Price presentation moan

[Ellis]

I wish Matrix would find a way of telling me, a Uk customer, their price up front and not shocking me when I get to the checkout with a 20% VAT addition.
I don't know any other game retailer who does that.
Given that I think the prices are high anyway (I'm not looking to argue about that though), the +20% tips the balance against the sale.

[Terminus]

Why would you assume that your order would be VAT free? It's not Matrix/Plimus' fault that you don't know your own country's VAT rate.

[7th Somersets]

Why would you assume that your order would be VAT free? It's not Matrix/Plimus' fault that you don't know your own country's VAT rate.

Probaby because, so far as I am aware, it is a legal requirement to show prices inclusive of tax in the UK.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAnd ... /DG_190918

[Terminus]

So? This store sells to other people besides UK residents, and the laws might not be the same...

[7th Somersets]

So? This store sells to other people besides UK residents, and the laws might not be the same...

From the Revenue and Customs site: "Products advertised in outlets, magazines, on the internet, or shown in catalogues, price lists and other literature may be aimed at the consumer, businesses, or both. If they're only meant for the general public, they'll show you a price including VAT. This is a legal requirement."

I think that you will find that, just as vat is chargable for products sold in the EU/UK even though the seller is not EU based and sells to other countries too, that you need to comply with the laws of the countries that sales are made in. VAT is chargable on products sold to customers in the UK because they are deemed to have been sold in the UK. For the same reason the prices should include VAT for products sold in the UK (and EU for that matter).

For those of us making purchases in the UK there is a separate shop anyway. It should be relatively easy to add the VAT to the price of the game as shown - and then break it down in the bill as would normally occur for sales with vat receipts in the UK.

For the same reasons, if I ran an internet company in the UK but say selling in the USA, I would need to comply with US sales laws and taxes. Just as I am always surprised by sales tax being added to prices for things I buy when I visit the US, people in the UK will be surprised if taxes are not included.

[parusski]

Your fault for living in the stupid VAT European Union. Or at least for letting your politicians shackle you with such an insidious tax.

[goodwoodrw]

A narrow minded approach, at the end of the day we all pay tax whether it is VAT GST income or sales tax, all honest earner and non earners pay tax one way or another. This board is getting so unfriendly. say something nice or just refrain from commenting if u can't.

[Josh]

How did this thread become political within five posts? LOL
 
Well anyways, the poster has a valid point. We as regular customers are used to the fact that the total sum is higher than the price mentioned early on, because of taxes and shipping and so on. It also means it can scare away  potential customers. Like he says; "...the +20% tips the balance against the sale...". And as the customer is always right, he may have a point.
Haven't got a clue as to what Matrix can do about it though... maybe state more explicitly early on that foreign customers pay more?

[Erik Rutins]

Hi Everyone,

First of all, I don't understand why people jumped on the original poster. Please dial it back a few notches. This question has come up before and it's a fact that folks in Europe are used to seeing VAT included in their prices. However, as we have one store and we cannot be 100% sure which country each customer is coming from, and the VAT rate is different by country and different for digital and physical products, we have to calculate it on the last step once we know where you are for certain. This is how it works with sales tax in the US as well.

We may have a solution for this in the future, but the prices exclude VAT right now.

Regards,

- Erik

[V22 Osprey]

This board has been getting a little nasty lately. everyone seems on edge. Something must be going on.

[06 Maestro]

ORIGINAL: V22 Osprey

This board has been getting a little nasty lately. everyone seems on edge. Something must be going on.

A possible answer; Confucius had a saying that ([;)]-really) that "People are to their government as grass is to the wind".

[parusski]

OOPS. I did not intend to put "stupid" in my post. I was trying to be sarcastic, not hateful. Sorry.

[7th Somersets]

And at the end of the day (however it is calculated) - you get to see the price. No-one makes you buy the game if you don't like it.

[SuluSea]

ORIGINAL: parusski

Your fault for living in the stupid VAT European Union. Or at least for letting your politicians shackle you with such an insidious tax.

LOL if you don't think this tax will be levied on the good citizens of the United States at some point in the not so distant future pass me what you're smoking. Our politicians never met a tax they didn't like.

[Obsolete]

Your fault for living in the stupid VAT European Union. Or at least for letting your politicians shackle you with such an insidious tax.

Ok, what countries are there that don't have some form of VAT? You may find all kinds of fancy names like Harmonized Sales Tax and so on... But the majority of countries have some sort of VAT, even if it's not called the VAT.

[ilovestrategy]

What is VAT? From what I've read is it some sort of sales tax?

[wodin]

VAT was brought in to fund the Napoleonic Wars...thought it would be paid off by now...

[Jeffrey H.]

Maybe as our government collapses, they'll tax us for each breath we take. Oh yeah, that's called "cap and trade". silly me.

[Obsolete]

VAT was brought in to fund the Napoleonic Wars...thought it would be paid off by now...

Well what a coincidence, it's just like how North America decided to introduce the Income Tax to fund the war effort in WW-I. Yet after the allies won the war, they suddenly decided to continue the tax-rape upon the people instead of removing it as promised. 

I guess people back then were still falling for lies from politicians. What a surprise...

[KG Erwin]

Ellis, I am sorry you are dismayed about taxes imposed by your government, but this isn't something that Matrix can do anything about. You should take these surcharges into account before you consider purchasing one of Matrix' products.