Why the EoD Expansion is more pricy for EU players?

[mathghamhain.1204]

The prices in Dollars and Euro are the same - 29,99 and 54,99 and 79,99 while 1 Euro is equal to 1,18 American Dollar. So in reality it is more like 35,39$ and 64,89$ and 94,39$ for EU players. No option to buy in Dollars if you are in EU.
Why can't I buy the game at the same price as US players? Not fair Anet, not fair.

Sincerely,
Karen the Unleashed

[mathghamhain.1204]

Before someone answers taxes - even with 6,5% tax the US prices are lower.

[Dante.1763]

The most expensive price you listed up there is just a tad higher than what i ended up paying for the 79.99 version in USDs by the way. Shits expensive yo

[mathghamhain.1204]

For you it is maybe tad higher but if you take under consideration countries that do not have Euro as their main currency and have to convert then the difference grows much bigger. And when you accept that - that is when the differences in pricing grow because it is allowed.

Why should I take the unfair treatment of EU players as a norm when I can ask questions?

Edited July 28, 2021 by mathghamhain.1204

[Danikat.8537]

I don't know why it is but this always seems to happen. Buying gems is the same, and Elder Scrolls Online does the same with their store, I've seen it on a few other websites too. A lot of companies seem to just assume the exchange rate between US dollars and euros is 1:1 which is weird and especially annoying when it's significantly different.

 

My best guess is they're applying a 20% VAT rate across the whole of Europe and then rounding it up/down slightly to the nearest number that looks good as a price. For example the standard edition price, converted from dollars at the current exchange rate and with 20% VAT added (because US prices never show tax until the last minute) is €30.468, and the ultimate edition is €81.35 which is pretty close to the actual EU prices. The same logic would also explain the UK prices which have a similar mismatch when compared to the US price at current exchange rates.

 

The problem with that assumption is it fits with the exchange rate right now, but of course the prices are always the same no matter what the rate is so sometimes it will be ok and sometimes even adding in the VAT won't explain the difference. The other problem is that applying a 20% VAT rate across Europe isn't accurate, but maybe it depends on where their supplier is based. (I want to say Ireland, but I'm not sure.)

[Rasimir.6239]

50 minutes ago, mathghamhain.1204 said:

Before someone answers taxes - even with 6,5% tax the US prices are lower.

Unlike US prices, EU prices always include value-added taxes, which is between 17% and 27% depending on the country, with the majority being 20+%. With the conversion price you mentioned the Euro prices seem to be pretty in line for EU countries.

 

For countries outside of EU and US things might be different, depending on currency conversion and local tax laws, but that is another topic entirely.

[Veka.8710]

I thought it was because in NA we don't show the sales tax and EU shows it upfront?

[Jukhy.2431]

From the store page: "The price indicated for any digital products includes anticipated VAT based on the Irish VAT rate of 23 %. The applicable VAT rate may change during the course of the shopping session if you are in another location. To see how we calculate VAT, please click here."

[Dante.1763]

16 minutes ago, Danikat.8537 said:

I don't know why it is but this always seems to happen. Buying gems is the same, and Elder Scrolls Online does the same with their store, I've seen it on a few other websites too. A lot of companies seem to just assume the exchange rate between US dollars and euros is 1:1 which is weird and especially annoying when it's significantly different.

 

My best guess is they're applying a 20% VAT rate across the whole of Europe and then rounding it up/down slightly to the nearest number that looks good as a price. For example the standard edition price, converted from dollars at the current exchange rate and with 20% VAT added (because US prices never show tax until the last minute) is €30.468, and the ultimate edition is €81.35 which is pretty close to the actual EU prices. The same logic would also explain the UK prices which have a similar mismatch when compared to the US price at current exchange rates.

 

The problem with that assumption is it fits with the exchange rate right now, but of course the prices are always the same no matter what the rate is so sometimes it will be ok and sometimes even adding in the VAT won't explain the difference. The other problem is that applying a 20% VAT rate across Europe isn't accurate, but maybe it depends on where their supplier is based. (I want to say Ireland, but I'm not sure.)

 

14 minutes ago, Jukhy.2431 said:

From the store page: "The price indicated for any digital products includes anticipated VAT based on the Irish VAT rate of 23 %. The applicable VAT rate may change during the course of the shopping session if you are in another location. To see how we calculate VAT, please click here."

Heres your answer ^^

[mathghamhain.1204]

I guess it is. Still annoying though that I can see the difference when converting to other currency than Euro.

[Dante.1763]

1 minute ago, mathghamhain.1204 said:

I guess it is. Still annoying though that I can see the difference when converting to other currency than Euro.

How much is it without the 23% vat?

[mathghamhain.1204]

Wait wrongly counted.

Edited July 28, 2021 by mathghamhain.1204

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

1 hour ago, mathghamhain.1204 said:

Before someone answers taxes - even with 6,5% tax the US prices are lower.

I wish our tax was 6.5%.  Try 9.75%.

[mathghamhain.1204]

~24,38 Euro without tax and ~28,77 when converted to $ for the basic version. 

[Jukhy.2431]

13 minutes ago, Dante.1763 said:

How much is it without the 23% vat?

Without 23% VAT the Ultimate is about 62€ which is about $73.3. Without the 6.5% tax the NA price is about $74.8. So before the taxes the EU one is actually bit cheaper.

[mathghamhain.1204]

But then again the convertion to other curencies makes a difference in price when converted from € or $. Just getting more and more confused.

[Dante.1763]

1 minute ago, Jukhy.2431 said:

Without 23% VAT the Ultimate is about 62€ which is about $73.3. Without the 6.5% tax the NA price is about $74.8. So before the taxes the EU one is actually bit cheaper.

That sounds alot more like the numbers i was running, thanks for confirming my tired self was doing it right!

[mathghamhain.1204]

It is actually 65€ and 76,73 in $.

[Jukhy.2431]

2 minutes ago, Dante.1763 said:

That sounds alot more like the numbers i was running, thanks for confirming my tired self was doing it right!

My pleasure. Gotta "love" them EU taxes tho. Feels like they tax us for literally everything.

[Jukhy.2431]

1 minute ago, mathghamhain.1204 said:

It is actually 65€ and 76,73 in $.

Could be. I did the math fast so not sure. Still not that much difference in the price before taxes and can't blame Anet for those.

[mathghamhain.1204]

Then US price without 6,5% tax is 75,11$.

You multiplied the price by 0,77 while you should divide it by 1,23 when counting the EU price.

[Dante.1763]

4 minutes ago, Jukhy.2431 said:

My pleasure. Gotta "love" them EU taxes tho. Feels like they tax us for literally everything.

Ive run into them alot, struggle bus!

I buy alot of European Music and Merchandise for the bands i buy, shits expensive. 80$ for a shirt, big oof!(shipping, tax included)

[Goettel.4389]

No opinion on what's "fair", but if the ~$5 difference is a worry, I'd say you shouldn't spent it on games anyway.

[Dante.1763]

Just now, mathghamhain.1204 said:

Then US price without 6,5% tax is 75,11$.

You multiplied the price by 0,77 while you should divide it by 1,23 when counting the EU price.

Its not. US tax gets added after.

 

Its a flat 79.99, then tax gets added. Each state has its own tax and some even have 0 tax on digital items. Mine has a higher tax on digital items than others.

[mathghamhain.1204]

2 minutes ago, Jukhy.2431 said:

Could be. I did the math fast so not sure. Still not that much difference in the price before taxes and can't blame Anet for those.

It is not much for people earning in € and $ but for the rest it is not a positive thing it builds up. But you are right it is not that much in a hindsight.