Imbalance and unfair advantage

GroundedWisdom

In both cases, either fraudulently buying under a different zone, or having someone else make purchases for you, it would be a violation. While there may be grey area where VPNs are concerned, the latter is most definitely Account Sharing, and neither would be advisable from me.
The only real course of action is to approach your local legislation in some way, where you can voice your concerns on Digital Purchases.

ItsDamien

So after glancing at Kabams ToS (through my tired 4am eyes I might add), I don't see anything that says you can't purchase using a VPN. I know that using a VPN while playing under normal circumstances is fine, as I've asked this question in the past and also found an older post where Miike confirmed using a VPN is fine.

There might be something I missed in regards to Kabams ToS about purchasing with a VPN. But there might also be something under Google or Apples ToS that prevents it.

DNA3000

ItsDamien said:

So after glancing at Kabams ToS (through my tired 4am eyes I might add), I don't see anything that says you can't purchase using a VPN. I know that using a VPN while playing under normal circumstances is fine, as I've asked this question in the past and also found an older post where Miike confirmed using a VPN is fine.

There might be something I missed in regards to Kabams ToS about purchasing with a VPN. But there might also be something under Google or Apples ToS that prevents it.

Kabam's TOS is unlikely to say anything about this, because technically speaking they are forbidden from dictating how the app stores function, and this is an app store feature (where you purchase from). But this isn't as simple as paying in a different currency or even just using a VPN, and the process for doing this has some pitfalls that go beyond the scope of this thread. Suffice to say, whether it is strictly legal to do all the things necessary to make this work is a question I've never properly explored.

GroundedWisdom

ItsDamien said:

So after glancing at Kabams ToS (through my tired 4am eyes I might add), I don't see anything that says you can't purchase using a VPN. I know that using a VPN while playing under normal circumstances is fine, as I've asked this question in the past and also found an older post where Miike confirmed using a VPN is fine.

There might be something I missed in regards to Kabams ToS about purchasing with a VPN. But there might also be something under Google or Apples ToS that prevents it.

Purchasing is done specifically to your area because your State/Province/Region/Country (area) has its own policies concerning Taxes. While Kabam may not specifically prohibit it, since they don't actually have a claim to do so, the platforms would. How that would be applied and penalized is unclear to me. What I do know is it's not a legit way to make purchases. That's somewhat the point. The extra money charged isn't going to Kabam. It's going to the local government.

Rougeknight87

Try being in AUS, we pay more for everything digital or electronic. Top deal is $160 here, company’s like apple have been slaughtering us for years.
I’ve played other games where the price on Android is significantly lower then the price on IOS but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
Also I am aware that the minimum wage here is $16 an hour and standard of living is a lot higher then other places, basically middle class country so consumer prices are set a little higher.

DNA3000

Rougeknight87 said:

Try being in AUS, we pay more for everything digital or electronic. Top deal is $160 here, company’s like apple have been slaughtering us for years.

I know Australians going way back that used Adobe products. In comparison, Apple is a toddler.

Rougeknight87

Drooped2 said:

Rougeknight87 said:

Try being in AUS, we pay more for everything digital or electronic. Top deal is $160 here, company’s like apple have been slaughtering us for years.

The min wage for America is 7.25 dollars an hr

The Australian minimum wage rate is 17.70 Australian dollars per hour,

Our 7.25 is equal to around 10.50 to you.


I'm retired from work but just sayin

How much would you pay for a new I phone in the US? Just interested is all, generally looking at $1000 here

Rougeknight87

Drooped2 said:

Rougeknight87 said:

Drooped2 said:

Rougeknight87 said:

Try being in AUS, we pay more for everything digital or electronic. Top deal is $160 here, company’s like apple have been slaughtering us for years.

The min wage for America is 7.25 dollars an hr

The Australian minimum wage rate is 17.70 Australian dollars per hour,

Our 7.25 is equal to around 10.50 to you.


I'm retired from work but just sayin

How much would you pay for a new I phone in the US? Just interested is all, generally looking at $1000 here

Damn been a while since I bought one outright but just had a look and we are about $2200

ItsDamien

DNA3000 said:

ItsDamien said:

So after glancing at Kabams ToS (through my tired 4am eyes I might add), I don't see anything that says you can't purchase using a VPN. I know that using a VPN while playing under normal circumstances is fine, as I've asked this question in the past and also found an older post where Miike confirmed using a VPN is fine.

There might be something I missed in regards to Kabams ToS about purchasing with a VPN. But there might also be something under Google or Apples ToS that prevents it.

Kabam's TOS is unlikely to say anything about this, because technically speaking they are forbidden from dictating how the app stores function, and this is an app store feature (where you purchase from). But this isn't as simple as paying in a different currency or even just using a VPN, and the process for doing this has some pitfalls that go beyond the scope of this thread. Suffice to say, whether it is strictly legal to do all the things necessary to make this work is a question I've never properly explored.

GroundedWisdom said:

ItsDamien said:

So after glancing at Kabams ToS (through my tired 4am eyes I might add), I don't see anything that says you can't purchase using a VPN. I know that using a VPN while playing under normal circumstances is fine, as I've asked this question in the past and also found an older post where Miike confirmed using a VPN is fine.

There might be something I missed in regards to Kabams ToS about purchasing with a VPN. But there might also be something under Google or Apples ToS that prevents it.

Purchasing is done specifically to your area because your State/Province/Region/Country (area) has its own policies concerning Taxes. While Kabam may not specifically prohibit it, since they don't actually have a claim to do so, the platforms would. How that would be applied and penalized is unclear to me. What I do know is it's not a legit way to make purchases. That's somewhat the point. The extra money charged isn't going to Kabam. It's going to the local government.

Well I've also had a quick look through Google Plays terms of service and there's nothing there that prohibits the use of a VPN for payments either. Its such a weird thing, and even just trying to Google results isn't bringing up anything definitive on the legality of it either. I know that in the past I've bought things from the US using Dollars, even though I reside in the UK because it was half the price (this was back in 2005).

Even so, without some definitive answer I would still not even attempt to actually make a purchase using a different currency on my account in case I were to lose my account in some way.

Dexman1349

I knew players in a previous game I played a few years ago that used VPN's all the time for purchasing packs at cheaper prices. There were Line groups setup that would indicate the best country to use (typically in the middle east or Russia somewhere).

Here in NZ we're paying $150NZD, which today equates to $100.25 USD but does fluctuate by as much as $15 depending on exchange rates.

If you truly wanted "fair and balanced", you would have to fully eliminate the ability to spend real money on the game. 100% Free to play, in which case we would get an ad after every fight for Candy Crush or some other ****.

GroundedWisdom

ItsDamien said:

DNA3000 said:

ItsDamien said:

So after glancing at Kabams ToS (through my tired 4am eyes I might add), I don't see anything that says you can't purchase using a VPN. I know that using a VPN while playing under normal circumstances is fine, as I've asked this question in the past and also found an older post where Miike confirmed using a VPN is fine.

There might be something I missed in regards to Kabams ToS about purchasing with a VPN. But there might also be something under Google or Apples ToS that prevents it.

Kabam's TOS is unlikely to say anything about this, because technically speaking they are forbidden from dictating how the app stores function, and this is an app store feature (where you purchase from). But this isn't as simple as paying in a different currency or even just using a VPN, and the process for doing this has some pitfalls that go beyond the scope of this thread. Suffice to say, whether it is strictly legal to do all the things necessary to make this work is a question I've never properly explored.

GroundedWisdom said:

ItsDamien said:

So after glancing at Kabams ToS (through my tired 4am eyes I might add), I don't see anything that says you can't purchase using a VPN. I know that using a VPN while playing under normal circumstances is fine, as I've asked this question in the past and also found an older post where Miike confirmed using a VPN is fine.

There might be something I missed in regards to Kabams ToS about purchasing with a VPN. But there might also be something under Google or Apples ToS that prevents it.

Purchasing is done specifically to your area because your State/Province/Region/Country (area) has its own policies concerning Taxes. While Kabam may not specifically prohibit it, since they don't actually have a claim to do so, the platforms would. How that would be applied and penalized is unclear to me. What I do know is it's not a legit way to make purchases. That's somewhat the point. The extra money charged isn't going to Kabam. It's going to the local government.

Well I've also had a quick look through Google Plays terms of service and there's nothing there that prohibits the use of a VPN for payments either. Its such a weird thing, and even just trying to Google results isn't bringing up anything definitive on the legality of it either. I know that in the past I've bought things from the US using Dollars, even though I reside in the UK because it was half the price (this was back in 2005).

Even so, without some definitive answer I would still not even attempt to actually make a purchase using a different currency on my account in case I were to lose my account in some way.

I don't have the time to look through both TOS at the moment, but I have found a number of references where region exploitation has been nabbed, just by doing a Google Search. One such case involved Blizzard getting involved with Google Play. Apparently, the VPN exploitation is nothing new. Actually, it's been going on for at least 5 years, from what I've seen. Either way, it's risky business, and quite obviously not kosher. Lying about the region you're in to make cheaper purchases smacks of illegitimacy.

AshPika

Same in India- Odin's cost about ₹8000 or equal to 115$ USD

Lormif

Greekhit said:

“Because it doesn't work like that.

They set a price for a digital package. It's then adjusted.

It has nothing to do with anyone being from the US. It's simple fact. My god, some people and their victim complexes.”

First of all, learn not to offend peaople u don’t know because u feel threat.
Then, they can always attach the equivalent of 24% that is the difference in Units.
Again, do the game team wants a FAIR contest?

You started out offending people, you do not then get to act the victim. Second they are unable to do what you want, besides if you want fair talk to your government, they are the one charging the extra. Kabam is charging us both the same amount, your government is making them take the extra.

Lormif

ItsDamien said:

DNA3000 said:

Greekhit said:

So seems like the only solution can be personal. Use another person to purchase it for u, or a TOR to buy the offer in $. Now I start to understand people that already doing it.

As far as I'm aware, the only way to get US pricing is to buy through the US iTunes stores. A VPN could let you do that, but the legality of that is somewhat of a grey area. I cannot personally recommend it. In either case, the developer would have no control over this.

It's funny when I mentioned in another post recently about using a VPN to buy units and stating that it seems like a fast way to get banned, people disagreed with me. It just seems like you would get banned since its cutting into profits.

I won't lie, there have been times where I've considered trying this as the price difference between the UK and the US is relatively large. I haven't tried it because I wouldn't want the money that I've already put into the game to be completely lost if I were to get banned.

it doesnt actually cut into profits.

Kabam makes $100 - apple's share if it is sold in US or Sold in EU. The only difference is Apple/google would collect taxes for the wrong country. That would be the questionable legality of it.

Kobster84

Cliffordcan said:

Y’all EUers are paying Apple back for that 16.7 billion from Ireland’s taxes they had to pay. Maybe you should write your gov’t and tell them to stop suing these American tech companies. Once they do I’m sure prices will go down.

I’m pretty sure that’s because apple was paying 0 tax at all

DNA3000

Lormif said:

ItsDamien said:

DNA3000 said:

Greekhit said:

So seems like the only solution can be personal. Use another person to purchase it for u, or a TOR to buy the offer in $. Now I start to understand people that already doing it.

As far as I'm aware, the only way to get US pricing is to buy through the US iTunes stores. A VPN could let you do that, but the legality of that is somewhat of a grey area. I cannot personally recommend it. In either case, the developer would have no control over this.

It's funny when I mentioned in another post recently about using a VPN to buy units and stating that it seems like a fast way to get banned, people disagreed with me. It just seems like you would get banned since its cutting into profits.

I won't lie, there have been times where I've considered trying this as the price difference between the UK and the US is relatively large. I haven't tried it because I wouldn't want the money that I've already put into the game to be completely lost if I were to get banned.

it doesnt actually cut into profits.

Kabam makes $100 - apple's share if it is sold in US or Sold in EU. The only difference is Apple/google would collect taxes for the wrong country. That would be the questionable legality of it.

The app developer makes different amounts depending on region: see my post above showing the revenue table. But the difference tends to be small relative to the difference that the app stores themselves make. This has nothing to do directly with taxes and it isn't solely due to currency exchange.

The legality isn't purely mechanical - meaning it is most definitely *not* illegal to do this in general. For example, if I'm currently living in the US and I move to Finland, I can still continue to use the US iTunes store. In fact, I'd be forced to do so unless I changed territory in iTunes. That's perfectly legal. However, I can also choose to change to the Finnish iTunes store if I think that's more convenient. A lot of weird things will happen if I do, however, including the fact that many of my prior app purchases could disappear (or technically, not appear on the new store).

The legality question has more to do with whether there are any laws that would apply to someone claiming to be in a territory they are not. You'd need some local means of payment to be registered with Apple, and that might be problematic. Some territories themselves may have local laws that prohibit or restrict this.

Because you're dealing with both international transactions and individual local territory laws and regulations, I don't think anyone can just say off the top of their hat whether this would be legal or not in any particular situation. I do know neither Apple nor Google directly prohibit this, and app developers actually have no say in this at all.

The question of tax collection itself is an interesting one. Claiming to be in a territory with different tax laws than you're actually in could technically be illegal. But as I said, there are literally millions of iTunes and Google Play customers who find themselves in this situation through no real fault of their own because they literally moved somewhere else but found themselves bound to the original app store they signed up with. I doubt if any of those people would be prosecuted for willful tax evasion.

ItsDamien

Lormif said:

ItsDamien said:

DNA3000 said:

Greekhit said:

So seems like the only solution can be personal. Use another person to purchase it for u, or a TOR to buy the offer in $. Now I start to understand people that already doing it.

As far as I'm aware, the only way to get US pricing is to buy through the US iTunes stores. A VPN could let you do that, but the legality of that is somewhat of a grey area. I cannot personally recommend it. In either case, the developer would have no control over this.

It's funny when I mentioned in another post recently about using a VPN to buy units and stating that it seems like a fast way to get banned, people disagreed with me. It just seems like you would get banned since its cutting into profits.

I won't lie, there have been times where I've considered trying this as the price difference between the UK and the US is relatively large. I haven't tried it because I wouldn't want the money that I've already put into the game to be completely lost if I were to get banned.

it doesnt actually cut into profits.

Kabam makes $100 - apple's share if it is sold in US or Sold in EU. The only difference is Apple/google would collect taxes for the wrong country. That would be the questionable legality of it.

That's such an interesting thought. As I said I wouldn't want to risk doing something personally, even if the thought has at one point crossed my mind.

It really is a case of "suck it up buttercup" which is what I do anyway 😂