I’ve heard the prices in PLN are a joke! The currency stabilized after 2022 when it was weak then, but the prices remained the same from that time making it more expensive than intended.
Comment on Why are Steam games priced unfairly in Euros indifferent to where one resides?
prti@szmer.info 1 day ago
I can just say, the games USED to be cheaper in Poland (the average person is less wealthy here and we don’t have euro). Finds out there is an EU law against it, so now all prices in Europe are flatlined no matter the currency or the country’s average income.
LtDan@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
Poopfeast420@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
I think the law doesn’t say that prices have to be the same, it’s just that you can’t block people from other countries from buying stuff at the cheaper price.
With physical goods you either have to actually go to the country or get it shipped to you, which can make this not as easy or “profitable”. However, with digital goods you just go to a website and there’s not really anything to ship, except maybe an email, so those same hurdles don’t exist, which is why those lower income countries usually get the short end of the stick with prices for games and stuff.
ms_lane@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
*Unless you’re a german webshop, then it’s fine to restrict sales to Germany only apparently.
ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 21 hours ago
Does Steam not require a billing address or Tax ID? Yeah, it’d be fairly easy to fake it to access the cheaper market, but if you’re gonna do that you might as well pretend you live in Argentina.
PapstJL4U@lemmy.world [bot] 7 hours ago
Companies are not allowed to not sell to other EU members. A polish company is allowed to sell in Germany, and a German buyer is allowed to buy from polish Companies without being unfair treated.
Poopfeast420@lemmy.zip 21 hours ago
Directly in Steam it’s not that easy, you need a billing address and Steam checks the payment method to verify the country (although I don’t know if certain prepaid cards work for this as well).
You still have Steam keys, that can be sold anywhere though, and not everyone will care that this cheap key, intended for the Polish market is bought by someone in Germany.
Truscape@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 hours ago
Prepaid cards have to be loaded with a specific currency and usually are part of a pre-existing payment processor (VISA/Matercard in the US).
Valve’s steam gift cards are sold in the same currency as well, and are usually usable for accounts in the same country of origin (read the back fine print)