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Europeans pay in $$

ashrox10ashrox10 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users, Silverstars Posts: 0 Arc User
edited April 2013 in General Discussion (PC)
Hello Guys.

I know this is a topic which has been touched on every now and again but I want to make a poll as to what you guys think in regards to the fact we, Europeans, are charged 25% more for a game than you, Americans, are.

Basically, I've been a PayPal user for years and I've been able to purchase US goods in US currency for the entirity of my PayPal 'life'. However, with Neverwinter, it seems the PayPal link redirects us to a EU payment system rather than default sending it to the US one, why? I don't know.

Usually, you're able to purchase US goods and just deal with your individual banks currency rate or you're actually allowed to choose a currency to pay in. In this case, we're not.

Working out rough prices:

Hero of the North pack - $250
Guardian pack - $72.50

^

Now, I was prepared to pay the correct sum of (200 - HotN 60 - Guardian) however now I've realised that I cannot pay in $$ I don't think I want to purchase it, unless they allow us to choose a currency to pay with.

If I'm missing something here, please tell me. All other pre-purchases of US games have been either repriced to match the US price or given EU the chance to select what currency they wish to pay in.

What do you guys think?

Cheers,
Ash.
Vuxadin@Kaelangx on Mindflayer.
PvE Enthusiast.
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Post edited by ashrox10 on
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Comments

  • deathssickledeathssickle Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    ashrox10 wrote: »
    Hello Guys.

    I know this is a topic which has been touched on every now and again but I want to make a poll as to what you guys think in regards to the fact we, Europeans, are charged 25% more for a game than you, Americans, are.

    Basically, I've been a PayPal user for years and I've been able to purchase US goods in US currency for the entirity of my PayPal 'life'. However, with Neverwinter, it seems the PayPal link redirects us to a EU payment system rather than default sending it to the US one, why? I don't know.

    Usually, you're able to purchase US goods and just deal with your individual banks currency rate or you're actually allowed to choose a currency to pay in. In this case, we're not.

    Working out rough prices:

    Hero of the North pack - $250
    Guardian pack - $72.50

    ^

    Now, I was prepared to pay the correct sum of (200 - HotN 60 - Guardian) however now I've realised that I cannot pay in $$ I don't think I want to purchase it, unless they allow us to choose a currency to pay with.

    If I'm missing something here, please tell me. All other pre-purchases of US games have been either repriced to match the US price or given EU the chance to select what currency they wish to pay in.

    What do you guys think?

    Cheers,
    Ash.

    From what I understand from hearing around the forums the extra amount has to do with taxes
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  • prootwaddleprootwaddle Member Posts: 226 Bounty Hunter
    edited February 2013
    From what I understand from hearing around the forums the extra amount has to do with taxes

    If it is taxes then the UK VAT rate is 20% and when I investigated what I would be charged I was offered a price in Euros.

    This is something that probably needs to be worked out before these packs are withdrawn.

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  • shiaikashiaika Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users, Silverstars Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    I'm european. I payed 189,99€ last time I checked.

    Since when does the UK people consider themselves european anyway?:p
  • kalvorakkalvorak Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 45
    edited February 2013
    shiaika wrote: »
    I'm european. I payed 189,99€ last time I checked

    Which is around $250.
  • prootwaddleprootwaddle Member Posts: 226 Bounty Hunter
    edited February 2013
    shiaika wrote: »
    Since when does the UK people consider themselves european anyway?:p

    It depends how right-wing those UK people are and how little they know about Europe. :rolleyes:

    Me, I fully appreciate cultures such as France where comics and role-playing games are well respected.

    Superhero stories, done well, are about modern archetypes.

    A Prootwaddle is one of the weirder player-character races in "The Fantasy Trip", Steve Jackson's first published role-playing game.
  • daytonamaxdaytonamax Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 196 Bounty Hunter
    edited February 2013
    kalvorak wrote: »
    Which is around $250.


    Correct.
    if it were a proper conversion, it would have been about 151.74€.
    Which means that VAT thing kicked in.
  • belzubbelzub Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 43
    edited February 2013
    What if I managed to get someone in the US to buy it for me. Would I be able to play on european servers? How has Cryptic managed their previous games server wise? Is it region locked?
  • bardbarianbardbarian Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    I think whatever works best for both PWE and the customer. Convenience for the customer is always good, but if PWE or the customer is spending $5 in fees on $5 micro-transactions this game won't be around long.
  • adamchattawayadamchattaway Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    shiaika wrote: »
    I'm european. I payed 189,99€ last time I checked.

    Since when does the UK people consider themselves european anyway?:p

    $200 is 126 pounds, i had to pay 167 pounds for the hero pack, fu rip off tbh, see Britain, this is why we want out of the EU, its a shambles of <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font>.
  • klaw10klaw10 Member Posts: 10 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    belzub wrote: »
    What if I managed to get someone in the US to buy it for me. Would I be able to play on european servers? How has Cryptic managed their previous games server wise? Is it region locked?

    It's not about access to the game, you will be able to download and play for free. This is about ingame items and perks and in order to make use of them the american buyer will have to give you the account details, and since accounts are linked to addresses one of the two of you will be committing fraud and the account will locked.
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  • adamchattawayadamchattaway Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    klaw10 wrote: »
    It's not about access to the game, you will be able to download and play for free. This is about ingame items and perks and in order to make use of them the american buyer will have to give you the account details, and since accounts are linked to addresses one of the two of you will be committing fraud and the account will locked.

    The fraud is them forcing us to pay in fu euros...
  • hosierman1hosierman1 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 72
    edited February 2013
    I'd be happy with some transparency in the prices listed tbh, if they were listed in your local currency (including taxes etc) there would be much less drama over the prices, people in different countries pay different amounts for stuff, that is just how it is, I'm not sure having to pay 20-25% more on a few digital items is a good enough reason to want out of europe :P (thats not me thinking its fair, just accepting it)
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  • segunra92segunra92 Member Posts: 6 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    I'd like to choose what ever the currency but not euros.
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  • lydonblydonb Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    I'd like to pay the proper price.

    Paying 1/4th extra for the same package, due to living in another continent is insane to say the least.

    Seriously; not happening.
  • keirkinkeirkin Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    lydonb wrote: »
    I'd like to pay the proper price.

    Paying 1/4th extra for the same package, due to living in another continent is insane to say the least.

    Seriously; not happening.

    Yet you buy gasoline?
  • karischkarisch Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    20% increase for our taxes we can blame the government fair enough but where has the other 5% come from?
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  • lydonblydonb Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    keirkin wrote: »
    Yet you buy gasoline?

    This game is a digital item; gasoline is not, and it's price is affected by a multitude of other unstable factors.

    Your comparison lacks any context and value; troll elsewhere.
  • keirkinkeirkin Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    lydonb wrote: »
    This game is a digital item; gasoline is not, and it's price is affected by a multitude of other unstable factors.

    Your comparison lacks any context and value; troll elsewhere.

    Actually it is exactly the same. The reason why you are paying higher prices for gasoline is because of your taxes and your country that is the same reason you are paying more for the founders packs. The shear fact that something is digital does not make it different alone and people need to start getting used to that. We are moving into an age of digital goods and they are only going to become more and more prevalent. Music, digital test/audio books, tv/movies, all previously physical objects now a huge percentage of them digital items, but still having a value subject to taxes and other restrictions. I am willing to bet you are going to start seeing MORE of this type of thing over the next 10 years not less.

    Just because it is something you do not want to hear does not make me a troll.
  • keirkinkeirkin Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    karisch wrote: »
    20% increase for our taxes we can blame the government fair enough but where has the other 5% come from?

    Now that is the real question. Who knows. I bet PWE/Cryptic knows but they are not saying. My point being it is not 25% more. 5%, I will totally give you.
  • adamchattawayadamchattaway Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    keirkin wrote: »
    Actually it is exactly the same. The reason why you are paying higher prices for gasoline is because of your taxes and your country that is the same reason you are paying more for the founders packs. The shear fact that something is digital does not make it different alone and people need to start getting used to that. We are moving into an age of digital goods and they are only going to become more and more prevalent. Music, digital test/audio books, tv/movies, all previously physical objects now a huge percentage of them digital items, but still having a value subject to taxes and other restrictions. I am willing to bet you are going to start seeing MORE of this type of thing over the next 10 years not less.

    Just because it is something you do not want to hear does not make me a troll.

    Tell me? we pay 1/4 more money for the pack and you blame tax but? are you saying America pays 0% tax? for us to pay 25% more? if America pays 20% tax and Britain 25% why are we paying 25% more in total?
  • keirkinkeirkin Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    Tell me? we pay 1/4 more money for the pack and you blame tax but? are you saying America pays 0% tax? for us to pay 25% more? if America pays 20% tax and Britain 25% why are we paying 25% more in total?

    America doesn't pay 20% tax. We don't pay VAT. I payed 0% tax in america we don't have tax on this stuff. You do, it is called VAT it is 20%. Like I said not sure where the extra 5% comes from, could be bad currency conversion could be a typo some where in the website code, could be the flying spaghetti monster hating Europeans and manipulating the conversion, I have no idea. And for the love of god please proof read what you write. It looks like a spastic 7 year old wrote it. Random question marks no other punctuation it is difficult to know for certain what you are saying.
  • ambisinisterrambisinisterr Member, Neverwinter Moderator Posts: 10,462 Community Moderator
    edited February 2013
    Americans do not pay tax on digital products...yet.

    Also, in american society it is standard practice to apply all taxes and fees at checkout. We do not build taxes into the list price of products so even if we were to pay taxes on digital products these fees would be applied on top of the list price.
  • athanshadowathanshadow Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    i think this thread is a fine example how taxes can choke economic growth.
  • ambisinisterrambisinisterr Member, Neverwinter Moderator Posts: 10,462 Community Moderator
    edited February 2013
    My best guess on the 25% is that it fluctuates due to currency changes. I have done the math with the numbers on various different days and I have come up with figures between 20-27% depending entirely on the price of the Euro and Dollar.
    They created a static payment rate of 189.99 at least for UK customers instead of applying a 20% tax based on the current value of $200 + 20% converted to Euros. This causes the actual tax rate to fluctuate due to value fluctuations. There have been days where the tax is higher or lower purely due to this fact.


    Now let me make this clear, there is absolutely no difference between paying in Pounds or Euros. The physical numbers may change but the underlying values are constant. 200 dollars is always going to be 200 dollars whether you pay in Euros or Pounds. The only varying factor is that the price is fixed at 189.99 Euros which is a number they chose for whatever reason at the time to be $200 + 20%. The value differences are not from Euros costing more or less than pounds.

    I had asked for this question to be detailed by Billing but in order to do so they need to have a few detailed descriptions of different issues and questions that need to be answered. Give them here and hopefully we can get a response to some of them.
  • ashrox10ashrox10 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users, Silverstars Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    I had asked for this question to be detailed by Billing but in order to do so they need to have a few detailed descriptions of different issues and questions that need to be answered. Give them here and hopefully we can get a response to some of them.

    Hero of the North pack - $250
    Guardian pack - $72.50

    Why is EU forced to pay this equivalent price; why don't the billing team modify the EU prices to match those of US equivalents?
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  • ambisinisterrambisinisterr Member, Neverwinter Moderator Posts: 10,462 Community Moderator
    edited February 2013
    As already stipulated, that price is due to the European VAT charge applied to all countries which are part of the European Union.
  • ashrox10ashrox10 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users, Silverstars Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    As already stipulated, that price is due to the European VAT charge applied to all countries which are part of the European Union.

    I understand that, but why don't they lower the price for EU customers to compensate.

    So the VAT is still applied, but totals the US equivalent.
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  • aeroth001aeroth001 Member Posts: 420 Bounty Hunter
    edited February 2013
    I also don't want to use dollars I prefer euros.
  • nebuchadnezzar7nebuchadnezzar7 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    ashrox10 wrote: »
    I understand that, but why don't they lower the price for EU customers to compensate.

    So the VAT is still applied, but totals the US equivalent.

    Because it would result in less profits for PWE...You are essentially asking that PWE pay the taxes for you.
  • ashrox10ashrox10 Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users, Silverstars Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    Because it would result in less profits for PWE...You are essentially asking that PWE pay the taxes for you.

    You could look at it that way but I'm looking at it as PWE are choosing to allow EU to have to pay 25% extra for their game because they're not from the US.
    Vuxadin@Kaelangx on Mindflayer.
    PvE Enthusiast.
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