Games Cost Too Much In Australia

Featured 24 Comments 45 Votes 3549 Views 30/05/2011 Back to News

It's good times for the Australian dollar; it's been sitting free and clear of the $1 US mark for weeks on end, however when it comes to video games we aren't seeing any clear savings. Consumer watchdog CHOICE has made those concerns official in a recent report looking into importing and retail structure.

“Australian consumers are able to save about 90% on the price of Portal 2 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 if they purchase the game from Play-asia.com rather than Dicksmith.com.au,” according to the report.“Even with a delivery fee of US$15.40 for FedEx (which includes tracking and insurance), there are still significant savings to be made.”.

“CHOICE calls on importers, distributors and retailers to pass some of the savings they are enjoying thanks to the strong Aussie dollar on to Australian consumers. We are already seeing the results of their failing to do so – a massive uptick in Australian consumers shopping on overseas websites. Who can blame them when Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games, for instance, cost 91% more from a major Australian online retailer than from an overseas online website based in Asia? Or when a pair of Nike running shoes cost $240 at a major Australian sports retailer while the same product can be bought online for $134 from a US sports store?”.

One thing is for certain; purchasing titles from overseas is a far more viable solution for a number of gamers in Australia as there are considerable savings to be had. How this recent report will effect the situation is still unknown.

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News Article by: Heller 142768Kudos 30/05/2011

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Games Cost Too Much In Australia Comments

Kudos: 1,407

Rusty12

I will definitely agree on this. It's not fair that the US pays $60 for a full game and less and for our full games like COD they cost $120 which is a joke.

30/05/2011

Brisbane

Kudos: 24,549

Dyke

There was a Segment about this on one of the crappy news shows (a current affair/60 minutes). Wasn't games directly, just the retail market.

Everything in Australia seems to cost that bit more.

30/05/2011

In lulz we trust

Kudos: 58,395

Silence

A part of the reason is because the publishers know they can get away with it here, as we've been paying more-for-the-same for decades now.

Any Australian who goes to the US will exclaim that everything is cheaper there, while anybody from the US coming here will learn that the Australian cost of living is much more expensive than the US, even before our dollar shot up.

30/05/2011

I'm from the Internet. Nothing I say is original.

Kudos: 142,768

Heller

Yeah I can attest to that; the price of living is so much cheaper then here, however they usually earn significantly less than us.

I was offered a job there and was going to move, but the money difference was huge, so now my partner is moving here.

Everything in the US is cheaper - food, booze, takeaway, electronics, games. Surely not EVERYTHING needs to be so expensive here!

30/05/2011

Melbourne, Victoria

Kudos: 1,687

jons2ann

Virtua Tennis 4 for $88. :'@

I will wait until it goes down to $20~ like its predecessors.

30/05/2011

melbourne, victoria

Kudos: 32,591

Elraro

Distributors know this...and as if they're going to turn down ch massive profits. They'll come up with some excuse for keeping the prices so high and that's as far as they'll go.

30/05/2011

Sydney

Kudos: 58,395

Silence

Heller said: however they usually earn significantly less than us.

I came || close to mentioning that :P

The Australian dream should be to build up a small fortune here, and retire to the 'States as a king.

30/05/2011

I'm from the Internet. Nothing I say is original.

Kudos: 38,760

Desi

Which is why I have bought from Steam for the past several years. It's ridiculous to expect me to pay $90 for a PC game when I can hop onto Steam and buy it for $40.

30/05/2011

And I love starting sentences with conjunctions! >=D

Kudos: 31,386

capt_oats

I would buy my games from online, but the thing that really gets me is the waiting. -_-

So I just end up buying my games from EB.

30/05/2011

Σίδνεϊ, Αυστραλία.

Kudos: 17,828

LDEvolution

Its not a big surprise. I do usually buy my stuff overseas and have them imported here.

30/05/2011

Kudos: 12,597

abujaffer

Ya.... sucks for you guys. I'm moving out of the US, so then I'll complain about importing 3DS games and all that. But until then, I sit in the safety of the US's relative cheap-ness! =D

30/05/2011

3D world... where everything, even flat stuff, are in 3D.

Kudos: 58,395

Silence

abujaffer said: Ya.... sucks for you guys. I'm moving out of the US, so then I'll complain about importing 3DS games and all that. But until then, I sit in the safety of the US's relative cheap-ness!

Suck on my minimum wage =/

30/05/2011

I'm from the Internet. Nothing I say is original.

Kudos: 38,760

Desi

abujaffer said: Ya.... sucks for you guys. I'm moving out of the US, so then I'll complain about importing 3DS games and all that. But until then, I sit in the safety of the US's relative cheap-ness!

Lawl untrue. I buy from UK Steam, and it's often $10-15 cheaper than prices on US Steam, especially once you take exchange rate into account.

30/05/2011

And I love starting sentences with conjunctions! >=D

Kudos: 142,768

Heller

Silence said:
Heller said: however they usually earn significantly less than us.

I came || close to mentioning that
The Australian dream should be to build up a small fortune here, and retire to the 'States as a king.

Exactly what I told my girlfriend we should do - her visa will run out eventually :P

30/05/2011

Melbourne, Victoria

Kudos: 77,994

renagadez

yeaah make everything cheaper

im trying to save here!

30/05/2011

Sydney, New South Wales

Kudos: 1,557

marvelxmen

why the hell is black ops so expensive still. surely every one has it now. i buy 50/50 games online/retail. exclusives and ones that will get lots of dlc usually retail.

30/05/2011

melbourne, victoria

Kudos: 13,971

Mario128

I remember when N64 games used to retail for $120. As a kid, I remember trying to save money for Conker's Bad Fur Day.. never did get it haha

30/05/2011

Kudos: 7,057

Boganhobo

Silence said:
Heller said: however they usually earn significantly less than us.

I came || close to mentioning that
The Australian dream should be to build up a small fortune here, and retire to the 'States as a king.

I am planning the same thing, though I plan to be out of Australia before I am 28, I'm 18 atm...

30/05/2011

PSN: FAMGUYFREAK2112

Kudos: 2,455

Matster

I've got over needing games etc instantly.. Only 2 I buy from Aus retailers are CoD and FIFA.. Other than that it's eBay/Ozgameshop/Zavvi/amazon etc.

30/05/2011

Gold Coast Qld

Kudos: 27,556

Leasha

I buy 90% of all my things from overseas now just because they are much cheaper, even clothes which may not fit. Still works out to be cheaper to have them sent here, try them on, then if they don't fit to then send them back....
A few months ago I bought a pair of the new Sketchers Shape Up shoes. Before I did though however I went into my local sports shoe store and proceeded to try a pair on, just to be sure I liked them and what not. Poor sales guy was really trying hard to get a sale from me so I fessed up and told him that if he wanted to get a sale he would have to lower the price from $229- to $90 ( That's including shipping from the United States) He wasn't happy and said he couldn't possibly do that.
We then had a rather lengthy talk about the actual rent these stores have to pay each month to stay open in big shopping malls like Westfield and stuff and really, it seemed from what he was saying it would be almost impossible to match or even near the overseas prices on that factor alone?

30/05/2011

In your house touching your stuff.

Kudos: 1,868

SkItZo

Desi said: Which is why I have bought from Steam for the past several years. It's ridiculous to expect me to pay $90 for a PC game when I can hop onto Steam and buy it for $40.

Are you kidding me??? Steam is just as bad at ripping us off....
check out this for example...
www.steamprices.com/...
And more of an idea....
www.steamprices.com/...

30/05/2011

Perth

Kudos: 58,395

Silence

SkItZo said:
Desi said: Which is why I have bought from Steam for the past several years. It's ridiculous to expect me to pay $90 for a PC game when I can hop onto Steam and buy it for $40.

Are you kidding me??? Steam is just as bad at ripping us off....
check out this for example...
www.steamprices.com/...
And more of an idea....
www.steamprices.com/...

Steam doesn't set the prices

31/05/2011

I'm from the Internet. Nothing I say is original.

Kudos: 21,084

maxiboy

When I want a new game, I generally want it day of release, so I buy in stores, I am yet to buy a day of release game on steam because I prefer to own boxed copies of games. Sometimes its not much more/costs the same to buy in shops, so I mean why wouldn't you?

01/06/2011

Sydney, NSW

Kudos: 2,171

1wiierdguy

I like to shop around at retailers looking for games on sale. Sometimes I find something and buy. Other times nothing is either cheap or takes my fancy. I then head online. I very rarely feel the need to have a game on launch day. So the wait for imports doesn't bother me. On the rare occasion a game comes out that I must have day 1. I generally find Big W a bit cheaper than other retailers. Retailers and publishers here really have to get with the program. If people can import a game for half the cost of buying locally then why wouldn't they? Especially when the games are generally released in the U.S first anyway.

01/06/2011

Brisbane Australia