Why does the offical SE store GOUGE on prices and shipping so much???

[Doki]

For instance, today's Lodestone post about the Growing Light OST that redirects to the special site. On that site it gives links to the SE NA Store, SE EU Store... and CDJapan.

CD Japan price: $32.95 (+$19.62 for 2-3day DHL shipping or as cheap as $11.53 for Airmail with no tracking). There was a special coupon promotion that also took another 500 yen off. Total Price with DHL shipping: $49.28 (7747 yen)

SE NA Store price: $49.99 (+$35 for 2-day shipping, or $9.99 "Standard" shipping) So to be comparable to a DHL order from CD Japan, Total price with "2-day" shipping would be: $64.16

It's $14.88 cheaper to purchase from online retailers in Japan with English webpages than it is from "regionally local" online official stores.

It's clear what is happening here is that the SE NA (and I assume the same goes for the EU store) is they are shipping items somewhere regionally local, and passing that 2nd shipping & handling cost on to the purchaser. That is just beyond ridiculous in today's online world.

It is also worth noting that in addition to the extra cost, you actually get the items delivered MUCH later than if you order direct from the Japanese retailers in nearly all cases. The JP retailer receives the package and starts mailing it out to you the same day it starts to ship to the NA\EU stores who then take a week to ship it on to you afterward.

[Souljacker]

Welcome to america, where we are FREE to pay more than just about everyone else, and get less for our trouble.

How else will the shareholders extract as much profit as possible? Aren't you a capitalist, friend?

[Hanayumi]

Its on the rare side, but browse around Amazon and Target, CDs and art book occasionally show up in their listing at same prices as SE store (even on sale at times) but without the shipping hassle.

[Doki]

Amazon Japan (which you can view in English and make purchases) often has the books & CDs cheaper than the NA\EU store.

[Bun_Vivant]

A law school casebook that cost $200 in the US is often available -- new from the publisher -- in developing countries for less than US$20.
And used books are deprecated because the authors (law school professors) come out with new reversions every year -- and you have to use the latest revision.
There's a gray market in imported books, but it's small and most US law school students seem to either not know or not care.

It's a straight-forward case of charging what the market will bear. Capitalism at it's finest, and not necessarily a bad thing: it provides a product to a developing country that otherwise might find it difficult to afford by subsidizing the product using US sales.

[Yodada]

For instance, today's Lodestone post about the Growing Light OST that redirects to the special site. On that site it gives links to the SE NA Store, SE EU Store... and CDJapan.

CD Japan price: $32.95 (+$19.62 for 2-3day DHL shipping or as cheap as $11.53 for Airmail with no tracking). There was a special coupon promotion that also took another 500 yen off. Total Price with DHL shipping: $49.28 (7747 yen)

SE NA Store price: $49.99 (+$35 for 2-day shipping, or $9.99 "Standard" shipping) So to be comparable to a DHL order from CD Japan, Total price with "2-day" shipping would be: $64.16

It's $14.88 cheaper to purchase from online retailers in Japan with English webpages than it is from "regionally local" online official stores.

It's clear what is happening here is that the SE NA (and I assume the same goes for the EU store) is they are shipping items somewhere regionally local, and passing that 2nd shipping & handling cost on to the purchaser. That is just beyond ridiculous in today's online world.

It is also worth noting that in addition to the extra cost, you actually get the items delivered MUCH later than if you order direct from the Japanese retailers in nearly all cases. The JP retailer receives the package and starts mailing it out to you the same day it starts to ship to the NA\EU stores who then take a week to ship it on to you afterward.

Better look up Taxes and Duties

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

Better look up Taxes and Duties

In the US, customs don't need to be paid for purchases under $400 I believe, and that's per transaction, not yearly or monthly.

[Yodada]

In the US, customs don't need to be paid for purchases under $400 I believe, and that's per transaction, not yearly or monthly.

Do you really think Square is sending over only one CD or product at a time to their NA Store?

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

Do you really think Square is sending over only one CD or product at a time to their NA Store?

I'm not talking about SE, I'm talking about people ordering stuff from overseas. Most Americans won't see customs fees for such low purchases.


Of course businesses will pass those costs on to the customers.

Plus, for shipping, the SE store is likely too low a volume to get any real discounts from shipping companies. Hence the prices.


Lego can ship me a 30lb set at no cost to me, but I ship a 22lb computer to a friend and it was $90.


Its all economies of scale and capitalism.

[DrWho2010]

depends on what you like regarding each places storefronts/options/policies/rewards. CD Japan has it's own set of rewards, as does the Square Enix store. pick your poison. sometimes it's not always about the cheapest bang for your buck. but that's up to you. FREEEEDOM