Eurofriendly Pre-Orders

[fgbelmon]

Is MMP thinking about doing their pre-orders "eurofriendly"?. For instance, GMT has done it, so people like me who live this side of the pond can support with their orders a game they are keen on.
By now, if we add S&H and Customs (VAT) it´s a folly to think about hitting the pre-order button.
I´m interested in several ASL titles but will need to wait till they´ll be available in Europe. And in the case of Red October it´s a lost cause (that´s the inconvenience of owning a copy of RB).

TIA

Pakko

 

[Philippe D.]

I fully understand your position, but I'm not sure what MMP could do about it. The best that could be done would be to have some European retailers do their own pre-ordering system and reporting it into MMP's system, but I don't think that's under MMP's control, is it?

How does GMT do it?

 

[Paul M. Weir]

GMT has some arrangement with some EU retailers to count any GMT pre-orders that the retailer gets into their overall P500. Second Chance Games (https://www.secondchancegames.com) is the only one I know of, though I suspect there are others.

 

[Philippe D.]

OK, so it's about what I had in mind, except the publisher needs a deal with some retailers. Which is fine to me (it might not be fine for all retailers if only some of them get the possibility of the deal, of course)

 

[Vinnie]

Second Chance Games runs a preorder system for MMP games. They tend to only launch it when the game is just about due as they take payment on ordering unlike MMP.

 

[fgbelmon]

All my P500 pre-orders have been done through GMT web site directly. What GMT has done is an arrangement with Second Chance Games for delivering in Europe.
Maybe MMP could ask SCG about a deal in the same terms.

 

[clubby]

Hey, don't blame MMP for duties or VAT. Blame your government. No matter where you purchase the product, somebody is SUPPOSED to be paying the VAT. Whether they are or not is another question.

 

[Vinnie]

It's not the VAT it's the shipping. Rising Sun pre-order $80, shipping $65.
Now I onow MMP have no control over that but I can't justify paying almost as much again for the shipping.
This drops dramaticaly if you are buying multiples. 1 $65, 2$90, 3 $110 and so on.

 

[Aaron Cleavin]

While tax is mentioned, the S&H is the killer often adding 50% to the price of a game. This is where legitimate optimisation is quite possible (mainly through one version or another of shipping in bulk) and MMP might do well to emulate GMT.

 

[Bob Walters]

While tax is mentioned, the S&H is the killer often adding 50% to the price of a game. This is where legitimate optimisation is quite possible (mainly through one version or another of shipping in bulk) and MMP might do well to emulate GMT.

I wonder why? It does not appear to cost anywhere near that much to ship from Europe to the US.

 

[Aaron Cleavin]

I wonder why? It does not appear to cost anywhere near that much to ship from Europe to the US.

USPS I think

Just to validate the point shipping to


France


Australia



USA

 

[Paul M. Weir]

I shipped an item to the US (an unwanted ASL spare) and given the quoted cost of shipping from the US I was pleasantly surprised by the comparative price to ship to the US. Getting something out of the US seems to be significantly dearer than shipping the same into the US. Just one data point.

 

[Bob Walters]

I shipped an item to the US (an unwanted ASL spare) and given the quoted cost of shipping from the US I was pleasantly surprised by the comparative price to ship to the US. Getting something out of the US seems to be significantly dearer than shipping the same into the US. Just one data point.

Well the US does not like funding any government services (except of course for military equipment we spend vastly more than anyone else on that) we have far too many people who do not believe they should have to pay taxes.

 

[von Marwitz]

It's not the VAT it's the shipping. Rising Sun pre-order $80, shipping $65.

And note, that you have to pay customs duties (VAT) on the shipping cost, too. So that would be VAT not for $80 but for $145. Interestingly, shipment from EU to the US is a fraction of shipment of the US to the EU. Nothing to blame MMP for. But there it is.

von Marwitz

 

[Eagle4ty]

.... Nothing to blame MMP for.....

von Marwitz

There's always CH!

 

[Aaron Cleavin]

And note, that you have to pay customs duties (VAT) on the shipping cost, too. So that would be VAT not for $80 but for $145. Interestingly, shipment from EU to the US is a fraction of shipment of the US to the EU. Nothing to blame MMP for. But there it is.

von Marwitz

That is insane given that the service wasn't delivered to your door but disappeared in transit.

 

[von Marwitz]

That is insane given that the service wasn't delivered to your door but disappeared in transit.

For the record:
I did not lose any package. I was just illustrating by the figures presented by someone else above how shipment & customs (for which MMP are not to blame) make buying anything from the US direct ASL-wise is absolutely infeasible. Even the significant benefit of pre-order prices by MMP is defeated by UPS charges & customs.

As far as I know, my retailer (Udo Grebe Game Design, UGG) collects orders by his customers (including pre-orders) for given periods of time and has the items shipped to some "collecting-address" in the US. Then in certain intervals, the accumulated orders are shipped from the "collecting-address" by ship (sic!) in bulk. This means some delays that impatinent natures are loath to cope with but it cuts down on shipment - and in turn customs - substantially. It cuts out the greed of USPS & others (nobody can seriously explain to me why shipping things from US to EU should cost more than double than the other way round).

von Marwitz

 

[von Marwitz]

There's always CH!

Even Critial Hit is as innocent as (a Dave) Lamb in this regard.

von Marwitz

 

[klasmalmstrom]

That is insane given that the service wasn't delivered to your door but disappeared in transit.

Typically the customs fee (which is the small part) and VAT (larger part) is calculated off the price of the invoices (which includes the s/h cost). At least that is how it is in Sweden.
However, to Sweden far from every package is "intercepted" by the customs. E.g., I have had none of the orange packages MMP stuff sometimes comes in "intercepted".

 

[von Marwitz]

Typically the customs fee (which is the small part) and VAT (larger part) is calculated off the price of the invoices (which includes the s/h cost). At least that is how it is in Sweden.
However, to Sweden far from every package is "intercepted" by the customs. E.g., I have had none of the orange packages MMP stuff sometimes comes in "intercepted".

In my personal experience here in Germany, any boxed item is intercepted while something in an envelope like an Action Pack will pass.

von Marwitz