Quote:
Originally Posted by S.R. Krol
But those European nations sure love to tax everything and anything.
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That is the basic reason.
I don't remember anymore how much I paid for this game. Surprisingly enough I remember for an older purchase from a different publisher.
When I was in Plymouth England a few years ago, I ordered Strategic Command (or was it Galactic Civilizations...lol don't remember). I don't remember the exact price but let's say it was $50. I paid something like $25 for shipping and another $35 for customs and vat tax when it arrived here/there or else I couldn't pick it up.
That was the last time (apart from winSPMBT) that I bought a game from the USA.
It is not 100% guaranteed you will pay those taxes, it depends on the customs officer in charge in the day it arrives lol and if you are lucky to not have your parcel chosen in random.
For many products (most?) imported from the USA, you have to pay the price for the product (obviously), the shipping (obviously, which is higher due to the distance), a 15% to 25% (depending on the EU country) VAT on top, plus a customs tax as mentioned earlier. You might get lucky and avoid them, but don't confuse that with how things are done.
I don't know the specifics for other countries but an australian guy I know told me he would end up paying nearly double the amount of the game if he ordered it.