Square Enix statement

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Originally Posted by Risvertasashi

The USD is a lot weaker than the Euro right now, and this sucks for Americans travelling abroad, but is nice for Europeans travelling to the States or similar. But Gaming isn't about travelling/tourism.

In terms of purchasing power, the values are a lot closer. Roughly the same demographics can afford a $60 game as a €60 game, or in this case, $130 and €130.

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Another one confusing Euro and Pounds, it seems...
£130 is nowhere "close" to €130 or $130

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Originally Posted by Tiggy

One is digital, one is physical. They are subject to different rules, laws, tariffs, ... oh yeah I said that already.

Does the pricing difference suck? Yes. Is it completely out of left field with no possible reasoning behind it? No.

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Firstly the product is being distributed from the UK and there is no law, tariff or rules in place in the UK to justify the difference between the EU and UK version. So stop saying pointless things in an effort to justify what is not justifiable. The reality is there is no legitimate reason why they are charging UK customers a lot more than the EU counterparts. All SE did by the looks of it was choose a US price tag of 130 and then make it the same number for each currency type not taking exchange rates, economies or distribution into account. It is simply pure greed, incompetence or laziness on SE's part.

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Originally Posted by Snugglebutt

It is simply pure greed, incompetence or laziness on SE's part.

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So basically you're just mad and you don't really know why it happened at all. You have no actual reason or proof behind what happened, and you're doing nothing but lashing out at people who are trying to offer possible reasons why something in the UK might be different than the US when it comes to physical goods. OK then. You're right. I'm the bad guy. Lol.

Be mad at the right people. Not those trying to figure out why it might make sense. Some people attempt to reason through things instead of just having blind rage because you're upset.

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Originally Posted by Snugglebutt

Firstly the product is being distributed from the UK and there is no law, tariff or rules in place in the UK to justify the difference between the EU and UK version. So stop saying pointless things in an effort to justify what is not justifiable. The reality is there is no legitimate reason why they are charging UK customers a lot more than the EU counterparts. All SE did by the looks of it was choose a US price tag of 130 and then make it the same number for each currency type not taking exchange rates, economies or distribution into account. It is simply pure greed, incompetence or laziness on SE's part.

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is it created in the UK ? or is imported ? because see if it is CREATED in the UK then I would agree with you but if it is imported, as I believe it to be, or better said, the retailers /sellers have received it as import goods then I am afraid you might want to revise your judgement. I went to a site and input some datas....using price reference USD 130.--- and asked it to be calculed in GBP, since using your*logic* just apply an exchange rate right ? answered the various questions and etc..added something like 40USD as shipping and insurance costs final price I got for the same good valued at USD 130.-- was GBP 146.--

Not sure anyone could explain to you anybetter how it goes. Exchange rate is not what defines the price, in between you have lots of things that happens...that makes the final price among those are taxes, VAT, import/export taxes and the like and also, how much the same good or similar good is valued on the country, because see, you cant make the price you want, there are rules even for that to avoid price dumping (so to speak)



Mei

Looks like they didn't have a class on debating at that high school, eh?

Attacking the person instead of the argument is poor form when engaged in debate. So too is inventing a straw man you can rail against: in this case, accusing snug of being mad and not knowing why it happened.

Until SE comment on why they priced this the way they did, no one here knows why they did. Including yourself, high school classes and all. Snug can point to corporate greed as a reason for this pricing; given the lack of any other logical motive (and you have not been able to provide any logical motive thus far... Even with your vaunted high school education), it's entirely reasonable to state that this is a lazy cash grab.

Take your own advice chum. Be mad at the right people. Not those telling and giving reason to you as to why this is unethical. Flying into a blind rage and attacking other posters simply because your arguments are terrible (this is what happens when the sum total of your knowledge on the matter comes from some high school class you went to) does not aid rational discussion, it impedes it. If you can't engage in healthy discussion, you know where the door is.

I'm not mad at anyone. I'm informing. There are other details that go into this and Mei covered it further than I did quite nicely. Please review how snug got uppity first because I offered an opposing view. You however clearly need to take your own advice. Your entire post disparages me. Not my argument. The irony.

If you think mei covered it nicely then you need to have someone else think for you.

But I may have missed where Mei covered the fact that Europeans get it for €50 less than the British, when it will need to be delivered to Europe from the UK. Which was what Snug stated, which had you fly into a blind rage. Can you show me where mei covered that?

It's called taxes and tariffs. Come on man. This is literally high school level education here. Which I still find funny you actually attempt to use education as an insult against me. Good luck with that one.

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Originally Posted by beowulf81

If you think mei covered it nicely then you need to have someone else think for you.

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Do you not comprehend how forums work. They are places of conversation. I made a point, and Mei elaborated. I hardly expected or relied on Mei to think for me as you would suggest. You're just getting more and more insulting as you go when you're the one saying things like..

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Originally Posted by beowulf81

Attacking the person instead of the argument is poor form when engaged in debate

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Stop attacking me. Attack my argument. Take your own advice. So far you're nothing but a hypocrite so I advise you to take your own advice and...

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Originally Posted by beowulf81

If you can't engage in healthy discussion, you know where the door is.

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Seriously though. Go look up what Tariff's are. It's extremely relevant.

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Originally Posted by MeiUshu

I went to a site and input some datas....using price reference USD 130.--- and asked it to be calculed in GBP, since using your*logic* just apply an exchange rate right ? answered the various questions and etc..added something like 40USD as shipping and insurance costs final price I got for the same good valued at USD 130.-- was GBP 146.--

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What is your site saying when you ask to calculate in € with the same questions, and adding the shipping cost for France ?

Or the same questions with the initial price for Standard Edition...which, IIRC is calculated correctly with the exchange rate ?

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Originally Posted by Tiggy

It's called taxes and tariff. Come on man. This is literally high school level education here. Which I still find funny you actually attempt to use education as an insult against me. Good luck with that one.

Stop attacking me. Attack my argument. Take your own advice.

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What I find funny is that you refer to this as high school level education when you clearly do not understand it, at all. Take a moment and think about this - tariffs and taxes will be applied when it is shipped to the UK. Further tariffs and taxes will be applied when it is then shipped to the mainland (europe, in case that confused you).

With that in mind; how is that europeans pay almost 50EUR less then the british for the same product?

That's a good question and still doesn't completely eradicate my point or suggest what I'm saying isn't part of the equation. I'm not a master of the details of your tax system for imports. That doesn't change anything about taxes or tariff's and how they factually work or the reality that this is an imported good that is absolutely subjected to tariffs.

Keep insulting me though. I'm sure that will continue working out for you. Hypocrite.

You're just turning me into your hate mascot because I'm offering possible explanations. Am I Square? Did I set the price? No. Deal with my opinion. Deal with the realities of tariffs. Deal with the realities of complex economies. You railing your anger at me achieves nothing at all especially when it's clear you DON'T have enough information to even tell me I'm factually wrong (seriously the school insults? Lol) or even explain why you think so other than further opinions. People are assuming Square is being lazy. They are assuming Square is being money hungry. All things said without a shred of proof and were said only out of anger and frustration. Meanwhile I try to suggest an actual legal reason this might happen and all I get is anger back in my face. God forbid I try to bring some knowledge and reason to a thread clearly steeped in anger.

Do I KNOW tariff's are the explicitly cause? No. I offered it as a possible explanation. One that is relevant and in part should raise the price at least a little unless Square chooses to eat that cost.

BTW, doesn't the EU versions ordered from Square get Free Shipping?

I know it doesn't make up the difference in cost, but it does help reduce the discrepancy a bit.

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Originally Posted by Tiggy

Keep insulting me though. I'm sure that will continue working out for you. Hypocrite.

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Stack Overflow: Infinite Recursion Error.

Let me ask you, if they decided to lock world transfers and charge everyone on Balmung 50% more for the expansion pack, would you appreciate people telling you this is justifiable, because ERP causes higher GM costs?


EDIT:

Also since you keep mentioning tariffs I did a check:

http://www.dutycalculator.com/hs-loo...n-disc-format/

For game imports, the UK/EU tariff rate 0%, for the USA 2.7%.

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Originally Posted by Tiggy

-snip-

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Your not adding knowledge to the debate since you have no idea about our tax system or our tariffs...your just making wild assumptions while at same time complaining that other people are making assumptions about SE's reason for pricing it the way they did. I am telling you from within the country I live in aka the UK, that neither of those things make up for the discrepancy between the EU version and the UK version so stop using that specific excuse because it is not a valid one.

Anyone who thinks SE made the UK price what it is because of anything more than laziness, greed or incompetence is in my opinion very likely wrong because even if it was based on the tax, customs, delivery, NMW, our trade agreements with the EU and our currency strength or whatever excuse come up with then it would not equal exactly the same price in each country aka pretty much 130 GBP/130 EUR/130 USD.

It is blatantly obvious to me they just put same figure for all and simply swapped the currency symbol on each with no regard for actual economic differences. If they took the economics into account and regional difference in tax rates, import or export fees, NMW or whatever other excuses have been given here then it would not equal the same price in each country no matter which excuse you use. Our country actually gives huge discounts to the gaming industry both in terms of tax and tariffs compared to a lot of other EU nations.

I am not mad at you by the way, I am not even mad at SE...I am disappointed in SE and do not care much either way about you. I am however telling you that your excuse is not valid because if it was valid then there would not be such a huge discrepancy between the EU and the UK price in real terms. This thread is attempting among all the others to get an answer and justification for the price difference on the UK physical CE from SE. Any discussion or arguing among each other is nothing more than tangents, the threads goal is clearly getting an answer from SE and not other players.

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Originally Posted by Kiara

BTW, doesn't the EU versions ordered from Square get Free Shipping?

I know it doesn't make up the difference in cost, but it does help reduce the discrepancy a bit.

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Both the EU and UK versions get such except the products are being dispatched from the UK (I think) to both customers in the UK and EU. So it doesn't explain why the UK version costs much more then the EU version, especially since the EU version is fairly close to cost of the the US version. The fact that all three from US, UK and EU versions all cost 130 is too much of a coincidence to rule out that SE quite likely just chose one price and switched the currency symbols without regard for anything else. What we really need is SE to step up the the plate and answer why they are charging vastly more from their UK customers.

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Originally Posted by KillyBamp

Also, the announcement that the digital CE will be available on psn store at a later date is confirmed for NA only so far, like wtf? Why does SE treat EU like this?

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Go complain on Sony's forums. It's likely a delay in the approval to have it added to the store, which is why there are no dates.

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Originally Posted by MeiUshu

is it created in the UK ? or is imported ? because see if it is CREATED in the UK then I would agree with you but if it is imported

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Please just stop already =/

Going on assumptions based on labelling from previous CE boxes and games, the DVDs, BluRay, Art Book and general packaging will be produced within the EU (Guessing Poland?), It's a fairly safe bet that the statue is going to be produced in China. Everything will be assembled within the EU (Going to stick with Poland again). All of this will then be shipped to a warehouse in the Midlands (UK) where it'll be processed and shipped off across the UK and mainland Europe.

Now I really can't stress this next part enough Mei so please pay attention here:

Shipping components to be later assembled into a complete package will fall under very different shipping and taxation costs compared to you or I importing retail goods along the same route.

At the point of sale, any EU/UK bound CE box will be sat in the Midlands depot and the country of origin is marked on the barcode as the EU, none of these boxes, nor any of there components are being shipped from the US or so your USD import comparison has zero relevance.

The whole Tax/Tariff stuff being banded around is largely irrelevant due to VAT being broadly equivalent across Europe and the UK (as detailed earlier). If you actually think that SE pay retail style VAT, shipping and insurance costs as per Mei's example when they import those dragon figurines from China then you are sorely mistaken. Of course SE will face container and shipping fees but it's nothing like the costs associated with a single item.

The bottom line here is that this is an item that is being shipped from the UK across Europe with a near 35% price hike tacked onto one country for no justifiable reason (backed up by SE's silence on this matter).

Thus the big question here is whether or not SE's practice of enforcing localised pricing coupled with the GBP gouge on the EU store falls foul of EU consumer law.

I keep seeing the same information being passed around about currency rates and taxes being what accounts for price differences. Whilst this is in part true, it's also not the whole truth. This BBC article discussed it back when people realised the PS4 in the UK was more expensive than it should have been when accounting for currency exchanges, taxes and extra overheads: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22868787 Companies just seem to like hiking the prices for certain markets, because we pay the prices.