Let us pay for the gifts to different regions please

[Anna]

I know games are cheap in my reion, I don't care, I'm ready to pay whatever price is in the receiver region and I'm happy to even pay extra if steam loses something on conversion, just please let people from the "cheap" regions gift games to those in more expensive regions. It's Christmas and I failed to gift several games again.

And no, gifting money is not an alternative. gifts are usually mutual and exchanging 10$ to 10$ is probably the most stupid Christmas interaction possible.

[rawWwRrr]

Bait and Switch laws prevent it. They must charge you YOUR advertised price, not someone else's, no matter how willingly you are to pay more for it. And with good reason. Imagine how often you'd be scammed out of your good money if places were allowed to charge whatever they wanted despite an advertised price.

[Anna]

引用自 rawWwRrr：

Bait and Switch laws prevent it. They must charge you YOUR advertised price, not someone else's, no matter how willingly you are to pay more for it. And with good reason. Imagine how often you'd be scammed out of your good money if places were allowed to charge whatever they wanted despite an advertised price.

They could advertise "global price" to play globally and "local price" to play localy, set the global one to US price or whatever is highest and that would be it. I don't think that is a problem, a lot of companies advertise minimal package and sell different packages. As long as price is transparent it could hardly be called bait and switch.

[De Hollandse Ezel]

引用自 Anna：

引用自 rawWwRrr：

Bait and Switch laws prevent it. They must charge you YOUR advertised price, not someone else's, no matter how willingly you are to pay more for it. And with good reason. Imagine how often you'd be scammed out of your good money if places were allowed to charge whatever they wanted despite an advertised price.

They could advertise "global price" to play globally and "local price" to play localy, set the global one to US price or whatever is highest and that would be it. I don't think that is a problem, a lot of companies advertise minimal package and sell different packages. As long as price is transparent it could hardly be called bait and switch.

I want drm free copies... (true full retail as we had before steam ruined our fysical pc game copies)
pick highest price (eu price not usa) slab 40% on top.. and make this one downloadable as .iso (but that locks it to your account as than they cannot know if you kept it) or if not you can play it.. than unbind from account (turn in inventory item.. and trade it....

that would kill both birds with one stone.

removing regional pricing alltogether would also be good.

[rawWwRrr]

引用自 Anna：

引用自 rawWwRrr：

Bait and Switch laws prevent it. They must charge you YOUR advertised price, not someone else's, no matter how willingly you are to pay more for it. And with good reason. Imagine how often you'd be scammed out of your good money if places were allowed to charge whatever they wanted despite an advertised price.

They could advertise "global price" to play globally and "local price" to play localy, set the global one to US price or whatever is highest and that would be it. I don't think that is a problem, a lot of companies advertise minimal package and sell different packages. As long as price is transparent it could hardly be called bait and switch.

There is no such thing as a "global" price and "local" price. There is only YOUR price. That is the only thing they can advertise to you. They CANNOT choose to sell you the same product at a different price. It's illegal no matter how transparent they make it. It's still a Bait & Switch. So many governments would have a field day if Valve did that on Steam just to appease a small percentage of its userbase.

Send a digital gift card to your friend to cover the cost on their end.

[Knee]

引用自 De Hollandse Ezel：

引用自 Anna：

They could advertise "global price" to play globally and "local price" to play localy, set the global one to US price or whatever is highest and that would be it. I don't think that is a problem, a lot of companies advertise minimal package and sell different packages. As long as price is transparent it could hardly be called bait and switch.

I want drm free copies... (true full retail as we had before steam ruined our fysical pc game copies)
pick highest price (eu price not usa) slab 40% on top.. and make this one downloadable as .iso (but that locks it to your account as than they cannot know if you kept it) or if not you can play it.. than unbind from account (turn in inventory item.. and trade it....

that would kill both birds with one stone.

removing regional pricing alltogether would also be good.

What would the locking mechanism be, I wonder?

[Nx Machina]

Valve can only legally charge you the price as shown at checkout regarding your store region and currency. They cannot charge you more nor can they charge you less than the total asked for.

As for:

引用自 Anna：

They could advertise "global price" to play globally and "local price" to play localy, set the global one to US price or whatever is highest and that would be it. I don't think that is a problem, a lot of companies advertise minimal package and sell different packages. As long as price is transparent it could hardly be called bait and switch.

They cannot legally show two prices for a singular product hence why there is only one price on GOG, Epic Games Store, Battlenet app, Rockstar Launcher, EA Play app, Ubisoft Connect, then lets not forget Amazon and other online retailers who also only show one price.

The only time two prices can be shown is during sales where they are legally bound to show the original full price and the discounted price which is the one you will be paying.

[Adre]

Bait and switch? That doesn't make any sense, are we suggesting it would just not show the adjusted price at all? Certainly something like this would be shown as soon as you were in the cart, long before checkout. And if we wanna talk "misleading price tags", how about all the regions where tax is only applied on checkout? Game says it costs $80 but I end up paying $90, but that's perfectly legal.
Also, don't lots of storefronts have differing prices for members and stuff? I've seen that at Gamestop at least. Not to mention places where you can get free shipping and whatnot, or pay with points instead of actual money.

I'm sure there would be some finesse to implementing it while abiding by all laws and IANAL ofc, but it seems quite unlikely that it would be flat-out impossible to pull off. I think this would be a fantastic feature if Valve could figure it out.

[Nx Machina]

引用自 Adre：

Bait and switch? That doesn't make any sense, are we suggesting it would just not show the adjusted price at all?

Bait and Switch is a method of selling in which a product is advertised at a very low price to attract customers (model X), who are then persuaded to buy the same product (model Y) at a higher price because for example they have run out of stock of model X conveniently.

[Count_Dandyman]

引用自 Adre：

Bait and switch? That doesn't make any sense, are we suggesting it would just not show the adjusted price at all? Certainly something like this would be shown as soon as you were in the cart, long before checkout. And if we wanna talk "misleading price tags", how about all the regions where tax is only applied on checkout? Game says it costs $80 but I end up paying $90, but that's perfectly legal.
Also, don't lots of storefronts have differing prices for members and stuff? I've seen that at Gamestop at least. Not to mention places where you can get free shipping and whatnot, or pay with points instead of actual money.

I'm sure there would be some finesse to implementing it while abiding by all laws and IANAL ofc, but it seems quite unlikely that it would be flat-out impossible to pull off. I think this would be a fantastic feature if Valve could figure it out.

Let me ask you one simple question that everyone should think of before stating that they might not know or fully understand the laws but surely there must be a way that Valve would be allowed to do it.

Do you really think that Valve would willingly choose not to have an option that brings in more sales at higher prices if there was a way they were allowed to do it?

[Anna]

引用自 Count_Dandyman：

Let me ask you one simple question that everyone should think of before stating that they might not know or fully understand the laws but surely there must be a way that Valve would be allowed to do it.

Do you really think that Valve would willingly choose not to have an option that brings in more sales at higher prices if there was a way they were allowed to do it?

Yes, they could certainly think it's a small market not worth pursuing; after all, it's not free to implement. We here can't decide if it's worth it for them or not. However, we can let Valve know that customers do want it.

Whether it's possible or not is frankly irrelevant. No one should expect their suggestion to be implemented unless they are promised, and we haven't been. Moreover, it doesn't matter if we on the forum think it's possible or not. What we can do is provide information that this is a desired feature, leaving the decision to Valve.

[Count_Dandyman]

引用自 Anna：

引用自 Count_Dandyman：

Let me ask you one simple question that everyone should think of before stating that they might not know or fully understand the laws but surely there must be a way that Valve would be allowed to do it.

Do you really think that Valve would willingly choose not to have an option that brings in more sales at higher prices if there was a way they were allowed to do it?

Yes, they could certainly think it's a small market not worth pursuing; after all, it's not free to implement. We here can't decide if it's worth it for them or not. However, we can let Valve know that customers do want it.

Whether it's possible or not is frankly irrelevant. No one should expect their suggestion to be implemented unless they are promised, and we haven't been. Moreover, it doesn't matter if we on the forum think it's possible or not. What we can do is provide information that this is a desired feature, leaving the decision to Valve.

I can guarantee Valve know that this is desired because this is a suggestion that has been made regularly for years.

Hell this suggestion being made so often is how a lot of regulars learned about just how strict bait and switch laws are in countries that have them, that they don't have clauses for customers to opt out and amusingly that those countries include the tax in the price listed on the store page.

[De Hollandse Ezel]

引用自 Knee：

引用自 De Hollandse Ezel：

I want drm free copies... (true full retail as we had before steam ruined our fysical pc game copies)
pick highest price (eu price not usa) slab 40% on top.. and make this one downloadable as .iso (but that locks it to your account as than they cannot know if you kept it) or if not you can play it.. than unbind from account (turn in inventory item.. and trade it....

that would kill both birds with one stone.

removing regional pricing alltogether would also be good.

What would the locking mechanism be, I wonder?

it could be a simple.. check : has been downloaded = no?

yes you can download any game you own as .iso (meaning you now can install it without needing steam with all the advantages that bring)
which people like me would want.
but as that would also make it impossible for steam to check if I not have kept that .iso and than sell my copy... it be only fair that if I download that iso I forego my ability to 2d hand trade my game on steam.

or it could be like windows... you can buy a cheap 30 euro student/3d world licence
a regulair 80 euro oem licence
or a 320 euro full retail licence

same software but only that full retail one is allowed to be 2d hand traded and installed on multiple computers -> so basicly how games were before steam came along..

if you could get all games on steam.. as .iso.. so fully drm free by paying 4 times the normal rate.. I would take that offer...
I want drm free..

and if you say buuuuuut the piracy..
screw that 1 piracy never was an issue to start
and 2,.. it is very easy to build in a digital barcode in that drm free copy.. meaning if one shows up on piratebay or such.. they can easely see which user it was who abused and sue accordingly.. after all you have their name, adres etc due they buying it..

[Nx Machina]

引用自 De Hollandse Ezel：

and if you say buuuuuut the piracy..
screw that 1 piracy never was an issue to start
and 2,.. it is very easy to build in a digital barcode in that drm free copy.. meaning if one shows up on piratebay or such.. they can easely see which user it was who abused and sue accordingly.. after all you have their name, adres etc due they buying it..

Developers, publishers disagree hence why they use Steam or their own platforms but they do have the option to make their games drm free on any platform.

Ironically you wrote "digital bar code in that drm free copy" which would mean it has drm.

And finally imprinting personally identifiable information via a digital barcode would be an infringement of GDPR as name and address would identify them.

[Chronocide]

I don't really get the problem on steam's end. I mean, it's not like steam users own these games we buy. Steam has a giant database of games and we're paying to check the box that says our account has access to a given game. Or in the case of a gift, paying to check the box for another account.

Steam owns everything, nobody buys anything. We're basically just bribing the guards to unlock a door. Why does my country matter, or their country, since there are no purchases being made?

[Count_Dandyman]

引用自 Chronocide：

I don't really get the problem on steam's end. I mean, it's not like steam users own these games we buy. Steam has a giant database of games and we're paying to check the box that says our account has access to a given game. Or in the case of a gift, paying to check the box for another account.

Steam owns everything, nobody buys anything. We're basically just bribing the guards to unlock a door. Why does my country matter, or their country, since there are no purchases being made?

there are still purchases being made just because you lack the basic legal understanding that you are still purchasing the licence to use the product even if it doesn't get you ownership of the product doesn't change the reality.