Doesn't anyone find L4D particularly expensive on Steam?

Jed Shields · 19 Nov 2008 at 19:00

Delvis said:
They can't setup up different pricing to UK and USA, the main reason being, people in the US can get people from the UK to buy the game over here 'as a gift' and send it over to them....so it is therefore cheaper for them.

I don't really buy this excuse ... and if I did it certainly wouldn't be through Steam with the current exchange rate

... how many people would really be able to take advantage of this loophole? I'm sure it would be a fraction of the general buying sample.

mart981 · 19 Nov 2008 at 19:40

Mojo said:
On steam, the overall price is 58 dollars, which equals (at current exchange rate of 1.5) 41 quid!!!!!!!!

Based on the fact that ****** and **** and my high street retailer are selling it for 25 quid and less, is something amiss?

*edit* get rid of possible competitors

It's clearly too expensive on Steam if you can buy it significantly cheaper from other suppliers.

Capt. Obvious signing off.

Tom|Nbk · 19 Nov 2008 at 19:49

Coolasmoo said:
I got it for £22 from the big online retailer and its been posted today

and I will continue to buy boxed copies of games.

Duran · 19 Nov 2008 at 20:01

Delvis said:
They can't setup up different pricing to UK and USA, the main reason being, people in the US can get people from the UK to buy the game over here 'as a gift' and send it over to them....so it is therefore cheaper for them.

And this part:

The games RRP is: £34.99

According to an exchange rate site, £34.99 is ~$52.

Left 4 Dead on steam is: $49.99.

left4dead on steam is 58$ because they add taxes when you check out. what you say does not make sense, what stops me from getting someone from usa to gift me the game?

Delvis · 19 Nov 2008 at 20:24

Jed Shields said:
I don't really buy this excuse ... and if I did it certainly wouldn't be through Steam with the current exchange rate ... how many people would really be able to take advantage of this loophole? I'm sure it would be a fraction of the general buying sample.

You don't buy it? Why not? =/

You can probably somehow log in via something to give you an English ip or whatever as well, which would then enable you to buy it at the English price (if it was indeed that much cheaper)

Duran said:
left4dead on steam is 58$ because they add taxes when you check out. what you say does not make sense,

Indeed it is more than $48 after tax, I'm fully aware of that...well, after we buy it anyway, I don;t know if this happens in the US or not?

what stops me from getting someone from usa to gift me the game?

I can't believe you actually said that....

Why would you want to? It would cost you more if you did that =/

classicVin · 19 Nov 2008 at 20:44

i went ahead pre ordering it on steam when it was $49,99 thinking it would only be £25 :[

but that was me being stupid thinking the rate was still $2 = £1

aob · 19 Nov 2008 at 20:53

Delvis said:
You can probably somehow log in via something to give you an English ip or whatever as well, which would then enable you to buy it at the English price (if it was indeed that much cheaper)

I think people already tried this with a few games that were released earlier in the US on steam than in the UK.

If I remember correctly you had to have a US billing address with the card used to purchase the game, faking an ip doesn't work, and also US people couldn't just buy game and gift it to UK people.

HangTime · 20 Nov 2008 at 00:07

Duouk2000 said:
Do you really think being charged nearly £40 for a PC game is fair when it costs £30 in the high street and £20-£25 at online retail?

It's fair to charge what they like, considering that (by your own statement) they don't have a monopoly. If the game was ONLY available via steam, then maybe one could make a case for it being unfair, but as it stands, it's down to the consumer what they do it. They could charge £400 and it would still be fair.

Jed Shields said:
It's nothing to do with the exchange rate. The exchange rate is a result, not the root cause

I disagree - if it was 'nothing to do with' the exchange rate, then the price wouldn't change in line with currency fluctuations. Any item sold in a foreign currency with a relatively static price (in that currency) is connected to the exchange rate. Just because something isn't the 'root cause', it doesn't make it a completely irrelevant factor. And the exchange rate fluctuations certainly aren't a result of anything Valve are doing!