Game Prices
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Conversion rates do not set prices, prices are set based on GDI (gross domestic income), while the current might exchange one to one, you're still making more of it. Exchange rates don't set prices, it's a percentage of the GDI.BoredAussieGamer said:
Figure out the following question and maybe you'll understand, why do Australians constantly complain about US prices, why aren't they complaining about Russian Prices or Eastern Europe, or India/Malaysian prices? Those places only pay like $30 for a game. Heck, why aren't American complaining about not paying those kinds of prices for games?
Cool, didn't know about them, currently I go with dungeon crawl, its based in Melbourne as well which is nice for me =) They are the cheapest inside Australia that I know of, bout the same as US prices.ResonanceSD said:
...Sigh, why do I even bother.SajuukKhar said:
Really? That is the best answer you can come up with?
Hey I just though of something interesting, almost everything in Australia costs double what it does in the US! Water, food, housing...almost everything. Why isn't the whole population of Australia up in arms about that? Why aren't people marching in the streets and rioting over having to pay so much more for everything? How dare those corporations charge you DOUBLE the price that people in the US pay for basic necessities for life?!
This isn't just a smart response, it's probably the only valid response to games being considered "too expensive".krazykidd said:
I think the only clear difference is that you can pirate a game while you can't hijack a plane and visit other places around the world freely.
You were talking about video games before.Rednog said:
Most of the crap you listed has a reason, in that its is a physical object that requires extra shipping and processing to get to Australasia, and thus the cost of it being more makes sense.
Well that completely depends on how much money the average Australian makes and the cost of living as stuff like that has an effect on the price of items. I can't just go stuff is so cheap in the UK supermarkets so unfair same as UK can't really go fuel is cheap in Ireland this is unfair. Different countries have different tax levels on different stuff so if say food and fuel is cheaper in Australia(not saying it is just an example) it will affect the prices of other stuff.
I don't know enough about all the info to give a proper comment but last I checked Aussies had more disposable income than US which would explain why higher prices there.
I don't know enough about all the info to give a proper comment but last I checked Aussies had more disposable income than US which would explain why higher prices there.
Yeah, OzGameShop is what I use, although I have had a look at Dungeon Crawl. Ozgameshop is really good, its cheap and Borderlands 2 shipped in a week and a bit for me. If you're not worried about longer shipping times, use OGS.BoredAussieGamer said:
OT: Yeah it annoys me, especially cos our dollar is pretty much on par with the US dollar. But then again, I'm just an ignorant non-economic person, so I assume there would be other factors. Still sucks, though.
I've used OzGameShop before. Bought Diablo 3. I think someone summed it up best as something set up in England for Aussies who don't want to pay Aussie prices.MrTwo said:
Trust me mate, the trains are filthy. And the staff hate you. (I'm a train driver.)fix-the-spade said:
But yeah, we always get screwed when it comes to pricing compaired to the rest of the world.
It's ok though. All we have to do is to get a lot more people buying games off the internet for cheaper, and the same thing that happened to the book stores like Borders and Angus & Robertson, will happen to the games retailers.
The bottom line with companies is money. Hit them where it hurts and dont put up with them ripping you off. Easy.
...Unless they're Games Workshop and they create a trade embargo to prevent you from buying exactly the same product for half the price off the net.
I have taken their preventing me from buying stuff from Maelstrom Games to mean that they dont want me buying their products any more. That's fine. More money in my pocket and less money in theirs.
That's because we have to pay the AUS prices a lot of the time because people don't realise we're two different countries. We also lack the mineral deposits that makes Australia so well off which is a *****.Nouw said:
It's stupid for companies to charge a higher price for digital downloads when there's an easy way around it. It's like saying they don't want our money.
EDIT: wasn't there something about JBhifi importing games from Britain to sell at a cheaper price? Sure I heard something like that.
I spent a week in Sydney (after driving from Brisbane, I took pictures of the Opera house and everything!). You need to spend some time in English land, your trains were spotless compared to what I'm used to. Even if the drivers hate me they didn't show it, better than the barely decipherable growls they give you here while you hand over and hundred quid.Gavmando said:
Yes but I can just ship my games from Britain and they'll be half the price. Maccas makes sense that it's more expensive because the main cost there is minimum wage workers adn our minimum wage is quite high.fix-the-spade said:
There is no sensible reason for a piece of software to be this much more expensive. No localisation cost, no local marketing.
Not really, they sort of have you over a barrel. The smug would say "don't stand for it, vote with your wallet", but you'd hardly be a gamer if you didn't buy games. So you grin and bear it, paying about 20 dollars more for games, and the publishers just go on thinking "Oh, this is great, they'll totally pay that."
This sort of price gouging in the information age is deplorable. We're not stupid, publishers. We can count.
This sort of price gouging in the information age is deplorable. We're not stupid, publishers. We can count.
There is no tax on games apart from GST (like VAT).sanquin said:
This is not a tax thing. And your ruminations on how wages affect cost of living betray a severe misunderstanding of how economics works. Just because people make extra money does not mean that the price of goods goes up. This only happens if there is scarcity.Glademaster said:
Digital goods don't suffer from scarcity.
There's also no transportation cost, no localisation cost, no extra marketing cost. With a BMW I know why it costs twice as much in Australia than in Germany, there's making it right hand drive, Australian safety standards to adhere to, and shipping.
We have a situation in Australia where the dollar doubled in value and has remained that way for years and the price of many imports has not come down. And the retailers complain that people are going to internet importers.
Nope, the government has actually ordered an inquest into the cost of software in Australia. Photoshop is like $200 more expensive for download in Australia than the US. No reason for that shit.sanquin said:
They're looking into games too.
The cause is the fact that 0.50AUD use to be equal to 1.00USD. The prices didn't change to affect the exchange rate (about 1=1 at the moment; AUD was > USD for about a year).
If you don't like it just import, it's completely legal to import a game for personal use which hasn't been refused classification.
Thought I'd add an extra preceding disclaimer: I know nothing about economics, the below is just an idea that pops into my head. It doesn't mean I think it has any merit. I would love for someone knowledgeable to enlighten me. Or I could just Google learn.
So Dishonored is $79.99AU and $59.99USD
and
US Minimum wage: $7.25 / hour
Australian Minimum wage: $15.96 / hour
That's all I ever think about when I see Australians complain about game prices. It just makes me wonder if that difference somehow makes video game prices more comparable? You know, using economics magic or something. I'd love to know if it matters if video games are really overpriced in Australia when considering they make over double the US minimum wage.
But I understand I know nothing much at all about economics, so I don't pretend to assume my little justification up there has any merit whatsoever.
So Dishonored is $79.99AU and $59.99USD
and
US Minimum wage: $7.25 / hour
Australian Minimum wage: $15.96 / hour
That's all I ever think about when I see Australians complain about game prices. It just makes me wonder if that difference somehow makes video game prices more comparable? You know, using economics magic or something. I'd love to know if it matters if video games are really overpriced in Australia when considering they make over double the US minimum wage.
But I understand I know nothing much at all about economics, so I don't pretend to assume my little justification up there has any merit whatsoever.
Pretty much this.fuzzy logic said:
I live in Ireland and make a decent wage. If I buy a beer in a pub, I pay 5-6 euro. If I go to Eastern Europe, I can get the same product for 1-2 euro. This is just one example but it applies for pretty much anything that people spend money on. People having more disposable income obviously leads to an increase in prices as people will be willing to pay a higher price for various products.
The only legitimate complaint for this is when something is a necessity rather than a luxory, if someone requires something that they actually need to get by as opposed to wanting something and are unable to afford it, then there is a reason for complaint.