 USD, the saddest part is that its more than an average persons income per month. Why can`t we all have the same currency?
And i fail to see what does this have to do with being racist.

 

[trooper6]

I think some of your ire is misplaced a bit. Others have mentioned duties and tariffs the publisher has to pay, but I also want to add in the issue of VAT/sales taxes.


That 250 Euros you have to pay includes your VAT with is, what, 20%? (at least).
You also aren't noting that in the US, we don't have a VAT included in the price, but we do have state sales tax added on top varying by the state you live in.

In California I would have had to add another 10% to my $250 in sale tax, though in Massachusetts, it's only +7%.

It isn't all the publishers. Often it is your government.

 

[DracoSuave]

Then move closer to China. I don't know if you own a globe, but the closest route between China and Taiwan to Europe is this thing we call 'Asia.'

Do you really think it increases the cost that much? On the scales we are talking transport is a lesser cost. T-shirts are made in China and shipped all over the world but you can still get them for £2

Side note why are the release dates later in EU/AU? Why not a global release at the same time.

Tshirts don't require hundreds of man-hours hours of localization time for multiple languages or supplication to a review board to attain a parent-advisory rating. Each country often has their own review board. The only country outside the US that also uses the ESRB is Canada, and mainly cause we just don't care enough to have our own.

 

[Keava]

Yes. Another conspiracy thread. Hurray. Learn the basics of economy and it's laws before you you start with the demagogy please.
To start with - it's the same with everything, from cars, through toasters, TV sets, bread, cigarettes and alcohol. Prices for same products vary between countries.

Second thing is the fact that currency exchange rates change daily, each day your national bank sets a new rate. Adjusting prices accordingly would only bump the price on the shop's end because of the amount of work needed to keep them up to date.

Next are various taxes and tariffs present in EU. Im pretty sure any EU resident is familiar with the concept of VAT you pay with every product's price. This alone varies between EU countries and the highest possible in EU is 25% of product's price.

Then there is general adjustment to economical situation of given country factoring in the currency you get your salary in. I live in Poland, games cost me ~100-120 PLN for PC which with today's currency exchange rates is 35-42$ / PC game or 25-30 euro. Buying same game in online distribution service that clusters me with countries using euro currency bumps it up to 40-49 euro / game. Simple?

 

[kurokotetsu]

Meh. Here in Mexico the 3DS is going for over 490$ dollars, we have Wii games (like MG2) over the 80$ mark, which is a standard for PS3 and 360 games. We also have to go on scavenger hunts for "rare" games, if we find them, and is almost completly devoid of PC games, which is sad for thos of us that perfer them to digital copies, adn is almost imposible to find games on a sale or a reduced price (for me, paying the normal retailer price of the US is soemthing big). And that is in general for consumer electronics (over 300$ for a standard iPod, for example). Also, we earn less money than Europeans and "Americans", so it is even harder to buy this stuff. Cry me a river Europe.

 

[carpathic]

This is an old known annoying matter but with the arrival of Nintendo 3ds I remembered it once more,and I'm furious about it.
The problem is that europeans end paying both hardware and software much more expensive than americans and japanese.
It seems like most publishers doesn't consider the value and buying power of a currency before pricing their goods.
They just make up a number,and ask from people to pay that number of currency not matter its value.

Lets use Nintendo 3ds as an example.

It cost 250 dollars in the U.S.A.
In Japan it costs 25000 yen.
In Europe it cost 250 euros.

Let's translate the values of euros and yen to U.S. dollars.

25.000 yen = 309.2 US dollars
250 euros = 355.02 US dollars.

We are asked to pay in our currency an amount of money which translates to 105.02 dollars MORE than the (according to many Americans) already expensive price of 250$.

But 3ds is not the only case,everything from the price of games to the price of other technology stuff like the iPad is more expensive here.
The price that the cheapest iPad had when it came out last year in Europe was 750 EUROS !!!
750 EUROS = 1065,82 DOLLARS.

Since all that stuff is made in China or Taiwan why do we have to pay anything from 30% up to +100% more than other people do ?

It's almost racistic.

I was under the assumption that generally though, people in Europe earn the same number of Euros as Americans do dollars which would be, relatively speaking, the same. I could of course be wrong with my assumption, meh...

 

[Eoeoz]

Games are double or even triple their price in USA here in Norway. Seems we're the Australia of Europe.

Perhaps because you're not in the EU...? Also goes for Switzerland.

 

[SlingingRobin]

Well, it's actually called being biased. And if you feel that you're getting ripped off, buy it somewhere else.
*Cough* Amazon *Cough*

 

[Squeaky]

This is an old known annoying matter but with the arrival of Nintendo 3ds I remembered it once more,and I'm furious about it.
The problem is that europeans end paying both hardware and software much more expensive than americans and japanese.
It seems like most publishers doesn't consider the value and buying power of a currency before pricing their goods.
They just make up a number,and ask from people to pay that number of currency not matter its value.

Lets use Nintendo 3ds as an example.

It cost 250 dollars in the U.S.A.
In Japan it costs 25000 yen.
In Europe it cost 250 euros.

Let's translate the values of euros and yen to U.S. dollars.

25.000 yen = 309.2 US dollars
250 euros = 355.02 US dollars.

We are asked to pay in our currency an amount of money which translates to 105.02 dollars MORE than the (according to many Americans) already expensive price of 250$.

But 3ds is not the only case,everything from the price of games to the price of other technology stuff like the iPad is more expensive here.
The price that the cheapest iPad had when it came out last year in Europe was 750 EUROS !!!
750 EUROS = 1065,82 DOLLARS.

Since all that stuff is made in China or Taiwan why do we have to pay anything from 30% up to +100% more than other people do ?

It's almost racistic.

I was under the assumption that generally though, people in Europe earn the same number of Euros as Americans do dollars which would be, relatively speaking, the same. I could of course be wrong with my assumption, meh...

No i think your right i have a auntie in Austrillia and my parents earn the same kind of money in digits but are worth total different vaules pound Vs the dollar. Its all to do with cost of living and avgerage pay balbal its not racist it just how everything thing like food etc is priced.

 

[SlingingRobin]

And why does everyone hate Americans? It's not like the people in Europe are really any different from those in the U.S.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

Have you checked the tax rates? Thats one part. The rest is the good ol free market. I explained all that in another thread last week.I will make it short again: Take a basket full of different goods, some food, some toys, some clothes, a little luxory and some electronics, add the prices and compare them to the other countries, so you can estimate how much money you can take for your product. Thats how prices are made.

 

[snave]

Filthy opportunism does not necessary equate to racism.

 

[DTWolfwood]

What is your average domestic income?

Here id say around $30,000-$50,000 per person.

If you're making about the same in euro, than the price is fair, if not, well sux to be you guys

Its not about the exchange rate, its about the relative cost to income. (although the american based publishers are making a killing selling to yall on that matter lol)

Plus aren't all europeans rich?

[small]if you didn't catch the sarcasm in that last line, you're command of english is lacking[/small]

 

[deleteyourself]

That's a problem which bothers me quite a lot lately because I'M SO POOR AND BROKE THAT I BARELY LIVE and I have absolutely no money to feed all those capitalist bastards setting the European prices so damn high. It's damn impossible to afford stuff here, in my 3rd-Europe Country where (for example) the 3DS costs an equivalent of a monthly salary of something around 75% of the nation.

But whining and jokes aside: it sucks when I have to set my country as United Kingdom on my Wii (just because I don't know if I can set it to the USA and I'm too lazy to try) to pay less than I normally should. Let me explain.

My currency after converting it to Euro gives an amount of money that I wouldn't pay for a game which isn't a collectors edition and especially not for a game which is a downloadable title - doesn't matter whether it's Wii Virtual Console or Steam.

So Euros aside, the only option are Pounds (because neither Steam nor Wii nor almost anything else accepts my currency) which help me buy games at lower prices yet at the same time it SUCKS BALLS to see that in the USA it's even cheaper and all those NA guys are whining about the prices.

The 3DS is a painful matter 'cause it's released this friday here and I'd love to lay my hands on it but I can't cause I've no money. I'd love to support our local market and distributor but paying MORE than one standard salary for this toy kinda makes me want to fuckitall and buy it with GBPounds.

I wouldn't hesitate and buy this console in the USA, but hey! The region lock! What a brilliant idea.

I guess that I'm pretty much as miserable as the Aussies but I whine more, so forgive me for this post (guess that's no good way to introduce myself to the forums, but who cares anyway? it was probably a tl;dr nonetheless).