Australians get ripped off again

TheRealPotoroo · March 2018

As usual, Australians are being grossly over charged for the digital editions (= no shipping costs) of the Summerset chapter.

What Americans pay:

Summerset Digital Collector's Edition $59.99 USD
Summerset Digital Standard Edition $39.99 USD
Summerset Digital Collector's Edition Upgrade $39.99 USD
Summerset Digital Upgrade $29.99 USD

What Australians pay:

Summerset Digital Collector's Edition $89.95 AUD
Summerset Digital Standard Edition $59.95 AUD
Summerset Digital Collector's Edition Upgrade $59.95 AUD
Summerset Digital Upgrade $44.95 AUD

What Australians should pay if ZoS/Bethesda used a realistic exchange rate (0.75 used here even though it is 0.78 in reality):

Summerset Digital Collector's Edition $79.99 AUD
Summerset Digital Standard Edition $53.32 AUD
Summerset Digital Collector's Edition Upgrade $53.32 AUD
Summerset Digital Upgrade $39.99 AUD

KingYogi415 · March 2018

Minimum wage is much higher in Australia.

Even a pair of jeans that would cost 60$ in USA can cost 200$ down under.

GeorgeBlack · March 2018

Really....? >. <

vrine · March 2018

KingYogi415 wrote: »

Minimum wage is much higher in Australia.

Even a pair of jeans that would cost 60$ in USA can cost 200$ down under.

That's because the cost of living here is higher. It should have no bearing on online game currency conversion rates.

vrine · March 2018

God forbid we don't want to get ripped off because ZOS is terrible with currency conversion.

smacx250 · March 2018

It's 10% off where you think it should be. It is possible that the additional costs of a US company doing business in Australia accounts for that (additional taxes, regulations, etc.)? I have noticed that Australia seems to be left out of a lot of events and such - seems like possibly a hard place to do business in?

TheRealPotoroo · March 2018

KingYogi415 wrote: »

Minimum wage is much higher in Australia.

Even a pair of jeans that would cost 60$ in USA can cost 200$ down under.

One reason physical items traditionally cost more here is because of the long shipping distances. This is known locally as the "Australia tax", ie the price you pay for living a long way from anywhere. However, that's not as true as it was thanks to things like air freight and the shift in the world economy towards Asia, but either way it should be irrelevant to digital items.

[Edited to remove baiting comments]

vrine · March 2018

smacx250 wrote: »

It's 10% off where you think it should be. It is possible that the additional costs of a US company doing business in Australia accounts for that (additional taxes, regulations, etc.)? I have noticed that Australia seems to be left out of a lot of events and such - seems like possibly a hard place to do business in?

A good point. Might be something to look into. Only thing that seems suspicious is that ZOS used to be good with the conversion rate up until Morrowind.

SirDopey · March 2018

Does a VPN work to be offered the USD store or does it figure it out based on your address in the account?

Colecovision · March 2018

But you guys get all that lag too. Someone has to pay for that.

TheRealPotoroo · March 2018

smacx250 wrote: »

It's 10% off where you think it should be. It is possible that the additional costs of a US company doing business in Australia accounts for that (additional taxes, regulations, etc.)? I have noticed that Australia seems to be left out of a lot of events and such - seems like possibly a hard place to do business in?

I am talking exclusively about buying digital items online. No local physical presence is required. And if ZoS/Bethesda are charging the Australian Goods and Services Tax then their web site is not making that clear, as they are required to under Australian law.

SirDopey wrote: »

Does a VPN work to be offered the USD store or does it figure it out based on your address in the account?

The web site says pricing is based on your country of registration.

Slick_007 · March 2018

dont forget to add the currency exchange fee because we also dont get charged in AUD

TheRealPotoroo · March 2018

Slick_007 wrote: »

dont forget to add the currency exchange fee because we also dont get charged in AUD

Are you talking about the Bethesda web site or Steam? Steam is a bloody double rip off because they force us to pay in USD even though the product is advertised in AUD (that means we get hit by bad exchange rate conversions twice and that can really add up). I am fairly sure Bethesda's web site itself charges in AUD though.

Tannus15 · March 2018

The thing Australians get mot shafted by is that every maintenance is during our peak evening play time.

1 in 7 days of the week I should get my sub refunded.

Bonzodog01 · March 2018

Meanwhile in UK (on XBox Console) -

Summerset Collectors Edition Digital Download = £39.99 GBP
Summerset Standard Digital Download = £29.99 GBP

Only two available on console.

dem0n1k · March 2018

As an Australian you just have to push back in the only way we can........ capture all the enemy scrolls whilst our American friends sleep

GeorgeBlack · March 2018

Aight this is getting too political
Go complain elsewhere for $10
/thread

Anotherone773 · March 2018

If Aussies think they have it bad, you should be in more poor non EU country where you still have to pay for the game in Euro's

TheRealPotoroo · March 2018

Anotherone773 wrote: »

If Aussies think they have it bad, you should be in more poor non EU country where you still have to pay for the game in Euro's

Problems players in other countries have are irrelevant to the topic, which is that Australians are being routinely over-charged by ZoS/Bethesda.

Nyghthowler · March 2018

Considering that Australia started out as a prison colony; I guess your government/wardens are still sticking it to you...

Grimm13 · March 2018

Only quickly tried to find your Import laws. I see you have a GST but not how much it is, or if it applies to this product. can this account for your difference?

TheRealPotoroo · March 2018

Grimm13 wrote: »

Only quickly tried to find your Import laws. I see you have a GST but not how much it is, or if it applies to this product. can this account for your difference?

As I said, if they are charging GST they are obliged by law to clearly show it on the web site, but there is no mention of it. For whatever reason, Bethesda revamped their pricing when they released Morrowind. That's when ESO went from being good value to ridiculously over priced compared to what Americans pay.

smacx250 · March 2018

TheRealPotoroo wrote: »

smacx250 wrote: »

It's 10% off where you think it should be. It is possible that the additional costs of a US company doing business in Australia accounts for that (additional taxes, regulations, etc.)? I have noticed that Australia seems to be left out of a lot of events and such - seems like possibly a hard place to do business in?

I am talking exclusively about buying digital items online. No local physical presence is required. And if ZoS/Bethesda are charging the Australian Goods and Services Tax then their web site is not making that clear, as they are required to under Australian law.

I don't know the laws that govern international trade - but I do know they exist, and can differ from country to country. How those laws effect the cost of doing business with citizens in a particular country also differ. It may be that if doing business with a country that has higher intrinsic costs (e.g., legal fees, insurance, corporate taxes, etc.), a company may choose to pass those costs on to the customers of said country, instead of absorbing them and spreading them out to customers of all countries. But again, I have no idea if that is what is going on here - I'm merely raising the possibility. I do find it doubtful that ZOS has simply decided to "rip off" Australians.

LittlePinkDot · March 2018

Bonzodog01 wrote: »

Meanwhile in UK (on XBox Console) -

Summerset Collectors Edition Digital Download = £39.99 GBP
Summerset Standard Digital Download = £29.99 GBP

Only two available on console.

Now THAT is a real rip off

But has anyone seen the prices for Canada? I havent logged on yet today. But im pretty sure Canadians get ripped off the worst.

Thats why we shop across the border. Or order things online to a warehouse/ house across the border then go pick it up and pay 5$ to whoever owns the warehouse/ house

bareheiny · March 2018

Summerset Digital Collector's Edition $104.95 NZD
Summerset Digital Standard Edition $69.95 NZD
Summerset Digital Collector's Edition Upgrade $69.95 NZD
Summerset Digital Upgrade $54.95 NZD

I usually put the extra cost down to shipping...obviously the delivery elves in the internet pipes need to get paid. Or something.

Wreuntzylla · March 2018

LittlePinkDot wrote: »

Bonzodog01 wrote: »

Meanwhile in UK (on XBox Console) -

Summerset Collectors Edition Digital Download = £39.99 GBP
Summerset Standard Digital Download = £29.99 GBP

Only two available on console.

Now THAT is a real rip off

But has anyone seen the prices for Canada? I havent logged on yet today. But im pretty sure Canadians get ripped off the worst.

Thats why we shop across the border. Or order things online to a warehouse/ house across the border then go pick it up and pay 5$ to whoever owns the warehouse/ house

Sooooo... your method of protest is to violate Canadian law?

MLGProPlayer · March 2018

Isn't everything priced way above the exchange rate in Australia?

LittlePinkDot · March 2018

Wreuntzylla wrote: »

LittlePinkDot wrote: »

Bonzodog01 wrote: »

Meanwhile in UK (on XBox Console) -

Summerset Collectors Edition Digital Download = £39.99 GBP
Summerset Standard Digital Download = £29.99 GBP

Only two available on console.

Now THAT is a real rip off

But has anyone seen the prices for Canada? I havent logged on yet today. But im pretty sure Canadians get ripped off the worst.

Thats why we shop across the border. Or order things online to a warehouse/ house across the border then go pick it up and pay 5$ to whoever owns the warehouse/ house

Sooooo... your method of protest is to violate Canadian law?

I dont drive, so I cant. But its well known ALOT of Canadians shop across the border. Most large cities are near to the border. I heard theres a HUGE professional warehouse in New York. Its not our problem that the government doesnt want to take the time with every car coming back across the border to visually search through their car to confirm that what theyre claiming is all their is. It would be gridlock. Theres way too much traffic across the border in some places, and not enough infrastructure to police it all.

And even some things from the US I order online to my door are significantly cheaper.
The Aquarium light I got online for 77$ USD was somewhere a bit over 200$ plus shipping from Amazon.ca.
Im not going to just get ripped off if I dont have to.
Nobody likes getting ripped off, so Nobody here cares that we shop for certain things across the border.

TheRealPotoroo · March 2018

MLGProPlayer wrote: »

Isn't everything priced way above the exchange rate in Australia?

It depends what you mean. In practice there are two exchange rates, one for buying and one for selling. The difference is usually around a four cents and it's the profit on each transaction. So, if the news says today's AUD-USD exchange rate is 0.78 and I bought on my Australian credit card through my bank I'd expect to get charged at 0.74. However, Bethesda's pricing is using 0.665, which is so far beyond anything reasonable it borders on being offensive.

Runefang · March 2018

Good move by ZOS, I'm buying it anyway.

Anotherone773 · March 2018

TheRealPotoroo wrote: »

Anotherone773 wrote: »

If Aussies think they have it bad, you should be in more poor non EU country where you still have to pay for the game in Euro's

Problems players in other countries have are irrelevant to the topic, which is that Australians are being routinely over-charged by ZoS/Bethesda.

You know, you are absolutely right. If people in say Eastern European or Mediterranean countries have to pay an entire weeks wages or more for what cost most of us from English speaking countries less than half a days wages, that's completely irrelevant.

Lets talk about YOUR problems: Using $40US
AUS pays $51.62
VAT(10%):$5.16
Total:$56.78
Your price:$59.95
Difference: $3.17 AUS. Is $3.17 going to break you? If it is you have far more pressing issues than the cost of a game's xpack.

FYI the difference covers the fluctuations in the market. It will cost the same price whether the US dollar is worth $1.29 AUD, $1.09 AUD, or $1.49 AUD. Its likely based on a 5 year market trend of the exchange rates. At the peak exchange rate in the last 5 years, in which Aussies pay the most for stuff based in US currency, you would pay about $65 with a VAT. The AUD has been trending upwards for at least the last 5 years. It use to match the US almost dollar for dollar a few years ago.

Do we understand economics now?
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