Why does Stardock charge US$5 above MSRP for GalCiv II?

From totalgamingNet it's 34.95 for download (5 tokens).

Yes, but how do you obtain tokens? Do you have to pay for a subscription?

I paid $40 Canadian at Futureshop. I might have considered a download, even if the price was higher, in order to get the game sooner but it was pretty available in store and I still prefer having something physical in my hands (to hug ).

I believe this has been answered elsewhere, but basically its to not undercut the stores. Keep the stores happy and they'll keep selling it for you. Let's not forget that Stardock wants to sell as many copies as possible (rightfully so! ) and not undercutting the stores is part of that.

Well I didnt know this until reading this. I do not apologize for being pissed. I am not a happy camper I paid more then I had to. I have never seen anything like this before usually you pay the same price going through the developer but they get to keep more of the money so I am always conscious of this fact. I am very dissapointed in this which only hurts you in the long run, since when I see the games at my local best buy now I will buy them as opposed to going home and buying through the developer. Thanks for educating me.

Yes, but how do you obtain tokens? Do you have to pay for a subscription?

There is no monthly subscription to TGN, but to the extent that buying tokens is a membership I suppose you could say that you do have to subscribe (or get a "membership" as they term it). All the tokens really are is a way to make you commit to buying stuff from there website, and for that they give you a discount depending on how many tokens you purchase.
(ex: buy 10 tokens for $70, then buy a 50 dollar game with 5 tokens, meaning you spent only 5 tokens*$7 = $35)

Bull. They could charge the same amount not more then the stores. thats ridiculous

I bought it online, if I would have bought it ina store it would have costs the EXACT same after adding in sales tax.

Actually the premise here is incorrect as the MSRP for Galactic Civilizations II is $44.95. It is the retailer's choice to sell it for a bit less (typically $39.95 in North America). If we were to match or undercut the retailers in price, they would simply opt not to carry as much of the game or not carry it at all (as they require price incentives to keep people buying software from them and not direct).

Hmm...for $5 less you can buy it at the store....let's see, it would cost me about 2.50 for a gallon of gas to get to the store and back; plus about an hour of my time....and my time is worth a heckuva lot more than 2.50/hr.

So, instead I bought online, paid a bit more, (but I could do productive work while waiting for the download to finish...I actually made money)....plus I paid a small aditional shipping fee and got the boxed set delivered right to my door by FedEx a few days later....

To each their own, but I see no reason to complain about a convenient service Stardock provides as an alternative for their clientele. After all, no one complains about paying outrageous prices at fast food restaurants or convenience stores compared to the more traditional, yet slower alternatives....time is money baby.

Relic did the same thing when they direct sold Homeworld. I picked it up for $39.95 through Best Buy while Relic was selling it for $49.95 direct.

Every time I've seen a company direct sell their product, they have charged more than I would pay at an EB Games or a Best Buy. Why? They had to sign agreements with those companies that they would sell for a certain price and never less so they weren't viewed as competing with the retailers.

Makes perfect sense; Wal Mart would never agree to purchase 10,000 units if they believed that they couldn't sell them. And they would know they would have a damn hard time selling them if you could buy them for cheaper through the developer.

Bullshit. They could charge the same amount not more then the stores. thats ridiculous

Well, if you actually read the reply before mouthing off, you would realise that on totalgaming.net they charge less, and as Yarlen said, it's the stores who are paying less, stardock are charging either the retail price (via site) or $10 less (via totalgaming)

Bargain at twice the price

I read all the replies, I didnt go to Totalgaming.net or whatever it is because like I said I try to use the developer always. If the stores are charging less that makes my point moot but if its the other way around and stardock is charging more then my point stands.

Mark sorry I went against your grain but i will mouth off as you say whenever I want kapesh?


Don't use profanity here - Moderator

Your point is utterly useless.

There is a sound reason to why they charged a NEGLIGIBLE amount more and it was all in the interests of distribution and exposure. Considering they allowed you to download the game AND have CDs sent to you if you wished, I think they were offering more of a service than your standard shopfront and can justify this.

It's your own fault for not shopping around. If you were really that strapped for finances, you would be both budgeting *and* checking competitive prices to find the best deal. You have no one to blame but yourself, so pull your head in and take it on the chin like a man.

Your above post just shows how childish you are, no wonder you didn't apply common sense in the first place.

Hilarious. Stardock isn't forcing anyone to buy their product on-line from them, and they aren't hiding that stores are charging less. In fact, if you go to their "Purchase" link near the top of the home page, then click the EB Games banner, you'll go directly to their page where it states the price is $39.99. So anyone can take an extra two seconds before they buy from Stardock, right from the comfort of their own chair and PC, and figure out what the price elsewhere is.

People have the right to buy it or not, and to shop around to find the best price they can. And all sellers have the right to charge what they think they can get for the product.

And what's more absurd is all this argument for a lousy $5. I think that the immediacy that one gets by having it delivered directly to one's PC is worth the extra $5 for people who like that sort of thing.

-HM

Am I the only one who lives in a place where they have sales tax??? If I went out and bought the game at Walmart it would cost me the exact same if I downloaded the game from stardock. Am I missing something. BTW Travoutlaw going into super dork rant mode doesn't do much for your credibility.

FYI, Travoutlaw, TotalGaming.Net is owned by Stardock. So buying it there is just as good for them as buying a product direct by other means.

Anyhow, as noted by various others (Including the TGN admin), Stardock is charging the MSRP of $44.95 and not a penny more. Most retail stores have chosen to sell it below MSRP on their own. In any case, as noted by Brad Wardell (Stardock's CEO) on multiple occasions, whichever way you want to buy it is best for them. Direct sales get them more money in the short-term, while retail sales cause retailers to reorder more in future shipments (meaning additional sales are more likely since the game will stay on the shelf longer and in greater numbers).

Stardock can't charge equal to or less than the retail price of their distributors and stores selling the game. Not only is this illegal in some territories (such as Australia) it also gives stores like EB absolutely no incentive to sell GalCiv2.

Buyer beware....It is up to the buyer to decide who and when he will purchase a game. If you make an assumption that direct from the publisher will be cheaper, and then find out later that you are wrong, you have no one to blame but yourself. Stardock sold the game to the retailers at "x" price. The retailers are free to charge what ever retail price they want. They are not bound by the MSRP. They can even choose to sell the game for less than they paid for it if they choose. Free market.

The publisher, if selling direct, agrees to sell the game at a set price, that the retailers know, and the publisher will never sell it for less than that agreed to amount, which is usually the MSRP. The retailers are free to put what ever price the market will bear on the product.

So whining about Stardock charging more for the game is pure hogwash, and shows just how immature the OP is.

Actually the premise here is incorrect as the MSRP for Galactic Civilizations II is $44.95. It is the retailer's choice to sell it for a bit less (typically $39.95 in North America). If we were to match or undercut the retailers in price, they would simply opt not to carry as much of the game or not carry it at all (as they require price incentives to keep people buying software from them and not direct).

I understand why Stardock is not matching retailers that discount the MSRP. However, there is a lot of confusion as to what is the MSRP. It has been reported in reviews that the MSRP is $39.95 and Brad/Frogbox has repeatedly referred to the price as $39.95 in posts and interviews. In this Mar. 29, 2006 post by Frogboy https://forums.galciv2.com/?ForumID=161&AID=110534, which appears on the home page, he qoutes a recent review:

Gamers looking for a good turn based strategy title will find a lot to like in Galactic Civilizations and the reduced MSRP of $39.99 also makes this game one of the best PC buys of the year.

without saying the review reported the wrong MSRP.

I think GalCiv II is a bargain at US$44.95 (given the quality and excellect support from Stardock), so I don't feel cheated. I'm trying to clear up the confusion. Others have pointed out that you can buy GalCiv II from TotalGaming.net for 5 tokens which cost $34.95. TotalGaming.net = Stardock, so Stardock is selling the game at two different prices.

If it makes people feel better, the version we sell direct is the Collector's Edition.

Actually, Frogboy calls it a "reduced MSRP" in that link, Mascrinthus, so Stardock has been consistent I believe. In other posts and interviews they probably forget the reduced part when they say MSRP.

I wouldn't say you can get the game for $34.95 via TGN. You get 10 tokens for $70 from TGN. And it's 5 tokens to get GC2, but you still have 5 tokens left over and let's be honest, TGN doesn't have many block-buster great games besides GC2.

Although, getting GC2 + ORB + Earth 2150 Trilogy + Disciples Ultimate Edition + 1 token left over or GC2 + Supreme Ruler 2010 + Earth 2150 Trilogy for $70 is a great deal. Wish I knew about it before I threw my money away buying from Stardock.

Wish I knew about it before I threw my money away buying from Stardock.

Stardock == TGN. It's just different ways to buy (I.e., one at a time, or lock in for multiple future purposes); IIRC if you buy GC2 on TGN without tokens, it still costs full price. Tokens just give you a discount for bulk-buying games.