Unfair pricing

Council Of Stellar Management Assembly Hall
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Hello everyone, there is an issue that has been bothering for a while now, so here goes nothing:

The prices for certain things on the store don’t quite match up depending on the region. For example item XXXX costs XXXX USD, while the same item costs YYYYY euro (which converts to XXXXX USD), see screenshots attached. From what I was told in a request for information to the support:

prices for the store are determined every few years and some currencies may fluctuate which may lead to some price differences over time

While this perfectly makes sense on an organisational level, for me as a european it feels more than slightly annoying having to pay more for the same thing. Especially considering that EU-regulations explicitly outlaw localised pricing from what I understand (I am not a lawyer after all):

As an EU national, a trader cannot charge you more when you buy a product or service just because of your nationality or country of residence.

Source: Unfair pricing - Your Europe

I understand that the whole topic is probably way more complex than it seems. Therefore I hereby ask for further clarification on this issue, and - if possible - a shorter interval for updating prices.

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Care to share the screenshots of what you are referring to?

At first I assumed this was about in game marketing, that is solely player discretion on prices.

Out of game, I think there is other parameters that come into play for price differences.

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The cost of plex 99.99$ is not even close to 99.99€

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welcome to real economy, currency conversions are based on people willing to trade one currency for another, not the actual value of the currency. That value is based on the local economy. So if members in the EU are willing to pay X and someone in the US is willing to pay Y while some one in Chile are willing to pay Z that is what is going to determine the price in each region.

As for unfair pricing that is only somethin that applies to nations within the EU and is there to prevent members in say Germany selling a product at one price to Germans and another price to say France simply because they aren’t German. However prices could still very for other reasons such as shipping cost or local expenses.

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yep conversion rates will make a big difference. thats why last year sometime, some of the pricing changed for several countries due to conversion rates.

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So it cost 10 euro to convert to dollars good to know.

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If you don’t worry about what other people are paying, this problem goes away.

If you don’t think the thing CCP is offering is worth the money, don’t buy it.

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Thats a very nochalant answer.

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brisc isn’t wrong though. Not having a job currently I have to give up a lot of small stuff i was paying for, to make room for the big stuff that i still have to pay somehow… eve was one i cut out… not worth it at the moment

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But they clearly favors us players they sure have lost a costumer i will not buy a single plex before we are treated equally it doesn’t cost 10 euro to convert it dollars. And you’re totally missing the point its the differences thats the problem not the amount itself. Im leaving this tread nothing good will come from this but i hope more Europeans think twice before pitching in euros into this company

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You’re complaining about a difference of like $10. Really?

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Almost 15$ and yes you’re right I’m complaining about that.

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This is pretty standard practice. Just look at apple. When they release a new laptop at $899 its priced at £899 in the uk and 899 Euro elsewhere.

Not happy about it. But it’s the way the world works these days

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Ah, I see. The difference between $10 and $15 is definitely worth complaining about.

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Just get of your high horse make a vid burning 300$ if its nothing for you…

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I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on this game over the last twenty years, and never once did I consider complaining that somebody in Russia got to play it cheaper than I did.

Again, as I said before, if you think the game is worth the money, then spend the money. That someone else may be getting a better deal than you should have zero impact on whether you think the product is worth it. There’s zero point sitting around complaining that somewhere, somebody may be getting the same product at a lower price than you. That happens literally all the time, everywhere. Would you walk in to your local grocery store and complain that somebody is getting their bread for 10 cents cheaper in a neighboring town? I sure hope not.

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No, I think it’s a good point. You’re not complaining that prices are too high, but that someone else gets to pay less. I’m sure you think this is unfair, but there are a host of good reasons why different regions get charged different amounts of money, and you’re really just falling victim to anchoring bias. It’s why stores will have items perpetually on sale (i.e. items that were never sold at the higher price point. But they put it on the tag and then mark it down to make you feel like you’re getting a really good deal). So, I suggest that you not worry about what other people are paying, and evaluate whether or not you think it’s a good deal based on what it costs you.

Now there are regions that are apparently getting it so bad that many people can’t even afford a sub. I think those guys have something to complain about. I don’t know if there’s anything preventing CCP from cutting them a better deal, but I hope they’re doing everything they can to make subs affordable for people from all nations/regions.

Oh, and on a side note, keep an eye on comsetic deals in the cash shop and the NES, as they can frequently offer a better money to isk conversion rate. Naturally, prices will fluctuate over time. Thus it is imperative that you arm yourself with information, and do the math to figure out if it’s a good deal before pulling the trigger.

And do note that there are two good times to do this. You can either try to beat the crowd, and flip your cosmetics before other people push prices down to a level where they offer about the same money to isk conversion rate as plex. Or you can hold on to them, in order to try to sell them at a later date.

Speaking of which, it is extremely important that you pay very careful attention to the wording of ads. Some items are available seasonally (like the McRib), while others are one time affairs never to be sold again. However, because of the way the money men like to word things, people will sometimes think that they’re buying a one time item when they’re actually buying a seasonal item. In other words, “get it before it’s gone” does not mean the same thing as “this item will never be sold again.”

Anyway, I buy skins with isk, so I don’t pay very good attention to the money to isk conversion rates of cosmetics, but I’d imagine that the “wait-to-sell” strat offers the best deal. I mean, it requires patience, research, and math, which means most players aren’t going to do it -which means less competition and not having to contend with lazy/impatient people that rapidly drive skin prices down.

Finally, just in case you weren’t aware, you can’t microtransaction your way to success in Eve. Plex is good for those that want to buy cosmetics from the NES, or who don’t have a lot of time to PvE. It is terrible for those that think that buying skill injectors and/or more expensive ships will help them get ahead.
No P2W

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What does equally mean?

Just that it matches the current market exchange rates? Because that’s not equality, that’s a lazy way to make it feel equal.

Let’s take the US for example $20 in Denver Colorado is a lot less money than $20 in rural Kentucky but more money than in San Francisco California. So is it equal that individuals in these areas all pay the same?

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Prices are never the same everywhere, and as another post noted, even the value of money fluctuates widely across different regions. Welcome to the real world.

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I agree with Brisc. If you think a product is worth the money, buy it. If you don’t, then don’t. Whether or not someone else can get the same product cheaper elsewhere is irrelevant, or should be.

As others have pointed out, there’s probably a lot you buy that’s cheaper elsewhere, but you hopefully don’t raise a row about it. If you went to your local fuel station and said, “Hang on, I can get this same fuel cheaper if I pay for it in dollars,” you can likely guess what they’d say.

I’d guess there’s probably a way a European could legally have a bank account in the United States, and use that money in instances like this, but I’m not sure the juice would be worth the squeeze.

Stop caring how much others are paying for the item and make your decision based on how much it will cost you. The problem will then solve itself.