Steam, banning players for being generous?

[Chibz]

So it's like buying something, then selling it too a friend.

Nothing wrong with that.

But if you buy 20 things, sell it too twenty friends in other countries to avoid taxes, then it starts too become a problem.

Dumb...

You're actually the closest one here to getting it.

PRACTICAL (AND REAL) EXAMPLE: It's like when I was at a friend's house and his uncle wanted a ginger ale (2L bottle of course). Well, it was snowing rather heavily outside and he didn't want to walk there in it. It also was pretty close and too close to rationalize driving. So I volunteered to run over, pick it up. He gave me exact change for a 2L bottle, I ran over to the store bought it and came back with it and gave him the ginger ale.

By their "logic" I have just sold him the ginger ale.

 

[Trolldor]

So it's like buying something, then selling it too a friend.

Nothing wrong with that.

But if you buy 20 things, sell it too twenty friends in other countries to avoid taxes, then it starts too become a problem.

Dumb...

You're actually the closest one here to getting it.

PRACTICAL (AND REAL) EXAMPLE: It's like when I was at a friend's house and his uncle wanted a ginger ale (2L bottle of course). Well, it was snowing rather heavily outside and he didn't want to walk there in it. It also was pretty close and too close to rationalize driving. So I volunteered to run over, pick it up. He gave me exact change for a 2L bottle, I ran over to the store bought it and came back with it and gave him the ginger ale.

By their "logic" I have just sold him the ginger ale.

Did you buy the ginger ale and hand it to a friend overseas, accept money from him and not pay any of taxes or import fees?

Unless you did, your example is bunk muchicho.

 

[Chibz]

Did you buy the ginger ale and hand it to a friend overseas, accept money from him and not pay any of taxes or import fees?

Unless you did, your example is bunk muchicho.

I'm going to ask you a question: do you even know what a VAT is? If you do, I'd like you to explain what you think it is.

It's good to know how much you actually know on the topic...

 

[Trolldor]

It's good to know you think in a tiny box.

 

[Chibz]

It's good to know you think in a tiny box.

You're right, I'm currently thinking in the tiny box of legality. Because if people like yourself who throw around the word "VAT" actually knew what it meant, you'd probably realize how silly you sound for bringing it up in this conversation.

 

[Trolldor]

It's good to know you think in a tiny box.

You're right, I'm currently thinking in the tiny box of legality. Because if people like yourself who throw around the word "VAT" actually knew what it meant, you'd probably realize how silly you sound for bringing it up in this conversation.

I'm weel aware of what VAT is, but you're assuming that's all that applies.

 

[Chibz]

I'm weel aware of what VAT is, but you're assuming that's all that applies.

Most sales taxes aren't required to be collected by private citizens. Unless you can name a tax that was, specifically, being avoided you've got no case. No point at all. Stop wasting my time by repeating the same nonsense, and actually make a coherent point.

 

[TheRundownRabbit]

This has to tie into discrimination somehow.

 

[Chibz]

This has to tie into discrimination somehow.

You're partially right. Most regions have a law against pricing based on location. Whether the EU has one in general or not is uncertain to me.

It's discriminatory, it's immoral, but it's (in all likeliness) legal.

 

[Rellik San]

Ok just so I have this right, people were giving the guy the cash (via bank transfer) for the games, he was purchasing them in USD and gifting them to the people.


Surely... now this could just be my weird logic, this is exactly the same thing most of us have done at some point, where say a prior commitment (for arguments sake lets say work) has meant you would have missed out on a sale item you're after, so we give a friend who has the time and inclination to go down to the store the cash and get them too pick it up on your behalf.

Because if thats illegal, I'm definitely in deep doo doo.

As for the tax thing, I know in Britain at least, its not uncommon to hand a friend going on holiday £20 and saying "pick me up X amount of Y product duty free", ok so its a little shady but I wouldn't say its outright illegal.

All of which is essentially what this guy was doing.

 

[Chibz]

Exchange Tax.

There's no actual tax with that name on it that I know of. However, if you mean for exchanging currencies... They probably paid such a thing while giving him the USD on paypal. Try again.

 

[Chibz]

If you want to try to skirt around taxation laws and fees, then use something other than Steam.

I'll ask you the exactly same question I asked Trolldor. What taxes? Name a few.

 

[GenericAmerican]

So it's like buying something, then selling it too a friend.

Nothing wrong with that.

But if you buy 20 things, sell it too twenty friends in other countries to avoid taxes, then it starts too become a problem.

Dumb...

You're actually the closest one here to getting it.

PRACTICAL (AND REAL) EXAMPLE: It's like when I was at a friend's house and his uncle wanted a ginger ale (2L bottle of course). Well, it was snowing rather heavily outside and he didn't want to walk there in it. It also was pretty close and too close to rationalize driving. So I volunteered to run over, pick it up. He gave me exact change for a 2L bottle, I ran over to the store bought it and came back with it and gave him the ginger ale.

By their "logic" I have just sold him the ginger ale.

So you're not losing money, or gaining money. You're not selling it, you're just picking it up for someone else. I think we have all done this; going and picking up lunch for the office is the same. You're not paying for all that food, just picking it up for co-workers.

Now if you bought a truckload of ginger ale/food/alcohol/anything for friends in another town/country where the price was up, is that wrong? In small quantities, I don't think so, a truckload yes. And the people selling the stuff will definitely see that as wrong.

example.

You own a chain of businesses selling handbags, your town it's $20, next town it's $30 due to shipping costs and other things. Times are hard, but you're managing to make a profit.

Someone buys a $20 and gives it as gift to a friend in the other town..okay, whatever.

Someone buys 100 bags for $20 a pop and gives them to friends in the other town; losing money due to some 'helpful friend' circumventing the system. I would be mad if I were the business owner.

Helping friends=good
Lost profit=bad

I'm not sure exactly where I stand on this, I don't think it's an inherently bad thing, just something you shouldn't do in the first place because of things like this happening.

If you are deliberately doing this to avoid taxes and such, then it starts being wrong. Don't like the taxes, find somewhere else to buy it rather than putting a friend on the line and making the company lose money. You don't want to buy from them because of the price...find someone else who is selling it.

I'm not even sure on the whole reasons the games are more expensive in other countries. I am simply assuming taxes on import/exports and such.

Like I said before. Dumb. Those people should have bought their own games.

 

[Chibz]

This has, as people have pointed out earlier in the thread, more to do with international trade laws than it does Steam saying "YOU CAN'T SHARE GAMES *ban*"

Which trade laws have been violated? Name a few.

 

[Chibz]

SNIP

In your example I can be upset about it all I'd like. Except I'd have no legal recourse. They aren't breaking the law.

I don`t have experience with laws in other countries, but it`s not safe to assume that
a) there arent any
b) Steam is just dicking around and griefing people
There is probably a good reason why they are doing this, and people tend to settle on the easier to comprehend one.

Like I said, Steam is more just keeping publishers happy. At the cost of consumer rights, of course.