Steam prices? can i get away like this?

ShadowHearth

Hey lads, i know you noticed stupid pricing in steam lately, will it stay like this? .

Btw i got some good friends in northen ireland. If i would send them money by dirrect bank transfer, they could buy game and then give it to me as a gift?

Would i get away with it lads?

SeantheMan

Its as easy to get a good deal from shops if your willing to look around, but yes...you should have no problem with the 2nd option either

Theres no game on Steam that can't be found for a lesser price in a shop, its just convenience and laziness winning out for me :P

L31mr0d

I'd say Steam are pulling a typical Harvey Normans stunt. You keep the prices high for a while then suddenly drop them down to normal prices and people who don't know any better think they are getting an excellent deal. Just you watch, they'll suddenly have a 25% off weekend... "Go Valvey GOOO!!!"

Sierra Oscar

To be honest, it looks like the current pricing scheme will stay – although I believe Valve do with to have their games priced more competitively . . . but I guess this takes negotiating with the publishers of the game.


You are not supposed to “trade” gifts or the like, what you are outlining is actually against the SA . . . but well, who knows if your friend just wants to send you a friendly gesture and you want to send him a gesture at the same time, just coincidence perhaps?;)

I have had some US friends gift me a game before.

ShadowHearth

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

To be honest, it looks like the current pricing scheme will stay – although I believe Valve do with to have their games priced more competitively . . . but I guess this takes negotiating with the publishers of the game.


You are not supposed to “trade” gifts or the like, what you are outlining is actually against the SA . . . but well, who knows if your friend just wants to send you a friendly gesture and you want to send him a gesture at the same time, just coincidence perhaps?;)

I have had some US friends gift me a game before.

I love gifts , anyway, it should work allright i think. And it will be alot cheaper, btw fear2 is coming, Will it be like valve games? which just go on steam? or it will be just normal separate game??

Sierra Oscar

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I love gifts , anyway, it should work allright i think. And it will be alot cheaper, btw fear2 is coming, Will it be like valve games? which just go on steam? or it will be just normal separate game??

Apparently FEAR 2 is using SteamWorks. This means that if you buy the game via retail, you will be able to add it on Steam like Valve games.

ShadowHearth

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

Apparently FEAR 2 is using SteamWorks. This means that if you buy the game via retail, you will be able to add it on Steam like Valve games.

awesome! Steam have it advantages aswell. But i love to have mine box and cd on shelf. I would really love to have a collection of games. To show mine grandchildren, how i wasted mine youth

Davidius

Sure was reading Steam unpowered there and supposedly by charging the UK different prices and not allowing us access to the UK store they're breaking European law. If that is truly the case then they shouldn't have any problem with you abusing the system. :pac:

I'd love to hear an honest explanation as to why it costs more than retail. Why does it cost less to buy a physical copy? I know why!

Cuddlesworth

Davidius wrote: »

Sure was reading Steam unpowered there and supposedly by charging the UK different prices and not allowing us access to the UK store they're breaking European law. If that is truly the case then they shouldn't have any problem with you abusing the system. :pac:

I'd love to hear an honest explanation as to why it costs more than retail. Why does it cost less to buy a physical copy? I know why!

At a guess I would say the publishers are to blame. Saying what the minimum prices possible are in order to not undercut retail games stores who still have a large enough amount of power. Stupid really, its pretty obvious that they like most other retail mediums have missed the boat on online distribution and will end up losing most of that apparent power in 5/10 years.

Its not normally Valve who are the greedy type, tbh they don't need to be.

Overheal

im sure i could set up some kind of system for people to get the $US prices if you want to go down that route

Sierra Oscar

Davidius wrote: »

Sure was reading Steam unpowered there and supposedly by charging the UK different prices and not allowing us access to the UK store they're breaking European law. If that is truly the case then they shouldn't have any problem with you abusing the system. :pac:

I'd love to hear an honest explanation as to why it costs more than retail. Why does it cost less to buy a physical copy? I know why!

The main problem is that the game prices on Steam are the actual RRP prices that the publishers also set for retail stores. However, retail stores are free to undercut that price and sell it for whatever price they wish. Valve, it seems, are caught in a contract whereby they have to sell the game at a price that the publisher agrees to - which is nearly always the RRP.

Many publishers do not actually distinguish between Steam copies of their games and retail copies, and thus the same pricing strategy remains for both.