Can't purchase as a gift due to Price Regions

[SomeOne]

How can I buy Factorio as a gift for my friend in a different price region?
I am in Australia, and I want to buy Factorio as a gift for my friend in th EU, so that we can play together.
Steam isn't letting me purchase the game as a gift due to "regional price differences".
Is there another way for us to play Factorio together online?

[Mansen]

Not currently an option. You'll just have to send him the money over Paypal and ask him politely not to use it all on fidget spinners and buy the game for themselves.

[SomeOne]

lol. I better warn him about the fidget spinners. Thankyou Mansen.

[Hoho]

You can buy the game from their homepage for $20 and just send your friend a key.

[impetus_maximus]

Originally posted by Hoho:

You can buy the game from their homepage for $20 and just send your friend a key.

this/\
plus the devs get all the $ instead of valve skimming 30% off the top.

[Mansen]

Not quite... Especially not if friend decides to ask for Steam key on the Factorio account site :P

[Darren]

Originally posted by Mansen:

Not quite... Especially not if friend decides to ask for Steam key on the Factorio account site :P

Actually you'd be wrong on that Steam key generation is entirely free. Developers can get unlimited of them for free from Steam. Any purchase outside of Steam results in no funds going to Steam for the game.

[Mansen]

I'd love to see you provide some credible source for that, because Valve does nothing for free - ever.

[SirSanjiSlacks]

Originally posted by Mansen:

I'd love to see you provide some credible source for that, because Valve does nothing for free - ever.

You're making the assertion that challenges the paradigm, either please prove that the devs have to pay for keys, or don't comment.
Valve makes more than enough off of the products being sold off their platform, there's always other venues, and I doubt they charge per key.

[Mansen]

Au contraire - You're making the assertion that challenges the obvious assumption that an online distribution platform wouldn't charge for any transaction regardless of where it takes place, since the ownership and download ultimately lands on their backend payment services. After all if you could sell your game for free by not using the Steam page, everyone would be charging 30% on their own sites just to avoid paying Valve a dime...

But hey - Whatever you believe I guess.

[SirSanjiSlacks]

Originally posted by Mansen:

Au contraire - You're making the assertion that challenges the obvious assumption that an online distribution platform wouldn't charge for any transaction regardless of where it takes place, since the ownership and download ultimately lands on their backend payment services. After all if you could sell your game for free by not using the Steam page, everyone would be charging 30% on their own sites just to avoid paying Valve a dime...

But hey - Whatever you believe I guess.

Steam gives massive distribution, do you actually expect the website of a game to sell nearly as many copies of the game without steam?
Hell no.
Do I think theres a flat fee to put games on steam w/ keys? Yes there is, its not on a per key basis, its per game.

[Darren]

https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/keys

"There is no fee to generate keys on Steam, but we ask that partners use the service judiciously. In general, if you give keys away in bulk, expect that somebody else than you will make money from your product."

The only restriction:

"NOTE: Steam Keys are intended to help partners run their other physical and digital businesses by matching offers that exist on Steam. It's important that Steam customers are treated fairly and that offers using keys are materially consistent with offers on Steam. It is not okay to sell keys for products that aren't also available for sale on Steam at the same time. Make sure Steam customers are getting a fair offer relative to any other stores where you distribute Steam keys, especially at launch. "

As I said Steam allows you to generate unlimited keys and it costs nothing.

[Varenvel The Festive Dinosaur]

its new steam policy i made huge fuss about a while ago , but noone seamed to care and called me "exploiter of cheaper games" , europeans and americans no longer for instance buy game for australian friends:/

Since site store was closed becouse some abused it , you cant get game elsewhere.

Steam has become less valid place to buy gifts , you can no longer add them to inventory , you cant buy games for lots friends anymore i have , eh...

GOG feels like better place to buy games now