Wii for Europe: £179, 8th December
Family fun, girls nights in and a blabbering blonde bombshell
The Nintendo Europe press conference has just finished over at ExCel in London's stinking East End and we've just walked out with a little grin on our face, after having watched various European execs, along with Nintendo president Mr Iwata do the crowd-pleasing thang alongside host Gabby Logan ('the blabbering blonde bombshell' as one of our neighbours noted) and British tennis stars Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski all taking to the stage/tennis court.
Wii will be released in Europe on the 8th December, priced 249 Euros/ £179. We will get the same package as the US, with one Wii-mote and one Nunchuk attachment and Wii Sports bundled in, which, even though it's perhaps a tad close to Christmas (don't forget, lots of mums tend to do their shopping in October and November!) and could have been a shade cheaper, is not really as bad as it could have been. Also, they really should have bundled it with an extra controller in our opinion, but that's another argument.
SPOnG slept fitfully last night, due to having funny dreams featuring Mr Iwata laughing hysterically and telling us that we wouldn't have our Wii for Christmas after all. Luckily, for us all, they weren't prophetic.
The overall focus of the presentation, as expected, was on targeting non-traditional gamers with 'family fun' and 'girls nights in' repeated more than a couple of times. We'll be quizzing Nintendo about Wii marketing plans related to targeting the lapsed, the elderly and the ladies later on.
We're about to head off for a tete-a-tete with Nintendo UK chief David Yarnton in a short while, to quiz him about all things Wii, but first, here's a quick run-down of today's event and the key announcements.
Games-wise Nintendo claims we will see 15 to 20 games at the European launch, including Red Steel, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Need For Speed: Carbon, Cars, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz all to set you back between EUR 49 and 59 (£34 -£39). Wario, worryingly, will be launched 'shortly after' - let's just hope Wario's micro-gaming joy doesn't miss Christmas. We'll notify you on the Wario date as soon as we get it. Should we be denied Wario joy, then we will just have to make do with Wii Play (the mini-games package that will also include a bundled Wii remote) and, of course, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. So Christmas is looking survivable after all.
What else? Additional Wii remotes will cost EUR 39 / £29, Nunchuks will cost EUR 19 / £14, and the Classic Controller will cost EUR 19 / £14. Virtual Console will offer 15 titles during the European launch period, with 5-10 titles added each month after that, with exact pricing structure still to be confirmed at time of going to press.
Mr Iwata appeared, looking a little jet-lagged it has to be said, but still, as ever, with a big old smile on his face. He ran through the demonstration of Wii Channels that Reggie regaled the Americans with yesterday and then left us all to play one of the many Wii games on show. Which is what we intend to do right now.
Oh, and Tim Henman lost at Tennis. No surprise there then.
Wii will be released in Europe on the 8th December, priced 249 Euros/ £179. We will get the same package as the US, with one Wii-mote and one Nunchuk attachment and Wii Sports bundled in, which, even though it's perhaps a tad close to Christmas (don't forget, lots of mums tend to do their shopping in October and November!) and could have been a shade cheaper, is not really as bad as it could have been. Also, they really should have bundled it with an extra controller in our opinion, but that's another argument.
SPOnG slept fitfully last night, due to having funny dreams featuring Mr Iwata laughing hysterically and telling us that we wouldn't have our Wii for Christmas after all. Luckily, for us all, they weren't prophetic.
The overall focus of the presentation, as expected, was on targeting non-traditional gamers with 'family fun' and 'girls nights in' repeated more than a couple of times. We'll be quizzing Nintendo about Wii marketing plans related to targeting the lapsed, the elderly and the ladies later on.
We're about to head off for a tete-a-tete with Nintendo UK chief David Yarnton in a short while, to quiz him about all things Wii, but first, here's a quick run-down of today's event and the key announcements.
Games-wise Nintendo claims we will see 15 to 20 games at the European launch, including Red Steel, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Need For Speed: Carbon, Cars, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz all to set you back between EUR 49 and 59 (£34 -£39). Wario, worryingly, will be launched 'shortly after' - let's just hope Wario's micro-gaming joy doesn't miss Christmas. We'll notify you on the Wario date as soon as we get it. Should we be denied Wario joy, then we will just have to make do with Wii Play (the mini-games package that will also include a bundled Wii remote) and, of course, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. So Christmas is looking survivable after all.
What else? Additional Wii remotes will cost EUR 39 / £29, Nunchuks will cost EUR 19 / £14, and the Classic Controller will cost EUR 19 / £14. Virtual Console will offer 15 titles during the European launch period, with 5-10 titles added each month after that, with exact pricing structure still to be confirmed at time of going to press.
Mr Iwata appeared, looking a little jet-lagged it has to be said, but still, as ever, with a big old smile on his face. He ran through the demonstration of Wii Channels that Reggie regaled the Americans with yesterday and then left us all to play one of the many Wii games on show. Which is what we intend to do right now.
Oh, and Tim Henman lost at Tennis. No surprise there then.
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Comments
Showing the 20 most recent comments. Read all 37.
SCiARA 15 Sep 2006 15:24
18/37
isnt there a stupid amount of tax us UKers have to stump up compared to others?
+ there's always that problem of pricing to low and sugesting an inferior machine to the mass casuals
+ there's always that problem of pricing to low and sugesting an inferior machine to the mass casuals
SCiARA 15 Sep 2006 15:24
19/37
stoopid duble posts...
more comments below our sponsor's message
king skins 15 Sep 2006 15:42
20/37
Joji wrote:
There's one thng you guys are missing. By having the Wii be region free it puts its fate in the hands of gamers. If you don't like the extra controller price like me, just import one and that will drive u.k prices by the likes of Game etc down, since they'd rather have your money than none at all, either way Nintendo get paid.
The PS3 and 360 are both region free to. But the publishers are the ones that region locking their games.
dr_faulk 15 Sep 2006 15:49
21/37
Yeah, I think a lot of people are forgetting that UK & Ireland have tax rates that are almost 3 times the average US rate. Not only that, consoles have a steep import tax (hence Sony's reason for trying to market the PS3 as a 'PC', so it could dodge taxes).
I mean, we *do* have a socialist health-care system! Not like those money-grabbing Yanks, lol!
Feck it. Maybe I'm just getting too old for games and I can't justify the price anymore....?....
I mean, we *do* have a socialist health-care system! Not like those money-grabbing Yanks, lol!
Feck it. Maybe I'm just getting too old for games and I can't justify the price anymore....?....
OptimusP 15 Sep 2006 15:52
22/37
There's a general EU tax on electronic devices like the Wii, X360 and PS3 and all the EU-countries also have some Added-on-price tax, taxes on consumption, VAT tax, the yanks don't have. In the UK its 17.5%, in Belgium its 21%.
Also, a lot of people seem to be victim of months of mental conditioning that the Wii will be priced at around 200 euros...Hype that others totally not related to Nintendo (who stuck by their "not more then 250 euro's" line) created and you people are so stupid to pick it up and see at is very likeable truth. Your own fault, get over it!
I also like the level of argumentary idiocy in the "buying a 360 core now!!" comments. the 360 core is even more crap, a lot more...it also has NO HARDDISK, you need a HARDDISK to go online...where you have to PAY for the real worthwhile parts, Xbox controllers cost 10 quid less then the wiimote-nuncuck combo and doesn't even come a lightyear close of the capabilities of the Wii-controller. Hell the Xbox360 WiFi-kit only costs 50 quid less then the entire Wii...which has in-built WiFi. The list can go on...real long.
Nintendo just weant from "potentially the best launch ever!!" (which was again hyped by everyone except Nintendo and you whineasses fell for it again!) to a standard bussiness sense making consolelaunch with quite a healthy supply of hardware to boot (4 million people untill year's end). MS had screwed over Europe more at launch, Sony is screwing Europe even more.
Don't ask Nintendo to uphold itself to promises and expectations itself did not establish. Oh yes, Wiisports is so a Triple A title...it's the most fun i ever had with a game in a very long time!
Also, a lot of people seem to be victim of months of mental conditioning that the Wii will be priced at around 200 euros...Hype that others totally not related to Nintendo (who stuck by their "not more then 250 euro's" line) created and you people are so stupid to pick it up and see at is very likeable truth. Your own fault, get over it!
I also like the level of argumentary idiocy in the "buying a 360 core now!!" comments. the 360 core is even more crap, a lot more...it also has NO HARDDISK, you need a HARDDISK to go online...where you have to PAY for the real worthwhile parts, Xbox controllers cost 10 quid less then the wiimote-nuncuck combo and doesn't even come a lightyear close of the capabilities of the Wii-controller. Hell the Xbox360 WiFi-kit only costs 50 quid less then the entire Wii...which has in-built WiFi. The list can go on...real long.
Nintendo just weant from "potentially the best launch ever!!" (which was again hyped by everyone except Nintendo and you whineasses fell for it again!) to a standard bussiness sense making consolelaunch with quite a healthy supply of hardware to boot (4 million people untill year's end). MS had screwed over Europe more at launch, Sony is screwing Europe even more.
Don't ask Nintendo to uphold itself to promises and expectations itself did not establish. Oh yes, Wiisports is so a Triple A title...it's the most fun i ever had with a game in a very long time!
dr_faulk 15 Sep 2006 16:03
23/37
SNAP! (on the tax thing)
Yeah, you're right about rushing out to buy an X360. For a second I thought I would, but in reality you'd have to go for the €400 pack, and another controller, and the games are €20 more expensive, AND you have to pay online, AND AND they did screw Europe over at launch....
so yeah, you're right.
But listen, Gamecube was €200 when it launched, and that was near cutting edge graphics technology. The Wii is not. Okay, it is customised and slick and small, but I still think they could have comfortably sold it for €200.
Then again, WTF do I know? Idon't work at Nintendo, I'm sure they did their research and found that people would buy it anyway.
Yeah, you're right about rushing out to buy an X360. For a second I thought I would, but in reality you'd have to go for the €400 pack, and another controller, and the games are €20 more expensive, AND you have to pay online, AND AND they did screw Europe over at launch....
so yeah, you're right.
But listen, Gamecube was €200 when it launched, and that was near cutting edge graphics technology. The Wii is not. Okay, it is customised and slick and small, but I still think they could have comfortably sold it for €200.
Then again, WTF do I know? Idon't work at Nintendo, I'm sure they did their research and found that people would buy it anyway.
SCiARA 15 Sep 2006 16:07
24/37
I had my expectations on price based on my own knowledge and not from the "hype" from other sites
"And you people are so stupid to pick it up and see at is very likeable truth. Your own fault, get over it"
I don’t remember/recall anyone saying they where expecting a 200 euro price point. Don’t be so broad with your dumb arse tarnishing.
You don’t need an hd for the core to get online - a memory card will do for online gaming.
The 360 controller is the most comfortable one I have ever played with and does the job I want it to do - I see a waving wand as a gimmick that will not last. You are entitled to your own opinions (as are all) but don’t just assume things
"And you people are so stupid to pick it up and see at is very likeable truth. Your own fault, get over it"
I don’t remember/recall anyone saying they where expecting a 200 euro price point. Don’t be so broad with your dumb arse tarnishing.
You don’t need an hd for the core to get online - a memory card will do for online gaming.
The 360 controller is the most comfortable one I have ever played with and does the job I want it to do - I see a waving wand as a gimmick that will not last. You are entitled to your own opinions (as are all) but don’t just assume things
dr_faulk 15 Sep 2006 16:13
25/37
SCiARA wrote:
I see a waving wand as a gimmick that will not last.
lol, I've gotta disagree with you there! I know its just your opinion, but you can't deny that everyone in the press who has played with it has stated how mcuh fun it is. Me, the biggest Nintendo geek of all, was convinced the DS and it's touch screen was an auto-flop, but look what that's showed us.
360 is a lovely controller, though. Man, can't wait for GoW!
SCiARA 15 Sep 2006 16:16
26/37
dr_faulk wrote:
SCiARA wrote:
I see a waving wand as a gimmick that will not last.
lol, I've gotta disagree with you there! I know its just your opinion, but you can't deny that everyone in the press who has played with it has stated how mcuh fun it is. Me, the biggest Nintendo geek of all, was convinced the DS and it's touch screen was an auto-flop, but look what that's showed us.
360 is a lovely controller, though. Man, can't wait for GoW!
naa i cant see it working, couple of games of wand waving and the fuss will be all over ;)
Joji 15 Sep 2006 16:18
27/37
Dry your tears people, as much as we hate that price its not all bad. With PSP and 360 Core just over its shoulder (no matter how crap the pack is) Nintendo will drop the price if needed.
£180 is still under £200. Don't forget PS3 is gonna be over twice the price without any games at £450.
Many of us can get a Wii and still generate that money spent back by March for PS3 if you want that too at launch.
Though I know I don't want to pay more, I'd have no problem using that extra £30 as a deposit on my Wii tomorrow.
Intersting, just went to play.com. They are cleverly using the Wii E3 video to help sell the Wii. If more sites doen this kind of thing they'd see more sales. Always remeber you have the option to import a Wii though, I'm sure some will.
£180 is still under £200. Don't forget PS3 is gonna be over twice the price without any games at £450.
Many of us can get a Wii and still generate that money spent back by March for PS3 if you want that too at launch.
Though I know I don't want to pay more, I'd have no problem using that extra £30 as a deposit on my Wii tomorrow.
Intersting, just went to play.com. They are cleverly using the Wii E3 video to help sell the Wii. If more sites doen this kind of thing they'd see more sales. Always remeber you have the option to import a Wii though, I'm sure some will.
Jay 15 Sep 2006 16:33
28/37
If anyone can remember back that far, the GameCube was originally priced at £179 (or it could have been £169), before Nintendo cut the price about a week before launch. So it's not totally out of the question for Nintendo to redress the price issue having seen what is evidently quite an uproar.
I personally don't think £179 is that bad at all for what you're getting - it's not only graphics chipsets and HD outputs that cost money.
I personally don't think £179 is that bad at all for what you're getting - it's not only graphics chipsets and HD outputs that cost money.
soanso 15 Sep 2006 17:04
29/37
For a moment yesterday I thought I'd be sitting here reading the headline "Wii delayed till 2007"
The console price is a bit much but at least it's with a game. I wonder how limited Wii Sports is. It does however look like fun.
but god the controllers are a bit too much. 45 quid for a second controller! I don't see the point in only getting the wii-mote without the nunchuck.
I hope import versions will be easy to find at lower prices.
I am unhappy that the dvd fuction is removed though. Yeah ok, I've got about 400 other options to watch dvds and it's not like I actually bother watching things right now but it'd be nice to have it, nice not to have to unhook this box and wire up that one or at least only have one thing sitting next to the tv
The console price is a bit much but at least it's with a game. I wonder how limited Wii Sports is. It does however look like fun.
but god the controllers are a bit too much. 45 quid for a second controller! I don't see the point in only getting the wii-mote without the nunchuck.
I hope import versions will be easy to find at lower prices.
I am unhappy that the dvd fuction is removed though. Yeah ok, I've got about 400 other options to watch dvds and it's not like I actually bother watching things right now but it'd be nice to have it, nice not to have to unhook this box and wire up that one or at least only have one thing sitting next to the tv
GeoThermal 15 Sep 2006 18:08
30/37
OptimusP wrote:
TAlso, a lot of people seem to be victim of months of mental conditioning that the Wii will be priced at around 200 euros...Hype that others totally not related to Nintendo (who stuck by their "not more then 250 euro's" line) created
I also like the level of argumentary idiocy in the "buying a 360 core now!!" comments. the 360 core is even more crap, a lot more...it also has NO HARDDISK, you need a HARDDISK to go online...
Don't ask Nintendo to uphold itself to promises and expectations itself did not establish.
I also like the level of argumentary idiocy in the "buying a 360 core now!!" comments. the 360 core is even more crap, a lot more...it also has NO HARDDISK, you need a HARDDISK to go online...
Don't ask Nintendo to uphold itself to promises and expectations itself did not establish.
I base my disappointment of the price on the fact that in Japan it is around £113 and in America £130, not on hype. even allowing for tax it seems a lot more than the other territories.
There is nothing idiotic in feeling the 360 core is now a better value option than the Wii at £20 less. The 360 has a solid list of games, the Wii is untried. It's gone from an impulse buy for me to wait and see. The 360 Core does not need a hard drive to go online as far as I know however it is irrelevant as I don't use XBox Live.
The expectation I did have based on Nintendo's own comments is DVD playback. Not essential but still a last minute feature removal that seems worse given the price.
warbaby 16 Sep 2006 02:08
31/37
Quit your crying... Since when has anything been cheap for you in EU anyway. yeah, £179 is a bit steep, but if you don't want it... don't buy it. They'll lower it... they did with the Cube, relax.
I'll be picking up one in Canada for less than $300 CAD...
Bam... score.
I'll be picking up one in Canada for less than $300 CAD...
Bam... score.
king skins 16 Sep 2006 12:13
32/37
SCiARA wrote:
dr_faulk wrote:
SCiARA wrote:
I see a waving wand as a gimmick that will not last.
lol, I've gotta disagree with you there! I know its just your opinion, but you can't deny that everyone in the press who has played with it has stated how mcuh fun it is. Me, the biggest Nintendo geek of all, was convinced the DS and it's touch screen was an auto-flop, but look what that's showed us.
360 is a lovely controller, though. Man, can't wait for GoW!
naa i cant see it working, couple of games of wand waving and the fuss will be all over ;)
I'm not totally convinced about the controller either, but I was considering picking on up at launch if it was cheap.
I'm still tempted... but this price has stopped it from being an impulse buy. Going over £150 is crossing a physiological barrier and its now in a position where it’s in direct comparison with the 360 Core System.
RiseFromYourGrave 16 Sep 2006 15:28
33/37
king skins wrote:
I'm still tempted... but this price has stopped it from being an impulse buy. Going over £150 is crossing a physiological barrier and its now in a position where it’s in direct comparison with the 360 Core System.
yeah, definitely. if nintendo has put the price up because it doesnt have to compete with the ps3, they theyve just made a healthy competitor out of the 360 (core).
part of the charm was the supposed cheapness of this thing too, the price was meant to be another way nintendo were opening 'the doors of gaming' to every man and his dog, and everyone would benefit.
GameGod 17 Sep 2006 02:04
34/37
360 has a solid list of underwleming buggy games, people should know that when americans talk about price i't s always without the taxes, as they change from state to state, the Wii final price is more like 280/290$, same goes for thee 360 & the PS3 that will sell for more tham 650$ in the end... Know what you're talking about!!!
ozfunghi 18 Sep 2006 10:45
35/37
RiseFromYourGrave wrote:
is it just me or did we get ripped off?
Nope, you're the only one getting ripped off.
YenRug 18 Sep 2006 21:55
36/37
I thought I'd write an e-mail to Nintendo UK (aka Codestorm), NoE PR and The Sun (they like Rip-Off Britain type stories), surprisingly I received a non-automated reply!
My initial e-mail:
Codestorm reply:
My reply:
(Slightly PO'ed) Codestorm reply:
My reply (unanswered, so far, unsurprisingly):
My initial e-mail:
Subject: Disappointed - Nintendo Wii UK (Over-) Pricing
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to express my disappointment with Nintendo of Europe's decision to price-gouge the UK market, with the announced release details of the new Wii games system, by charging £179. I will state, before going further, that I will almost certainly still be buying the new system; however, this decision is the difference between me doing so happily and begrudgingly. I have been a videogame player since the mid to late 1970's, I have seen a lot of changes in that time, but the recent "progress" hasn't seemed to deserve that term; the Wii has changed that, to say the least, I have become bored and I was looking forward to seeing whether my excitement could be re-ignited.
Instead, this has dampened my enthusiasm, by deciding to just see us as a cash-cow once more. It's odd, I was under the impression Nintendo are supposedly following a new marketing strategy; Blue Ocean advocates charging only what is necessary, at product launch, not what you feel you can get away with.
So, let's see what Nintendo are trying to get away with, here. I will use the current exchange rates, as of time of writing.
Japanese Price:
I believe that Nintendo still have the policy of including sales tax (5%) in their quoted prices, which means that 25000¥ is 105% of the base price; this works out to 23810¥, when rounding up. Either way, I will compare the price using both of these.
25000¥ = GB£112.85 + VAT @ 17.5% = GB£132.60 a difference of GB£46.40
23810¥ = GB£107.45 + VAT @ 17.5% = GB£126.25 a difference of GB£52.75
USA Price:
Well, I at least know that USA prices are quoted without sales tax, so let's just work from the US$249.99 price.
US$249.99 = GB£133.26 + VAT @ 17.5% = GB£156.58 a difference of GB£22.42
Euro Price:
This is the baffling one, for me; Nintendo of Europe's recent history has shown a sensible € to GB£ conversion, usually choosing a "psychologically" rounded price, to find a price which seems reasonably close to the straight conversion, even if it means a slight loss on occassion.
€249 = GB£168.09 a difference of GB£10.91
Why on earth is the UK price not GB£169?
Australia Price:
I'm not sure if Nintendo include 10% GST in the quoted AU$399.99 price, after reading up the matter indications are that it should be, but I'll work on both possible values; the base value would be around AU$363.63
AU$399.99 = GB£160.20 + VAT @ 17.5% = GB£188.24 surprisingly, a difference of -£9.24
AU$363.63 = GB£145.82 + VAT @ 17.5% = GB£171.34 a difference of £7.66
Would someone, at Nintendo of Europe, care to explain the reasoning for charging more for the Wii in the UK than everywhere else in the world, barring the slight possibility of Australia?
Yours
Adam Gurney
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to express my disappointment with Nintendo of Europe's decision to price-gouge the UK market, with the announced release details of the new Wii games system, by charging £179. I will state, before going further, that I will almost certainly still be buying the new system; however, this decision is the difference between me doing so happily and begrudgingly. I have been a videogame player since the mid to late 1970's, I have seen a lot of changes in that time, but the recent "progress" hasn't seemed to deserve that term; the Wii has changed that, to say the least, I have become bored and I was looking forward to seeing whether my excitement could be re-ignited.
Instead, this has dampened my enthusiasm, by deciding to just see us as a cash-cow once more. It's odd, I was under the impression Nintendo are supposedly following a new marketing strategy; Blue Ocean advocates charging only what is necessary, at product launch, not what you feel you can get away with.
So, let's see what Nintendo are trying to get away with, here. I will use the current exchange rates, as of time of writing.
Japanese Price:
I believe that Nintendo still have the policy of including sales tax (5%) in their quoted prices, which means that 25000¥ is 105% of the base price; this works out to 23810¥, when rounding up. Either way, I will compare the price using both of these.
25000¥ = GB£112.85 + VAT @ 17.5% = GB£132.60 a difference of GB£46.40
23810¥ = GB£107.45 + VAT @ 17.5% = GB£126.25 a difference of GB£52.75
USA Price:
Well, I at least know that USA prices are quoted without sales tax, so let's just work from the US$249.99 price.
US$249.99 = GB£133.26 + VAT @ 17.5% = GB£156.58 a difference of GB£22.42
Euro Price:
This is the baffling one, for me; Nintendo of Europe's recent history has shown a sensible € to GB£ conversion, usually choosing a "psychologically" rounded price, to find a price which seems reasonably close to the straight conversion, even if it means a slight loss on occassion.
€249 = GB£168.09 a difference of GB£10.91
Why on earth is the UK price not GB£169?
Australia Price:
I'm not sure if Nintendo include 10% GST in the quoted AU$399.99 price, after reading up the matter indications are that it should be, but I'll work on both possible values; the base value would be around AU$363.63
AU$399.99 = GB£160.20 + VAT @ 17.5% = GB£188.24 surprisingly, a difference of -£9.24
AU$363.63 = GB£145.82 + VAT @ 17.5% = GB£171.34 a difference of £7.66
Would someone, at Nintendo of Europe, care to explain the reasoning for charging more for the Wii in the UK than everywhere else in the world, barring the slight possibility of Australia?
Yours
Adam Gurney
Codestorm reply:
Dear Customer, thank you for your e-mail.
I am sorry that you feel disappointed but Nintendo have no control over the amount of import duty that is imposed, the sales tax (VAT) that is imposed, the transport costs to get product here from Japan, the distribution costs to individual retailers or the amount of profit margin demanded by them. These have to be paid by someone and unfortunately it is the customer
Kind regards,
Your Nintendo Team
I am sorry that you feel disappointed but Nintendo have no control over the amount of import duty that is imposed, the sales tax (VAT) that is imposed, the transport costs to get product here from Japan, the distribution costs to individual retailers or the amount of profit margin demanded by them. These have to be paid by someone and unfortunately it is the customer
Kind regards,
Your Nintendo Team
My reply:
Hmmmm, I'm not quite seeing this.
You're asking £10 more for the system in the UK, when VAT equivalents in the rest of Europe range above and below the UK's 17.5%. The UK, as part of the EEU, surely follows the regulations that control unfair import duties above and beyond the rest of Europe, the whole idea is that it is a single trading market.
Are you also telling me that the retailers in Japan do not have distribution costs and profit margins to be met? I can accept the extra shipping costs to the UK, but have trouble seeing it being around £50 per unit, somehow. Under that economic model international trading would have ceased to exist before it even got started.
I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific with your details, with genuine examples, before I can believe your statements, I'm afraid.
Yours
Adam Gurney
You're asking £10 more for the system in the UK, when VAT equivalents in the rest of Europe range above and below the UK's 17.5%. The UK, as part of the EEU, surely follows the regulations that control unfair import duties above and beyond the rest of Europe, the whole idea is that it is a single trading market.
Are you also telling me that the retailers in Japan do not have distribution costs and profit margins to be met? I can accept the extra shipping costs to the UK, but have trouble seeing it being around £50 per unit, somehow. Under that economic model international trading would have ceased to exist before it even got started.
I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific with your details, with genuine examples, before I can believe your statements, I'm afraid.
Yours
Adam Gurney
(Slightly PO'ed) Codestorm reply:
Dear Customer, thank you for your e-mail.
The import duties cover the whole of Europe and this is why it is a European wide price. This is the price that has to be paid for bringing products in from outside of the EEC. The transport costs cover everything from source to retailer including warehousing, distribution and marketing within Europe itself. You make no reference to the profit margin demanded by retailers and this is higher in the UK than almost everywhere else but it has to be costed somewhere. As I am sure that you are aware, the VAT has to be paid on everything and the higher the original price the more the VAT goes up being a percentage of course.
I am sorry that you are unable to accept my statements at face value but I am not prepared to provide more detail or specifics in this matter. If this is unacceptable to you, then I apologise again but that is as far as I am going with this subject.
Kind regards,
Your Nintendo Team
The import duties cover the whole of Europe and this is why it is a European wide price. This is the price that has to be paid for bringing products in from outside of the EEC. The transport costs cover everything from source to retailer including warehousing, distribution and marketing within Europe itself. You make no reference to the profit margin demanded by retailers and this is higher in the UK than almost everywhere else but it has to be costed somewhere. As I am sure that you are aware, the VAT has to be paid on everything and the higher the original price the more the VAT goes up being a percentage of course.
I am sorry that you are unable to accept my statements at face value but I am not prepared to provide more detail or specifics in this matter. If this is unacceptable to you, then I apologise again but that is as far as I am going with this subject.
Kind regards,
Your Nintendo Team
My reply (unanswered, so far, unsurprisingly):
Actually, if you read my previous reply, I did at least allude to profit margins of Japanese retailers; I will bold them for you in this reply, so you can read it a little easier.
So, you are confirming, for me, that Nintendo are purposefully charging consumers more for buying the same product than the rest of the world, rather than take a small reduction in profit? I'm pretty sure that's what you have stated here and which is what I was wanting to know. I know Nintendo have a policy of making profit, unlike their competitors, on their hardware; I just wasn't aware they were ignoring their new business ideology to do so, thus risking the loss of support and the consumer mindset failing to perceive them as a possible mass market leader.
Oh well.
Yours
Adam Gurney
So, you are confirming, for me, that Nintendo are purposefully charging consumers more for buying the same product than the rest of the world, rather than take a small reduction in profit? I'm pretty sure that's what you have stated here and which is what I was wanting to know. I know Nintendo have a policy of making profit, unlike their competitors, on their hardware; I just wasn't aware they were ignoring their new business ideology to do so, thus risking the loss of support and the consumer mindset failing to perceive them as a possible mass market leader.
Oh well.
Yours
Adam Gurney
SCiARA 19 Sep 2006 08:45
37/37
hahahaha marvelous - i can see there faces when they 1st saw the email, all clever in there reply, then they get beasted
beautiful
beautiful