Oprindeligt skrevet af StressFrakture:

"Due to differences in price..."

I tried to get a game as a gift for someone who lives in Europe. (I'm in the U. S.)

That's the sort of error message I got.

Is it for any content, or is it just for Dreamlight Valley? What does it mean (why?)

Is this about exchange rate, or tariffs, or why? And is it Steam or is it the game company?

Could Steam implement a fix or workaround, please, if it's the platform's decision? I'd really appreciate it. With the holidays fast approaching, please don't tell us we can't gift friends?

And of course, Steam would be losing out on all that revenue. People like to gift their friends.

Thank you for any help, Steam. (Please if only those who can help or have actual information would reply. Some mocked me elsewhere for asking about this. That doesn't help.)

It's likely an money exchange issue. Because the US dollar and the Euro are different, there is a problem with converting US dollars to Euros

The price difference cannot be more than 10% between regions.

Oprindeligt skrevet af Nx Machina:

The price difference cannot be more than 10% between regions.

Thanks for the info; do you know why? Is that a law, or a rule of the game company or of Steam?

Is there a fix whereby the customer could agree to pay a service fee or something, to make up the difference?

So it's not tariffs? And that means it's just this game vs. a new policy? Thanks.

it prevents region hopping abuse and other methods that allow people to get pricing that doesn't apply to their region.

Oprindeligt skrevet af StressFrakture:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Nx Machina:

The price difference cannot be more than 10% between regions.

Thanks for the info; do you know why? Is that a law, or a rule of the game company or of Steam?

Is there a fix whereby the customer could agree to pay a service fee or something, to make up the difference?

So it's not tariffs? And that means it's just this game vs. a new policy? Thanks.

https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1935731843

Oprindeligt skrevet af StressFrakture:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Nx Machina:

The price difference cannot be more than 10% between regions.

Thanks for the info; do you know why? Is that a law, or a rule of the game company or of Steam?

Number of reasons. As mentioned region hopping/gifting from regions with extremely low prices to say the U.S. or EU (for example).

Oprindeligt skrevet af StressFrakture:

Is there a fix whereby the customer could agree to pay a service fee or something, to make up the difference?

It gets fuzzy. So you go to buy a game and the price is $20 in your region, and you want to gift it to me. But oh no, the price in my region is $50. And now Steam has to be like, oh no $20 isn't actually the price, it's now $50.

So while you or I might be able to understand the difference and the rationale. Will everybody? Probably not. And lots of countries have bait and switch laws which that price adjustment scheme might run into.

And then what about the other way? The game is $50 for me, but $20 for you? Which price should I pay? Well you would think $20 maybe. OK, great. But how many millions of users you think will set up accounts for the cheapest region and gift themselves games? Ok so wealthy region always has to pay their price, and poor region has to pay the wealthy region price. Will everbody think that's fair? Probably not.

In short the problem seems simple when you're just thinking two people and trying to give someone a gift. But scale that up and having to follow all the laws between the gifter and giftee gets messy.

The way Valve has done it is if the gifter's price is 9% higher they pay that price. And if the gifter's price is 9% lower they pay that price. With the idea being over thousands or millions of transactions the average evens out. (kinda like with the new penny rounding scheme that will be sweeping the U.S. now that pennies aren't being made) In short it's a compromise.

Oprindeligt skrevet af StressFrakture:

So it's not tariffs? And that means it's just this game vs. a new policy? Thanks.

No, the 10% +/- scheme has been the policy for years now. Once some of the issues with region hopping became very apparent.

Thanks, Ettanin, Hotsauce, and nullable.

At least, I understand a bit better, now. But how sad.

I would be okay with a fee, and with paying whichever is the higher price. I'm just saying, me. It could be an option, maybe, which people could agree to or not. At least it would be an option, then.

I wonder if Disney or other game companies would redistribute pricing, then, to be more equitable and less disparate.

Bait and Switch laws would forbid paying the higher price even if you would consent to it. You may only be charged what was displayed to you.

Your only option is to purchase a digital gift card, which, tbh, would be a better gift than a game because it allows the recipient to choose what to get from it instead of a game they might not like.

Oprindeligt skrevet af Ettanin:

Bait and Switch laws would forbid paying the higher price even if you would consent to it. You may only be charged what was displayed to you.

Your only option is to purchase a digital gift card, which, tbh, would be a better gift than a game because it allows the recipient to choose what to get from it instead of a game they might not like.

Does Steam sell that? Thanks. (And is it user names only?)

Would it still be bait and switch, if it was clear in the cart that in country A, the price was x?

Oprindeligt skrevet af StressFrakture:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Ettanin:

Bait and Switch laws would forbid paying the higher price even if you would consent to it. You may only be charged what was displayed to you.

Your only option is to purchase a digital gift card, which, tbh, would be a better gift than a game because it allows the recipient to choose what to get from it instead of a game they might not like.

Does Steam sell that? Thanks. (And is it user names only?)

Would it still be bait and switch, if it was clear in the cart that in country A, the price was x?

yes because the store page potentially displayed a lower price before you added it to cart.

you can get and gift digital gift cards here: https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/digitalgiftcards/selectgiftcard

Oprindeligt skrevet af Ettanin:

Oprindeligt skrevet af StressFrakture:

Does Steam sell that? Thanks. (And is it user names only?)

Would it still be bait and switch, if it was clear in the cart that in country A, the price was x?

yes because the store page potentially displayed a lower price before you added it to cart.

you can get and gift digital gift cards here: https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/digitalgiftcards/selectgiftcard

Thank you!