Question for Australians(People that pay too much for games)

[Ushiromiya Battler]

I was reading up on how Civilization Beyond Earth cost 90AUD and that people felt cheated.
At that moment I wondered why they didn't use sites like GreenManGaming where you can buy it in USD.
Can't you guys do this or is it just that people don't bother looking for cheaper alternatives?

I know I've saved a significant amount on this since games in Norway generally cost about 10-20% more than in the US.

EDIT: My bad, I should have clarified I meant Digital PC games as I get the whole shipping issue and console issue.

 

[wasabinewt]

Looking at prices for Australians for Civilization Beyond Earth (digital version):

Green Man Gaming - $89.95
Oz Game Shop - $54.99
Steam - $89.99

Well you can look for cheaper versions, digitally. I think the main problem is if you are trying to buy a console game, there really is no workaround it. Unless you want to go on the digital marketplace (xbox, ps4) change your home region, find a fake US address and buy the game (or so people tell me).

 

[Flammablezeus]

I was reading up on how Civilization Beyond Earth cost 90AUD and that people felt cheated.
At that moment I wondered why they didn't use sites like GreenManGaming where you can buy it in USD.
Can't you guys do this or is it just that people don't bother looking for cheaper alternatives?

I know I've saved a significant amount on this since games in Norway generally cost about 10-20% more than in the US.

Steam sells games in USD as well, but we just get charged more for being in Australia. They used to use AUD but they switched to USD for some reason a few years ago. When they initially switched it was amazing because we were suddenly getting charged the same as Americans. Then they went back to charging us more but they kept the prices in USD, just so we knew we were being purposefully shafted.

I usually do buy games on GMG if it's a decent price on there. The most recent purchase I made on there was SoM, which I bought on day one for $37.50 instead of the $80/$90 that Steam was charging. However, recently on GMG several games have increased in price to the Steam and retail standards of "more-than-is-reasonable" so they're not getting as much attention anymore. The last game I bought at a ridiculous price was Skyrim, and that was only because I knew how much time and enjoyment I'd get out of it.

 

[Voulan]

Lately I've bought games from NZGameShop that sells games at the same price as the US barring exchange rate (so new releases at $70-80) and I've adopted the wait-for-several-months-after-release-for-a-GOTY-edition-or-for-a-massive-sale tactic.

Beyond that there aren't really many alternatives. Most websites try to charge a collosal shipping rate so that stops many options from working.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

This is actually what prompted me to pre-order Witcher 3 on GOG, even though I previously swore off ever pre-ordering anything. I bought the game for $53.00 AU. To get it retail would have been $90.00, I believe, and to get it digitally anywhere else I think it was around the $70.00 mark.

So yeah, I have done this to a certain degree. But then, I bought Risen 3: Titan Lords right when it was released for $50.00 AU which is not too harsh a price for a new game, so it seems really inconsistent here. Fortunately, I'm only interested in 2 or 3 titles a year, so it's never a big problem for me. For other Aussies who have a broader interest in games, though, I feel sorry for their wallets and bank accounts.

 

[not_you]

I usually buy my games (in digital download code versions) from OZgameshop.... (Yay PC gaming)
They're usually pretty good with prices and I end up with the product key hours before it's actually released... (So it gives me time to pre-load some of it on Steam)
of course, not all games come out cheaper... but then again, I usually play games about 4-6 months behind release, which I'm more than happy to do because I'll usually pick them up ~20 bucks...

Although, there are some games I get Day 1 (Broderlands and Far Cry 4 this year) which I did buy on OzGameshop purely because all my other friends have Broderlands, and I really, really, REALLY love the Far Cry franchise, so it was a must for me...

either way, the only games I buy retail are for my DS, and even then that's only Pokemon, Smash Brothers and the Fire Emblem game that came out last year... otherwise, it's 100% digital on my PC...

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

GreenManGaming are still a pack of cunts. It's still $90 and it's still USD there. They don't change the currency. It's called the "Fuck Australia Tax", it's where we're charged more for everything because companies "can". Which is funny when people ***** about us pirating.

OT: We do find cheaper alternatives. I highly recommend Kinguin for anyone and everyone who wants to save money, (or just not get scammed by these filthy bastards).

But yeah, don't touch GMG, they're worthless.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

You can usually find cheaper alternatives if you look around.

But overall my approach is to avoid paying both the new game tax and the Australia tax by waiting at least 6-12 months.

 

[ron1n]

GMG (with voucher codes)
OzGameshop (Digital and hard copy)
GetGames
Dungeon Crawl (Ebay Seller, good if you need hard copies for cheaper)

It's really not hard to get the equivalent US or UK price on games anymore.

I haven't bought a game directly of steam outside of sales in years. Just isn't any point.

I got a digital copy of Shadow of Mordor off OzGameShop for $32 (including a $5 off voucher they had emailed out) Then I see poor saps buying the game full price on steam for like $70 and complaining about the price.

While yes, we do get fucked over, it's not really a big issue PC wise. Console games are a different story. Although even then, OzGameShop has free delivery and is usually much cheaper than buying locally so not all hope is lost.

Not exactly sure why so many people are oblivious to the cheaper alternatives. Laziness? *shrug*

 

[small]

not in this particular case. but gamersgate is normally pretty good with purchasing stuff cheaply compared to retail and steam.

side note the person who thought up the "gamergate" this has probably really annoyed gamersgate

 

[asdfen]

love Russian game prices ~30USD on release day for PC games through Steam

 

[Slitzkin]

Looking at prices for Australians for Civilization Beyond Earth (digital version):

Green Man Gaming - $89.95
Oz Game Shop - $54.99
Steam - $89.99

Well you can look for cheaper versions, digitally. I think the main problem is if you are trying to buy a console game, there really is no workaround it. Unless you want to go on the digital marketplace (xbox, ps4) change your home region, find a fake US address and buy the game (or so people tell me).

You need more than a USA adress to buy games from the PSN store and I imagine the Xbox store by extension. If you are using your debit card or credit cards the cardholder's adress must be withing the USA otherwise it will be rejected. The only way around this without getting a card with an American bank is to buy North American PSN cards from places like Gamestop.