Regional pricing in Poland

[Urban Shaman]

This game costs 20USD. A perfectly reasonable price. In PLN it SHOULD be 76PLN if we were to just go by the current exchange rate.

Yet the game is 91PLN. The USD price is a whopping 18% cheaper. In fact, pretty much all of the major currencies are cheaper AND those currencies tend to be used by countries with far better GDP per capita. UK's GBP is 10% cheaper. Japanese YEN is... wait for it... 34% cheaper! And let's not even talk about Brazil - Brazil is the usual outlier (and understandably so) with an above 50% discount vs PLN.

Why are we Poles getting whipped on the pricing? Is this Steam's doing or is this something the dev's doing? Regional pricing should be about making sure the game hits wallets relatively the same. Wealthy countries can pay more, poor countries get a discount. Yet we're treated as if we're richer than the US of A!

[Havok]

Talk to your elected government officials. We, the developer and steam don't control your countries currency

[Urban Shaman]

Originally posted by Havok:

Talk to your elected government officials. We, the developer and steam don't control your countries currency

What are you on about?

Regional pricing on Steam IS controlled by the publisher / developer. Hell, I'd be perfectly fine paying in EUR (we're in the Euro zone after all) which would STILL make the game cheaper than paying in PLN.

In fact, if anything, this is because our curreny got stronger vs USD / EUR since 2022, which was when Steam last updated their regional pricing suggestions (which was 4.5PLN / 1 USD). That's 3 years without an update, and all this time we're getting flogged. Steam sets the suggested pricing and then devs / publishers can use the defaults or update the regional pricing at will.

[Boooom! that Jus Happened.]

Originally posted by Urban Shaman:

Originally posted by Havok:

Talk to your elected government officials. We, the developer and steam don't control your countries currency

What are you on about?

Regional pricing IS controlled by the publisher / developer.

theres taxes and fees that could be influencing the price

[Urban Shaman]

Originally posted by Boooom! that Jus Happened.:

Originally posted by Urban Shaman:

What are you on about?

Regional pricing IS controlled by the publisher / developer.

theres taxes and fees that could be influencing the price

In which case we'd be paying as much as the rest of the EU. We're paying MORE. This is NOT related to taxes nor fees. See previous explenation for the stupid exchange rate.

[Havok]

Originally posted by Urban Shaman:

In fact, if anything, this is because our curreny got stronger vs USD / EUR since 2022

So then I fail to see the issue. You wanted regional pricing, if your currency got stronger over the years, then this is accurate.

[This PC]

regional pricing is a suggestion, not an obligation
Developer doesn't want to sell you the game for ~15 dollars USD, sorry.
This is what you're offering is worth to him.
It's not the developer's fault your currency makes this happen.

[Urban Shaman]

Originally posted by Havok:

Originally posted by Urban Shaman:

In fact, if anything, this is because our curreny got stronger vs USD / EUR since 2022

So then I fail to see the issue. You wanted regional pricing, if your currency got stronger over the years, then this is accurate.

Your grasp of economics is... staggeringly poor.

This game costs 19,50EUR in... Europe. Using current exchange rates this is more expensive than the 20USD price, but let's go with that "because taxes or fees" (not a real reason, but I'm willing to entertain the notion).

That means the game SHOULD cost 83PLN. At most. Yet it still costs MORE. Not because of any specific economic factors, but because Steam refuses to update the defaults since 2022, and devs don't care.

And regional pricing sure doesn't need to be a fair 1:1 exchange rate. This one's certain - see Brazil which will often get a -50% discount by default. Not becuase their currency is so weak but because Brazilians just don't earn much, so if games were being sold using a 1:1 exchange rate very few people in Brazil would be able to afford them (and from there you get piracy and all that other jazz).

Poland isn't as strong as UK, as US, as France or Germany, yet we're paying more. Make it make sense other than "Valve / devs are too lazy to update the pricing".

[Urban Shaman]

Originally posted by This PC:

regional pricing is a suggestion, not an obligation
Developer doesn't want to sell you the game for ~15 dollars USD, sorry.
This is what you're offering is worth to him.
It's not the developer's fault your currency makes this happen.

Another one without a clue on exchange rates and currencies. I DO want to pay 20 USD. But instead I'm being charged a "regional pricing" markup making it 24USD total.

[This PC]

Originally posted by Urban Shaman:

Poland isn't as strong as UK, as US, as France or Germany, yet we're paying more.

This has nothing to do with the dev or steam

[This PC]

Originally posted by Urban Shaman:

Another one without a clue on exchange rates and currencies. I DO want to pay 20 USD. But instead I'm being charged a "regional pricing" markup making it 24USD total.

Your government might be charging taxes on this, I know I paid 15% taxes on my purchase.

[Urban Shaman]

Originally posted by This PC:

Originally posted by Urban Shaman:

Poland isn't as strong as UK, as US, as France or Germany, yet we're paying more.

This has nothing to do with the dev or steam

This has EVERYTHING to do with the whole notion of "regional pricing" however.

Either give is a 1:1 exchange rates (i.e. NO regional pricing) OR fair regional pricing.

[This PC]

Your antagonism also isn't helping your cause

[This PC]

Originally posted by Urban Shaman:

This has EVERYTHING to do with the whole notion of "regional pricing" however.

Either give is a 1:1 exchange rates (i.e. NO regional pricing) OR fair regional pricing.

No. Dev doesn't owe you ♥♥♥♥. Calm down brother.

[Urban Shaman]

Originally posted by This PC:

Your antagonism also isn't helping your cause

I wouldn't need to be antagonistic if you weren't so ignorant on basic economics. You don't offer support (fine) but provide no sane arguments. In fact why do you WANT another country to pay more is... baffling. "Hell yeah, let those suckers pay more!" - was that your internal thought process? Because it's baffling...

How about another argument then:
I could just... skip Steam altogether and get a game key from shady reseller sites. I'll pay the base 20USDs because it's cheaper.

These keys are often time purchased with stolen credit cards and end up as a LOSS to devs as they generate charge-backs and processing fees.

I.e. why regional pricing should be fair, and not flog customers.

[Urban Shaman]

Originally posted by This PC:

Originally posted by Urban Shaman:

This has EVERYTHING to do with the whole notion of "regional pricing" however.

Either give is a 1:1 exchange rates (i.e. NO regional pricing) OR fair regional pricing.

No. Dev doesn't owe you ♥♥♥♥. Calm down brother.

Sure, I can agree with this. Every dev has the right to use regional pricing to abuse the customers of any nation, be it wilfully or through ignorance. And as a result, customers from the affected country have the right to be pissed off if they realize they're being taken advantage of.