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Post by randomcomments on Mar 21, 2019 22:34:32 GMT
Is that for overseas folks viewing the site? Cos I don’t see it myself. To be fair I’m not the person who does need to see it. I just hope that if they’re doing it geo-based it’s visible to everyone who needs to see it. On my browser it's kind of a dark brownish font atop the normal dark grey/blue background, so it's a bit hard to see. It's noticeable because it's bounced the page formatting slightly askew, but yeah...could be much clearer. Huh. I wonder if that's a difference in your screen's colour settings. It's very very red for me. The same or slightly more red than the Big Finish Logo, I think. I'm in the US, for those asking about the banner appearing in various regions.
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Post by coffeeaddict on Mar 21, 2019 22:35:05 GMT
It makes me wonder who wrote and approved the notice, as to me it would seem to be someone with no background in marketing or in public relations. Everyone who does business with companies in different countries is used to being hit with exchange rates, duties fees and crazy shipping fees, so I think it is safe to say for the most part price increases lead to grumbling and prioritizing purchases and not much else. BF needs to realize that there are ways to communicate these changes in a way which mitigates the backlash. I've done marketing and pr (heck, pr was a focus of my political science degree), BF's history in communicating policy changes would be great in class examples of how to do thing the wrong way. Funny you say that. The paragraph that's caught my attention in the notice: Feels like a pretty solid counterargument to the new pricing scheme, so I'm experiencing a non sequitur moving from the fourth to fifth paragraph. Might just be where I'm standing, though. The section you quote starts fine, but the third sentence should have been omitted, it is unnecessary and borders on insulting.
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Post by Digi on Mar 21, 2019 23:00:54 GMT
On my browser it's kind of a dark brownish font atop the normal dark grey/blue background, so it's a bit hard to see. It's noticeable because it's bounced the page formatting slightly askew, but yeah...could be much clearer. Huh. I wonder if that's a difference in your screen's colour settings. It's very very red for me. The same or slightly more red than the Big Finish Logo, I think. I'm in the US, for those asking about the banner appearing in various regions. I just realized--it's brown by default. It turns bright red when I hover my cursor over the link. So that's marginally better than I first thought. I'm in Canada, browsing on Chrome.
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Post by shallacatop on Mar 21, 2019 23:01:04 GMT
On the contrary: if I'm paying $20 while making $50k/year in a $50k/year median economy, and you're paying £20 while making £50k/year in a £50k/year median economy--I am absolutely not 'taking advantage' of Big Finish, and I am being unfairly screwed if the prices are suddenly jacked up to $40 for me and left unchanged for you. (I use the 'royal you' here, shallacatop, I absolutely do not mean to be accusatory or mean-spirited towards you and hope that you won't take it as such ) I think shallacatop's point though is that this is the way the pricing system should always have been and as such the pricing was wrong from inception hence you having saved. It's really not the way things work to give the importer a cheaper price based on their economy - you pay based on the seller's market not your country's circumstances. When I order something from overseas the only time my address comes into play is the shipping, not the price of the product itself. That should rightly be a flat rate at current exchange rates. It's the way the global retail economy works, not sure why BF thought they were exempt from it... As more than one person - quite a few - have said now, literally no other company does it the way BF have been. The new status quo brings them into line with any other retailer who ships internationally. I think the communication has been awful and the explanation poor but as Tuigirl says it's more bizarre that BF ever thought it was a good idea in the first place as a blind man could see some countries were getting much better, and thus others much worse, deals. As to the point elsewhere about will this save BF more money than they would lose through overseas customers now not buying or pre-ordering....you've got to think someone has punched the projections and thinks it will or they wouldn't do it. But then you'd think they'd have a better shipping system for overseas orders in 2019 and you'd think a primary school kid could see the flaw with 1:1 static exchange rates! That’s what I was trying to say, yeah. What Big Finish are implementing now is something that should have existed from day one, in line with every other business that operates. The rate is set based on the seller’s market and currency, with that price adjusted accordingly as per local exchange rates. I sympathise with those who are affected, and I’ve certainly not complained, nor have I ever begrudged anyone managing to get them much cheaper than what we get in the UK. Having said that, the figures quoted in this thread are startling; Main Range stories for just shy of £4 and boxsets for £11! That’s what is going into Big Finish’s bank account, whilst we pay £13 and £20, respectively. It’s the UK customers who are essentially footing the bill. It begs the question of, had a proper process been implemented in the first place, would we have gotten the price rises of sets in recent years? As for a loss of sales, time will tell, it always does. If the prices are roughly doubling, but sales are halved, then Big Finish are still making the same amount. However, it’ll also depend on the units sold as to whether these ranges survive. The way forward is to remove the per order charge, implement an international 10% discount over X amount and have country / region specific postage prices. Like any other company. Ultimately, the blame lies with Big Finish.
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
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Post by lidar2 on Mar 21, 2019 23:02:42 GMT
There are things BF can do to reduce exposure to fx rates (hedging strategies such as forward contracts) assuming their fx cash flows are reasonably consistent and predictable.
We produce an annual catalogue where I work with gbp and euro prices. We sell forward euros for the year so we can stand over our euro catalogue prices for the 12 months until the next cataloge comes out.
There are ways and means to manage it, they don't have to reprice at spot rate on a daily basis. They could have compromised and gone at a rate somewhere between the forward rate they can get and the 1:1 they have been using, which would get them a bit more money in without hitting their customers too hard and then held that rate for say 6 months. It's not hard to do.
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Post by bohnny on Mar 21, 2019 23:03:33 GMT
Unfortunately for me it will just mean I buy 50% less. I have a monthly budget and an ‘old persons spreadsheet’ (a month by month list on a piece of paper) that i map out about 6 months ahead. I’ll now rework this and lose the items that I buy out of completionism/loyalty but which are ‘non essential’ (3DAs, 1DAs, the recently announced Benny audiobooks etc). I’ll also be less inclined to take a chance on things that I’m unsure about like the BF originals.
I had also been buying main range DW downloads that I didn’t have because I’d bought the CD from a non BF source (about 20 between 51-100 that had still to get) which I’ll probably now never get.
First world probs obviously.
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Post by shallacatop on Mar 21, 2019 23:09:00 GMT
For what it’s worth, the 10% discount for orders over £50 for UK customers isn’t the magical offer it sounds. It’s not valid on pre-orders, subscriptions or bundles. I don’t think it’s used all that much, outside of stocking up on sale items; I don’t think I’ve ever used it. Essentially, it just allows you to get free postage or a free Short Trip.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Mar 21, 2019 23:10:26 GMT
Unfortunately for me it will just mean I buy 50% less. I have a monthly budget and an ‘old persons spreadsheet’ (a month by month list on a piece of paper) that i map out about 6 months ahead. I’ll now rework this and lose the items that I buy out of completionism/loyalty but which are ‘non essential’ (3DAs, 1DAs, the recently announced Benny audiobooks etc). I’ll also be less inclined to take a chance on things that I’m unsure about like the BF originals. I had also been buying main range DW downloads that I didn’t have because I’d bought the CD from a non BF source (about 20 between 51-100 that had still to get) which I’ll probably now never get. First world probs obviously. Big Finish Originals is a range I probably would have passed on at a much higher rate.
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Post by bohnny on Mar 21, 2019 23:21:54 GMT
Thinking about this some more, the other cost for me will be around pre-order pricing. I juggle my shopping list to make sure I get things before prices go up - there will now be a lot less scope for me to do this. Meaning of course that I will end up buying less again.
I guess sales will also only be half as attractive as they used to be too (not that I have tended to rely on sales up to this point - I’ve been able to avoid a backlog thru juggling orders).
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Post by project37 on Mar 21, 2019 23:28:34 GMT
I saw the banner earlier today and was preparing to pre-order nearly $100 USD worth of material as one last hurrah. However, the "Important Notice" banner is now gone (7:28pm EST on Thursday March 21st).
I remember when the downloads started years ago, it was to encourage US buyers like me to stop pirating because of the skyrocketing cost of the imported CDs. I know they're in a tough position, but I can't see how raising the prices for downloads will help on that front. I love the random weekend sales (and holiday sales) and have made a number of impulse buys when the download prices are kept low.
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Post by axelotl38 on Mar 21, 2019 23:28:34 GMT
So.....okay gonna be blunt: What's the big deal with Australian shipping? I hear people talking about it so much (with Australia being a big mention) and I honestly don't get what the issue is. I think the international shipping rates with Big Finish rate from "Standard" to "Better than many other sites, and a heckload better than Amazon ever was." So I've never had an issue, I've always thought the prices were very reasonable.
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Post by coffeeaddict on Mar 21, 2019 23:33:43 GMT
So.....okay gonna be blunt: What's the big deal with Australian shipping? I hear people talking about it so much (with Australia being a big mention) and I honestly don't get what the issue is. I think the international shipping rates with Big Finish rate from "Standard" to "Better than many other sites, and a heckload better than Amazon ever was." So I've never had an issue, I've always thought the prices were very reasonable. I don't know about the rates to Australia, but BF uses, or was using DHL for their shipping and not getting very good rates. Frankly, this stops me for order the physical copy of the few ranges where I wouldn't mind having the CD. I deal with a few U.K. based small companies and while they have high shipping rates, they are still charging less than BF - they ship via standard post.
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Post by Ela on Mar 21, 2019 23:37:02 GMT
Yeah, well, as you said, I could see that there was something wrong a while back and I am notorious for my bad handling of finances and am chronically broke... THAT is what has me worried for this and future endeavours...
BF have always known this problem exists too, it was raised a lot when the Per Order charge came in as part of the wider debate on the old forum. They chose to ignore it then, presumably because doing the Per Order charge and this DL change at the same time would have killed the international sales. I'm pretty sure the per order charge as it currently exists (and what I and I suspect others are talking about in this thread) was instituted after the official BF forum was closed. I remember an extensive discussion of it on this forum at the time, in 2016. Also, this page seems to indicate that it was initiated in 2016.
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Post by coffeeaddict on Mar 21, 2019 23:39:32 GMT
I saw the banner earlier today and was preparing to pre-order nearly $100 USD worth of material as one last hurrah. However, the "Important Notice" banner is now gone (7:28pm EST on Thursday March 21st). I remember when the downloads started years ago, it was to encourage US buyers like me to stop pirating because of the skyrocketing cost of the imported CDs. I know they're in a tough position, but I can't see how raising the prices for downloads will help on that front. I love the random weekend sales (and holiday sales) and have made a number of impulse buys when the download prices are kept low. The banner is still there. I double checked on another computer. In Safari you can hardly see it, in Firefox it is a huge red banner with white lettering.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2019 23:40:02 GMT
So.....okay gonna be blunt: What's the big deal with Australian shipping? I hear people talking about it so much (with Australia being a big mention) and I honestly don't get what the issue is. I think the international shipping rates with Big Finish rate from "Standard" to "Better than many other sites, and a heckload better than Amazon ever was." So I've never had an issue, I've always thought the prices were very reasonable. On top of the shipping rate is also an additional levy enforced by the government, which is non-negotiable. Basically, you pay the price of the product (fair), pay the price of shipping (can hurt, but we manage), then the levy on top of that. Per package and regardless of price. That's a fee, on top of a fee, on top of a fee. So, that aspect isn't Big Finish's fault. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But it does factor into overseas purchases quite substantially.
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Post by coffeeaddict on Mar 21, 2019 23:47:55 GMT
So.....okay gonna be blunt: What's the big deal with Australian shipping? I hear people talking about it so much (with Australia being a big mention) and I honestly don't get what the issue is. I think the international shipping rates with Big Finish rate from "Standard" to "Better than many other sites, and a heckload better than Amazon ever was." So I've never had an issue, I've always thought the prices were very reasonable. On top of the shipping rate is also an additional levy enforced by the government, which is non-negotiable. Basically, you pay the price of the product (fair), pay the price of shipping (can hurt, but we manage), then the levy on top of that. Per package and regardless of price. That's a fee, on top of a fee, on top of a fee. So, that aspect isn't Big Finish's fault. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But it does factor into overseas purchases quite substantially. Are you talking a customs duty charge? DHL (Fed EX does this too) often charges those on items which are exempt under trade agreements because most of us have no clue what should clear customs without extra fees. I've had lengthy discussions with Fed Ex for trying to bilk me for $30 on items which were duty free under NAFTA. Exemptions like this often have a dollar amount attached, so when companies over value items, you can get hit with duties when you really shouldn't. And trade agreement vary (sometimes drastically by country) so my example for North America may not resemble anything elsewhere in the world.
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Post by Digi on Mar 21, 2019 23:48:01 GMT
So.....okay gonna be blunt: What's the big deal with Australian shipping? I hear people talking about it so much (with Australia being a big mention) and I honestly don't get what the issue is. I think the international shipping rates with Big Finish rate from "Standard" to "Better than many other sites, and a heckload better than Amazon ever was." So I've never had an issue, I've always thought the prices were very reasonable. I don't know about the rates to Australia, but BF uses, or was using DHL for their shipping and not getting very good rates. Frankly, this stops me for order the physical copy of the few ranges where I wouldn't mind having the CD. I deal with a few U.K. based small companies and while they have high shipping rates, they are still charging less than BF - they ship via standard post. Yes. I'm in Canada, but same thing - for anything larger than a 4-disc boxset, they used DHL. I work in logistics - DHL is garbage. They're slow, finicky, cost a fortune, hit you up with unexpected charges, and almost without exception, damage your packages. They were almost singlehandedly the reason why I stopped ordering anything in bulk from Big Finish.
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Post by Ela on Mar 21, 2019 23:49:27 GMT
Must've happened a couple minutes ago, but the website now has a red banner leading to the notice. So, they're not trying to bury it at least. Still... It's not good news. It turns a single Monthly Release into a $52AUD purchase, not including tariffs and taxes, so any sort of physical media is well out now. That leaves the downloads. I can't jump right in before the price is raised because of how I'm paid, so there are a few orders/preorders which I'll just have to drop entirely. It pretty much curve-stomps plans I had to look into Ravenous.
No, the announcement has been linked on the website in that manner for hours. I commented on it 6 hours ago.
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Mar 21, 2019 23:51:47 GMT
So.....okay gonna be blunt: What's the big deal with Australian shipping? I hear people talking about it so much (with Australia being a big mention) and I honestly don't get what the issue is. I think the international shipping rates with Big Finish rate from "Standard" to "Better than many other sites, and a heckload better than Amazon ever was." So I've never had an issue, I've always thought the prices were very reasonable. On top of the shipping rate is also an additional levy enforced by the government, which is non-negotiable. Basically, you pay the price of the product (fair), pay the price of shipping (can hurt, but we manage), then the levy on top of that. Per package and regardless of price. That's a fee, on top of a fee, on top of a fee. So, that aspect isn't Big Finish's fault. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But it does factor into overseas purchases quite substantially. ^ this by Wolfie. Multiple charges. Like i keep saying, the spot weekend $ales don't really work for us Aussies. An extra AUS $11.94 per cd on top of the normal postage and handling charges. Double dipping :-(
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Post by coffeeaddict on Mar 21, 2019 23:52:26 GMT
Must've happened a couple minutes ago, but the website now has a red banner leading to the notice. So, they're not trying to bury it at least. Still... It's not good news. It turns a single Monthly Release into a $52AUD purchase, not including tariffs and taxes, so any sort of physical media is well out now. That leaves the downloads. I can't jump right in before the price is raised because of how I'm paid, so there are a few orders/preorders which I'll just have to drop entirely. It pretty much curve-stomps plans I had to look into Ravenous.
No, the announcement has been linked on the website in that manner for hours. I commented on it 6 hours ago.The look of the banner varies depending on the browser you are using. In Safari there is no red banner, it is a link which nearly blends in with the background of the site. In Firefox it is a huge red banner with white text.
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