Originally posted by JC Denton:

Any time I attempt a gift purchase, I'm either hit with some goofy regional price restriction, or you mark the transaction 'pending' for hours despite the payment having processed without issue on the card's side. Opening a ticket does nothing, as customer service is either an AI, a guy in some far flung call center, or just doesn't exist. I've never seen a storefront struggle so mightily against being given money.

If the regional price is over a 10%(?) difference, you can't gift it.

Originally posted by Boblin the Goblin:

Originally posted by JC Denton:

Any time I attempt a gift purchase, I'm either hit with some goofy regional price restriction, or you mark the transaction 'pending' for hours despite the payment having processed without issue on the card's side. Opening a ticket does nothing, as customer service is either an AI, a guy in some far flung call center, or just doesn't exist. I've never seen a storefront struggle so mightily against being given money.

If the regional price is over a 10%(?) difference, you can't gift it.

I know, that's (partially) the complaint, it's a goofy restriction. If I'm willing to eat the extra cost, let me eat it.

Originally posted by JC Denton:

Originally posted by Boblin the Goblin:

If the regional price is over a 10%(?) difference, you can't gift it.

I know, that's (partially) the complaint, it's a goofy restriction. If I'm willing to eat the extra cost, let me eat it.

You can, with a digital gift card.

Originally posted by JC Denton:

Originally posted by Boblin the Goblin:

If the regional price is over a 10%(?) difference, you can't gift it.

I know, that's (partially) the complaint, it's a goofy restriction. If I'm willing to eat the extra cost, let me eat it.

Except they legally can’t let you “eat the extra cost”.

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Originally posted by JC Denton:

I know, that's (partially) the complaint, it's a goofy restriction. If I'm willing to eat the extra cost, let me eat it.

You can, with a digital gift card.

:nkCool:

That's good, but I shouldn't have to. It's a purchase they offer, it should be as seamless as any other.

Originally posted by d3str0y3r:

Originally posted by JC Denton:

I know, that's (partially) the complaint, it's a goofy restriction. If I'm willing to eat the extra cost, let me eat it.

Except they legally can’t let you “eat the extra cost”.

Nonsense. Every storefront in the world is able to do currency conversions without an issue.

Originally posted by JC Denton:

Originally posted by d3str0y3r:

Except they legally can’t let you “eat the extra cost”.

Nonsense. Every storefront in the world is able to do currency conversions without an issue.

It's not a difference in currency. The price is actually set lower or higher than yours.

Even if it was simple as a different currency, Steam cannot charge you a different price. It is against the law.

I doubt that, I think it's something forum people just read and start repeating to each other. A simple disclaimer that you're gifting ABC to XYZ region and so must pay a difference of this amount is more than sufficient. The problem is they don't probe for self/gift status, or gift recipient, until so late in the purchase process that they've already declared a price to you. That's not impossible to fix if they'd bother.

Originally posted by JC Denton:

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

You can, with a digital gift card.

:nkCool:

That's good, but I shouldn't have to. It's a purchase they offer, it should be as seamless as any other.

Originally posted by d3str0y3r:

Except they legally can’t let you “eat the extra cost”.

Nonsense. Every storefront in the world is able to do currency conversions without an issue.

Look up bait and switch laws. Valve has to charge you the price shown to you.

Originally posted by JC Denton:

I doubt that, I think it's something forum people just read and start repeating to each other. A simple disclaimer that you're gifting ABC to XYZ region and so must pay a difference of this amount is more than sufficient. The problem is they don't probe for self/gift status, or gift recipient, until so late in the purchase process that they've already declared a price to you. That's not impossible to fix if they'd bother.

I'll agree that they should be presenting a warning to us at the start of the checkout when choosing the gift recipient, but it is still a price difference that is preventing it from completing. It's not simply a currency conversion.

And again, they can't just charge you a different price because you have a different reason for buying it than to own it yourself. And that's a good thing. This is something you actually want. Because without those price protections, retailers could charge you whatever they want whenever they want for any reason.

Originally posted by d3str0y3r:

Valve has to charge you the price shown to you.

I'm not sure that's true given that every store in the US has a different price at the register than the sticker. When my $4.99 purchase turns out to be $5.48 it doesn't seem to trigger the falling of the sky. A simple "we must collect a surcharge for XYZ, do you accept" is fine, and you can find an analogue of that in every business online and off.

Originally posted by JC Denton:

Originally posted by d3str0y3r:

Valve has to charge you the price shown to you.

I'm not sure that's true given that every store in the US has a different price at the register than the sticker. When my $4.99 purchase turns out to be $5.48 it doesn't seem to trigger the falling of the sky. A simple "we must collect a surcharge for XYZ, do you accept" is fine, and you can find an analogue of that in every business online and off.

Sales tax isn't required as part of the sticker price.

Originally posted by Boblin the Goblin:

Originally posted by JC Denton:

I'm not sure that's true given that every store in the US has a different price at the register than the sticker. When my $4.99 purchase turns out to be $5.48 it doesn't seem to trigger the falling of the sky. A simple "we must collect a surcharge for XYZ, do you accept" is fine, and you can find an analogue of that in every business online and off.

Sales tax isn't required as part of the sticker price.

Then assess a gift fee. This idea that it's some immutable law of the universe is just asinine. It isn't.

Originally posted by JC Denton:

Originally posted by Boblin the Goblin:

Sales tax isn't required as part of the sticker price.

Then assess a gift fee. This idea that it's some immutable law of the universe is just asinine. It isn't.

It's not a law of the universe. It's a law of the countries where Steam operates.

Not allowing stores to list one price and then charge another is good in 99.9% of cases. It's mildly annoying here, but you can give someone a digital gift card (which has the added bonus that their review will count more because they technically bought the game with their own money)

Originally posted by Ben Lubar:

It's a law of the countries where Steam operates.

Which law is that? Doesn't seem to impact any number of other businesses operating which are regularly able to assess different fees at checkout without an issue.

Extra fees and surcharges are regulated. Do you believe Valve may simply invent their own "gift fee" and tack it onto the price of the game when you decide your gift is going to Australia but not if it's going to Germany, or the other way around depending on which game you're buying?