Prices on Argentina Store

[guidodogg]

Hello, fellow Steam members. The purpose of this thread is not whining. I am a proud member of this community since 2010, which is also the time i started working, and be able to have my own credit card.

My path in gaming don't started there, of course, but i'm proud to say my gaming habits
are %100 legit since then, which maybe is a easy thing to say on USA.

In Argentina, retail distribution only works on consoles, sometimes costing twice the
US prices. Most middle-low class like me, choose the PC, as being both the wisest,
and the cheapest, of the platforms.

Most PC games don't get retail here, only a few ones, with astronomical overprices,
due to being imported for small sellers. Steam has become the main choice of
Argentina gaming, of course, thanks to the sales, and how Argentinians through other popular local websites, forums, and social networks, are realizing how many of our
people is here.

Now, i'm not pretend to be hypocrite. I'm own more than +400 games on my account,
and i really would not die if i have to play them instead of buying new ones, but now
by the time of this sale, the Argentinian economical situation had gone from bad to worst.

The goverment has set some very restrictive measures, including a %20 tax on online purchases, and a restriction for buying dollars. And then you have a 20%-30% inflation
rate per year. The goverment even pushes agencies to lie about this numbers to don't recognize the situation, what would damage their political image.

I'm aware than 2k Games and Rockstar Games already have a -25% on this region,
which i am completly gratefull for.

The purpose of this thread is just to ask Valve's position on this matter, and if they
are looking for a way to give us, loyal third world costumers, a hand.

Please, excuse the bad english. Feel free to add your two cents.


Source (Credit Cards Taxes): http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1564389-impuesto-del-20-a-todas-las-compras-en-el-exterior-con-tarjetas

Source (Inflation): http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1592969-las-expectativas-de-inflacion-para-los-proximos-doce-meses-se-ubican-en-353

[Satoru]

Publishers

Set

Pricing

[guidodogg]

İlk olarak Satoru tarafından gönderildi:

Publishers Set Pricing

Yes, i'm aware. Did you read me complain about regional overprices
or asking for discounts? I'm just saying that Steam is the almost the
only option for PC games, and now we are having screw on that too.

[Satoru]

But again Steam can't do anything about it. Publishers set the pricing for game. Discounts are approved by the publishers.

[guidodogg]

İlk olarak Satoru tarafından gönderildi:

But again Steam can't do anything about it. Publishers set the pricing for game. Discounts are approved by the publishers.

Well, that's our situation at the moment, and it's blowing away our purchasing power.
I know publishers couldn't care less about Argentina, but i love gaming and the least i
can do is make a thread explaining our situation.

If the Russian store have their prices according to their economy, i think i can expose
these things and ask for consideration.

[Tito Shivan]

Russian users have their own pricing for reasons beyond their economy.
They also face some ugly restrictions too, thanks to that different treatment.

[guidodogg]

İlk olarak Tito Shivan tarafından gönderildi:

Russian users have their own pricing for reasons beyond their economy.
They also face some ugly restrictions too, thanks to that different treatment.

Muchas gracias por responder. It's not my intention to equal grounds with russian folks.
Just i'm pointing out that there are examples of indivual economies being taken into
consideration. Since the restrictions my country is facing are affecting Steam's
income, i though maybe Steam could have a slight interest in what's going on.

[Tito Shivan]

My point was making you notice that individuals economies are taken into consideration for the good and for the bad. And not everytime the good outweights the bad.
Look at another economy treated differently: Australia
-(really) Higher game prices.
-Low violence game versions. (Like Germans)
Even us Europeans had to bear the 1$=1€ pricing for a long time.

With these petitions one has to be wary of what we desire.
The worst part of a wish is it may become true.

Y tu post me recuerda que por aqui, al otro lado del Atlantico, las cosas cada dia pintan mas negras tambien ;)

[guidodogg]

La verdad que si, tengo que reconocer que tengo sentimientos encontrados con España,
pero el momento que están pasando como pueblo merece toda mi empatia.

Mi punto, mas allá de los precios que pueden ir y venir y se traducen en esperar mas tiempo por un descuento, son las medidas ridículas que nos imponen, que contrastan
con las denuncias de corrupción notorias al punto de lo ridículo.

Lo peor es que las denuncias existen por el solo hecho de las pujas de poder del gobierno con los principales grupos mediáticos.