Any WITP games for sale?

[viberpol]

I do not want to act as their advocate...
This is a legal shop, not hacker-some or whatever, paying taxes, must have paid the licence..
The question is: why are you paying that much and not why I can buy it for 8 USD... [:D]

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: viberpol


I do not want to act as their advocate...
This is a legal shop, not hacker-some or whatever, paying taxes, must have paid the licence..
The question is: why are you paying that much and not why I can buy it for 8 USD... [:D]

Good question... i'd like to know as well... [&:]

[Birdw]

I certainly didn't mind paying $20 a case for Petra (a Jordanian Beer in 24oz can and 8 1/2 alcohol) while in Iraq. I most certainly did not feel guilty that Budweiser or Miller didn't make their markup on the sale either. The game company selling the game probably bought the game for a wholesale price and being a niche game is now trying to get something back on their investment. They will never make any return if it is sitting on a shelf somewhere. I worked in management in retail for a number of years and while I'm not 100% certain I seem to recall books and the like having a %40 markup. That would make the wholesale price like $42 US. Bear in mind the software company has made their profit at that point. So it is not inconceivable that a store that has merchandise sitting around collecting dust will price it to move.
 
 I've purchased other software that was available in Europe and not here in the states for very good prices before also. The Combat Mission Anthology comes to mind. I purchased all 3 titles for like $20 from an EBay seller in Europe and that package was not released here in the states for another year. So I'm not sure if the EU laws might not have an effect on the prices also. I know Microsoft is always in trouble in Europe. Just my 2 cents worth but I for one appreciated the direction.

[Nikademus]

thats it....we're just going to have to invade Europe.....again. [:D]

[Rafael Warsaw]

Viberpol is right - I bought mine for a price of about 18 PLn which is about 6,2 USD.
Its a stock game, licenced with serial and stuff. they are selling it as a part of theirs classic wargames series through respected bookstore network called EMPIK (they got an on-line shopping too).
 
Same time I do buy books in US - much cheaper than in Europe, have to admit that i dont pay for a delivery - it comes with corporate mail from NY office right on my desk
[8|]
 
 

[Rafael Warsaw]

BTW: I bouth a WPO for the same price same day.
[:'(]
 

[sprior]

ORIGINAL: viberpol


I do not want to act as their advocate...
This is a legal shop, not hacker-some or whatever, paying taxes, must have paid the licence..
The question is: why are you paying that much and not why I can buy it for 8 USD... [:D]

It might be worth you guys comparing serial numbers and making sure you all have different ones...

[viberpol]

yes, we do have different serials, I actually bought a game for another "witp-forum addict" and checked the parcel before sending it.

Everything is legal.
Game is cheaper. All strategy games are quite cheap here -- this is like Birde said -- its a niche product.
BTW: Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific costs here about 26 USD.
How much do you have to pay there you live?

[bradfordkay]

There has been some concern over the years about counterfeit games being sold on the open market. Someone will buy a legitimate copy and then produce a lot of illegal copies from that. I know that the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, even Russia) have been known for this (as well as China, Indonesia and Malaysia), thus the questions from US forum members. It is because of these practices that we (gamers) have been subjected to such computer destroying anti-copy programs such as StarForge...

Yes, any dealer who legitimately purchased copies of the game and has been unable to sell it at the original price is allowed to sell it for whatever he can get for it. Consider yourself lucky.

[Birdw]

 I work in the IT field now and deal with license issues on a weekly basis. Since all the licenses for the game are controlled by the game company in this case I feel pretty confident that it must be a legitimate copy. Just the printing and packaging would be as expensive as the selling price in US dollars. I think as a "classic"  they are just trying to move it. How many times has someone found a "gem" in the discount bin at the local Babbages?
 
 They must also be dealing with a price control issue or are working on much less of a markup. Like I said and Viberpol has said games are much less expensive in Europe at least the ones I've looked for have been. I alluded in an earlier post to the sale that Matrix had back before Christmas. Sales are a great way to move products. WITP is getting long in the tooth for a game by todays standards. The price certainly isn't inexpensive it might improve the games appeal to use the "sale" price to get it out there. I know of at least 1 other site here in the states that sales the game for less than Matrix does so I know it is a pricing issue. I wonder if the sale at Christmas was eaten by Matrix or the software company? anyways I'm rambling. Yes,bradfordkay I do consider myself lucky in this circumstance. At least I will when the game works

[tocaff]

I was looking for some software in Sao Paulo Brasil and when I asked about it in stores they all said the same thing:  Pay R$10 on the street and get a pirated copy.  I wasn't for a game, though they too are available, but a major office suite.  The price converted to $ at the time was about $4.00.  Nobody bats an eye at this and pirating is accepted in almost every aspect of retail goods from clothing to software.  I'm not saying it's right, just saying what is and no I bought a legit package elseware.

[viberpol]

I think you mess up the two things, tocaff.

Sure you can use the eMule and downolad illegal copies of almost every game published, for free, not even paying the 4USD for the street "hacked" game.
But this situation here is somewhat different: it has more in common with the purchasing power of society.

You can buy it from Matrix for 60USD in USA, where the average salary is (...fill in...).
You could buy it in Poland in a very fashionable chain of stores (Rafael said.. like EMPIK) for 6-8USD. But here in Poland the average salary is less than 600USD/a month. This had to be calculated by big companies whatever they sell -- big office suites or simple strategy games.
I think none could afford buying this game here if he'd have to pay 10% of his month salary!!

EMPIK or 3Kropki I recommended are all legal stores, and NOT computer pirats.

Companies have choice. Sell anything for a smaller price or sell nothing.
It's a free market rule.

/edited: of course, I had to wait more than a year after its first release to buy it here in Europe, and this is a major drawback, but still, IMO, Matrix should lower WITP price/

[tocaff]

OK, so in effect what we have here is a situation akin to that of prices charged by pharmacutical companies.  In the US it costs an arm and a leg for a particular medication and in another country the same product costs a fraction of the price.  This is charging a price that the market (buyers) can support and many goods are sold this way around the world.  Companies are always trying strategies to combat you from buying the product from a company in another country where it's cheaper and the internet is giving buyers the power to buy from anywhere in the world and possibly avoiding taxes also. 

[viberpol]

Yup, it seems so..
Long live the Internet! [:D]

The "intel" here is what matters [;)]

[wdolson]

ORIGINAL: tocaff

OK, so in effect what we have here is a situation akin to that of prices charged by pharmacutical companies. In the US it costs an arm and a leg for a particular medication and in another country the same product costs a fraction of the price. This is charging a price that the market (buyers) can support and many goods are sold this way around the world. Companies are always trying strategies to combat you from buying the product from a company in another country where it's cheaper and the internet is giving buyers the power to buy from anywhere in the world and possibly avoiding taxes also.

Electronic media makes it much easier, but it's been going on for a long time. The term gray market was coined in the 70s for Mercedes bought cheap in Europe and sent to the US. Even with shipping it can be cheaper to buy a Mercedes this way.

My father owned a photo supply company and he was getting Fuji film gray market. There was a company in the US who was buying large lots of Fuji film for Israel, but at least half of it ended up in the US market cheaper than from the US Fuji distributor.

I've been selling plastic model kits on Ebay for a few years as a side business. There are a few sellers in that niche who I'm sure are buying kits gray market from Asia. Their Ebay price is less that I can get the kit for from my supplier.

It's not illegal, though a lot of companies would like it to be. If the gray market buyers are getting their merchandise from the same place as the official importer, the importer may have a case for violation of contract. That could end up in a nasty international legal fight. When dealing with a developed country like an Western European nation, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, etc. The courts tend to be somewhat impartial and a company claiming damaged from another country might get their way. However, in countries like China, unless you are a mega corporation that the government wants to keep happy, the courts tend to strongly favor the local, even if the law is not on their side.

Matrix could have a contract with the local distributor in Poland that says that licenses are only valid in Poland. If those copies get re-exported to the US, Matrix would have a contract beef with the distributor, or the retailer in Poland. However, unless Matrix is losing a lot of money on the deal, they would likely just let it go because it would be more trouble than it's worth to fight it. Since Poland is trying to join the EU, I would expect that Polish courts would be more open minded than Chinese ones, but probably not as impartial as some countries would be.

This has been an issue on my mind too. My other job is as half owner of a small software start up company. Our goal is not to be the next Microsoft, but we hope to be able to make a decent living from it. The nature of our products doesn't place us in an international market much, but because software is so easy to copy, it's also very easy to pirate. It's more trouble than it's worth to pirate a Mercedes.

The reason I've been pushed into starting my own company is because my old software niche went to India. American companies have found that they can hire Indian programmers at a fraction the cost of an American one, so everything I used to do is now done over seas. Both my SO and I have parents who owned their own businesses and we each have some small business experience, so we have some idea what we're doing. Those in my position who don't have the skills to start their own company are going bankrupt.

Bill

[viberpol]

ORIGINAL: wdolson
Since Poland is trying to join the EU, I would expect that Polish courts would be more open minded than Chinese ones (...).

Bill

Bill, check your sources!
Actually, Poland joined the European Union in 2004 [:-]

[6971grunt]

ORIGINAL: Wolfie1

ORIGINAL: castor troy

ORIGINAL: grunt6971

If you do manage to get a game CD from E-Bay, make sure you get the game's serial number so that you can load the game and the subsequent downloads - otherwise it could be a real bummer.

If he gets an original CD then the serial number is printed ON the CD.

I've got an original CD and the serial number is NOT printed on it - it is seperate.

Dito, but it appears that the serial number appearing on the CD is "hit-or-miss"

[Xargun]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

The first release of WITP, at Origins back in '04, did not have the serial number printed on the disc. I do not know how many of these were made (without the serial #), but I do know that the first ones were released that way.

I know of at least 5 copies this way [:D]

Xargun

[viberpol]

ORIGINAL: grunt6971

ORIGINAL: Wolfie1

ORIGINAL: castor troy



If he gets an original CD then the serial number is printed ON the CD.

I've got an original CD and the serial number is NOT printed on it - it is seperate.

ORIGINAL: Xargun
I know of at least 5 copies this way [:D]
Xargun

Dito, but it appears that the serial number appearing on the CD is "hit-or-miss"

Yes, all digital downloads offered in Matrix store tend to have the serial number on their cds.
People, use your brains...

[wdolson]

ORIGINAL: viberpol
Bill, check your sources!
Actually, Poland joined the European Union in 2004 [:-]

My bad. Sorry about that. [:(]

Bill