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[YianGaruga]

Wait, so Europeans get to pay the taxes in the price of the product, and it's not even a guarantee that it'll go through customs without getting taxed a second time? That's not how it works! When I buy something from the USA I pay USA prices. And then get hit by customs (if over a certain amount). Amazon and eBay offer a service where you pay the taxes ahead of time, so you at least avoid the customs fees. I'm guessing Palmer does not know what he's talking about,

yeah I'm very confused what's going on here

 

[Innolis]

Wow...best of luck...

 

[Shenmue]

A company that wants to be the leading company for VR should be able to get into worldwide distribution.

It's too bad Facebook is just a tiny US company though. Hopefully one day they can become more than just a mom and pop organization.

 

[Bulgar]

I don't think there are enough PCs that can run VR games for this to be mass market anyway. It was always going to start off for enthusiasts until a full VR + PC combo can make it to mass market price combined.

I'd guess in 3-5 years, you'll be able to get VR w/ a machine that can run it for ~500

In 3-5 years this 1st gen units will be crap and the face of VR might be completely different. I was thinking most people will be into the idea of their smart phones becoming the VR tech as phones get better in those 3-5 years. Since I also believe most people are looking for mild and/or social VR experiences and not AAA game experiences.

 

[Seiru]

The product hasn't even launched and I can already smell the stench of Oculus elitism...

Gee, this gen is going to be so fun. I'm really glad that VR adopters are going to focus on what their platforms have in common instead of the differences...

Imagine being so insecure that you're offended by the true statement in that guy's post.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

Yes. Normally a company selling internationally sets prices including import taxes.

I think there are some crossed wires going on.

Palmer first says that EU pricing isn't a straight exchange rate conversion because it includes local sales taxes and customs charges etc. Clearly to me implying that the price in the oculus store is the only price you'll pay (£499, €699 plus shipping). No additional duty to be paid. This is also in line with previous devices sold by oculus. My DK1 didn't have any import duties to pay - they shipped them all into Europe in one go, then shipped individual orders out from there. So they were shipped from within the EU therefore no duties to be paid, they would have been cleared by oculus on the initial delivery from China to their European shipping hub.

That second tweet in response to someone shouting that it'll be €900-1000 is just a bad reply. He should have just calmly said that the guy was wrong and the pricing on the oculus store is o further tax to pay.

Ah that puts more light on it, didn't know all that thanks for the explanation. His response was certainly in bad form and not helpful at all.

 

[Zafir]

Wait, so Europeans get to pay the taxes in the price of the product, and it's not even a guarantee that it'll go through customs without getting taxed a second time? That's not how it works! When I buy something from the USA I pay USA prices. And then get hit by customs (if over a certain amount). Amazon and eBay offer a service where you pay the taxes ahead of time, so you at least avoid the customs fees. I'm guessing Palmer does not know what he's talking about,

I imagine they'll ship them out to a warehouse in Europe, pay all the customs there, and then forward on to people.

 

[Tabby]

This guy is kind of a dick, huh?

Yeaaaaaah that's me out.

 

[IvanJ]

Nah...

You forget that you already are paying VAT, that is usually the biggest part of those fees...

You are not already paying VAT, though.
Because if they ship from the US, and add the VAT upfront, EU customs don't give a damn and will charge you VAT + customs on the stated price.

US sellers have no.authority to charge VAT to EU customers, and should not do it.
OR stating they charge VAT is a straight up ripoff.

 

[darkinstinct]

So how is the $599 -> 699€ justified if it doesn't include EU VAT? Makes no sense

There are more things to consider when releasing in other countries. Localisation, support, warranty (two years in the EU instead of a couple of weeks in the US), getting required seals and tests, standard import fees, ...

 

[test_account]

Customs duty, at least in Canada, is usually the tax on what you spent (The cost of the product). So 13% in Canuckistan.

You're basically paying the tax you would have paid anyway.

I see. I've never used that term where i live in Europe at least. Only used VAT. Customs duty only applies if you import stuff on your own, at least from what i know. If a company set a price of X amount of euros or pounds, then VAT and customs duty should not apply unless if you import it yourself.

 

[baphomet]

Lol @ people expecting them to lose money due to your country's importing fees/taxes.

 

[Exile20]

I'm pretty sure those didn't aim mass market when they launched, that's the first difference

This is aimed at mass market? Where did he say so? Did you jus wake up? I have so many thread stating this is not mass market at this point.

 

[MiamiWesker]

Still no confirmation email, never got the confirmation screen, I see the order under orders with no info at all except name and address. This better have gone through and I better get April.

 

[DieH@rd]

What the actual fuck. First the product is more expensive in Europe ($600 + %20 tax != €700), next at that price shipping isn't even included (which is practically a standard in the Netherlands), and to top it off customs isn't even included.

This must be some major fuck-up mistake by Oculus.

It's just that they are not interested in being a worldwide company. They are US based, and they have no local presence, retail contacts or warehouse infrastructure outside of US. They support small selection of countries, and it looks like everyone outside of US is paying a hefty premium like those headsets are carried to them on Silk Road camel caravans that are regularly attacked by road brigands.

Terrible shame.

 

[CCS]

Definitely going PSVR, they can fuck right off for how they're treating European customers. An absolute disgrace.

 

[Starlightmuse]

They deserve not selling shit in Europe (I guess they don't want to anyway).

I can't even imagine how much will it cost here in Spain.

 

[Cleve]

I don't get why people are so upset about the "blame your country" response. I mean it's unprofessional, but accurate. It's an imported product, and it's being launched out of the US. Import taxes and exchange rates suck sometimes, but that's really not on Oculus. If you're concerned wait for when local distributors start carrying them. You'll still need to pay any applicable VAT or such.

 

[sun-drop]

lol at people expecting PSVR to cost the same ..sony have been transparent from day one ... PSVR will cost roughly what PS4 did at launch, MAX.

 

[Got the Shakes]

You need a $1500 dollar computer to run it, and people think that the pricing is a disaster because it's $600 instead of $500.

I built a PC in August for like $720 that will support the Rift just fine. I'm not planning on pick up a Rift at $600, but you certainly don't need a $1500 rig to use it.

On the US site, it says taxes aren't included in the price, on the UK site it doesn't say that. So I'm going to assume they'll sort out the customs before hand, and that's what the price hike is.

That twitter response is hilarious though. He apparently didn't realise that himself, and instead posted a passive aggressive response?



What normal people do you know that spends that much on a PC?

I don't know anyone who has spent that much on a PC in the UK(doing a direct conversion), and that's including the fact that UK tech prices are really ridiculous.

Anyone who has purchased an iMac or MacBook Pro has spent at least that much on a computer. Obviously not something that can use the Rift, but there is a least some group of normal people out there willing to spend that much on a computer.

 

[Walshicus]

Yeaaaaaah that's me out.

Why?

 

[Leafhopper]

I'm pretty sure those didn't aim mass market when they launched, that's the first difference

And this is aimed for mass market? They said it wasn't.

lol at people expecting PSVR to cost the same ..sony have been transparent from day one ... PSVR will cost roughly what PS4 did at launch, MAX.

...Where? lol PSVR has been kept closed as hell, especially about the price.

 

[Haint]

What are you guys smoking, lol. If its true that EU buyers will have to pay additional taxes, the EU store prices are a scam.

I mentioned a few pages back, but my guess is the prices reflect retail partner pairity. In other words they are marked up to the point your physical B&M's told Oculus they had to be to get demo stations and a physical retail presence. No one's going to buy in a store when it's $200 cheaper on Oculus.com, and no store would stock it.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Wait, so Europeans get to pay the taxes in the price of the product, and it's not even a guarantee that it'll go through customs without getting taxed a second time? That's not how it works! When I buy something from the USA I pay USA prices. And then get hit by customs (if over a certain amount). Amazon and eBay offer a service where you pay the taxes ahead of time, so you at least avoid the customs fees. I'm guessing Palmer does not know what he's talking about,

That eBay tactic is a scam and EU customs are going to collect import fees no matter what you gave eBay upfront. So you'll end up paying taxes two times. Not joking either. But thats kinda OT.

I mentioned a few pages back, but my guess is the prices reflect retail partner pairity. In other words they are marked up to the point your physical B&M's told Oculus they had to be to get demo stations and a physical retail presence. No one's going to buy in a store when it's $200 cheaper on Oculus.com, and no store would stock it.

The markup is justified, additional import fees are not. Its either or, not booth.

 

[-duskdoll-]

Yeah a bit too expensive for me. I'm interested in seeing people's reaction to this, and i'm sure Sony is taking notes.

 

[PeskyToaster]

Maybe I'll buy one, could be neat. I would have to get a new computer though but I was already planning on that.

 

[King_Moc]

It's just that they are not interested in being a worldwide company. They are US based, and they have no local presence, retail contacts or warehouse infrastructure outside of US. They support small selection of countries, and it looks like everyone outside of US is paying a hefty premium like those headsets are carried to them on Silk Road camel caravans that are regularly attacked by road brigands.

Terrible shame.

If only there was some sort of multi national parent company involved. Oh well.

 

[SentryDown]

This is aimed at mass market? Where did he say so?

The communication, the KS, the fact that they let so many people buy it to generate buzz,...

 

[Wanderer5]

Glad I not interested lol.

 

[Tyl3n0L85]

Neither was DVD, Blu ray players, HD tv, etc when they first launched. What did everyone really expect?

I also think 600$ is expensive but you're totally right about new technology entering the market.

When VHS was first introduced in 1975 it was 300$ (Betamax was about 1000$)

If you calculate inflation, 300$ in 1975 is 1200$ today. Rest is history.

I however think big Movies Giant have to jump in the bandwagon for VR to break the niche market.

 

[YianGaruga]

There are more things to consider when releasing in other countries. Localisation, support, warranty (two years in the EU instead of a couple of weeks in the US), getting required seals and tests, standard import fees, ...

You don't have to offer warranty if you're selling from US -> EU. And the import fees is what people will have to pay ON TOP of the price.

Lol @ people expecting them to lose money due to your country's importing fees/taxes.

Who is saying that?

 

[derfybzh]

So how is the $599 -> 699€ justified if it doesn't include EU VAT? Makes no sense

I was ready to pull 500 euros but

699 euros is like 750$
+Shipping cost of 50 euros
+ Import Cost equals to close to 22%

= 900 euros so 978 $

I think I can wait. Thx but no thx Palmer.

I like the euro package with an extra tube of lube.

 

[Movalpolos]

Still no confirmation email, never got the confirmation screen, I see the order under orders with no info at all except name and address. This better have gone through and I better get April.

You're most likely in May like me :/

 

[gundamkyoukai]

It's too bad Facebook is just a tiny US company though. Hopefully one day they can become more than just a mom and pop organization.

Facebook is a big company but don't confuse that with shipping and manufacturing ability.

 

[Cleve]

lol at people expecting PSVR to cost the same ..sony have been transparent from day one ... PSVR will cost roughly what PS4 did at launch, MAX.

What sony releases have you been reading? They haven't been transparent at all. They've said it's priced as a platform, not an accessory, that's it.

 

[Zack Zavage]

The revenge of Kaz!

I see what you did there.

No, seriously. I'll wait for a price drop.

 

[mrklaw]

I imagine they'll ship them out to a warehouse in Europe, pay all the customs there, and then forward on to people.

Yep. Between this and people worried that their perfectly capable CPU won't work with VR because a stupid app says so, people are just losing their shit, they need to pause, take a deep breath and calm down

 

[Tempy]

I imagine they'll ship them out to a warehouse in Europe, pay all the customs there, and then forward on to people.

I'd assume so. But Palmer's reply to the guy talking about getting hit by customs seems to suggest otherwise.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

It worked out great for Sony with PS3.

 

[PdotMichael]

It's too bad Facebook is just a tiny US company though. Hopefully one day they can become more than just a mom and pop organization.

What do you want to say?

 

[mekes]

So its a small scale launch for Oculus then? Living in the UK, the price once you put customs charges on top makes it flat out unreasonable for me. I'd thought the tax was included going by his stating they were, but seeing the tweet about blaming your country must mean we would have to pay a lot more than the website quotes to get a hold of one.

The price, either which way, its a little more than I'd like to pay. Its an early adopter price sure, but it will be interesting to see what the competition price their units at.

Hopefully, hopefully, PSVR wont have a launch like this. I'd like to buy it from within my own country.

 

[Ovek]

Wait a second after skimming the thread people are saying that Oculus aren't paying the EU/UK import duty/tax?

Why the fuck not? I though that's what there "approved" shipping country list was for?!?

What kind of bizarre amateur hour shit is this (if it's true)... sigh...

 

[FullMetalx117]

lol at people expecting PSVR to cost the same ..sony have been transparent from day one ... PSVR will cost roughly what PS4 did at launch, MAX.

I can't wait for the second job and $599 announcement

Spoiler

But yeah I actually doubt PSVR will cost more than $500

 

[civilstrife]

Man, that's straight up Adam Orth territory there.

Amazing when you think how much that tweet cost Microsoft.

 

[Faith]

Wait, wtf? I paid 741 Euro and will have to pay additionqal VAT? Like 20% more for Germany? So it will cost me around 1000$?

 

[IvanJ]

That eBay tactic is a scam and EU customs are going to collect import fees no matter what you gave eBay upfront. So you'll end up paying taxes two times. Not joking either.

Many people seem to not understand this, anyone outside EU claiming to charge VAT upfront is outright scamming you.

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

Imagine being so insecure that you're offended by the true statement in that guy's post.

Heh. The dude not-ironically quotes Mattrick and you're playing sensitivity police.

Ooookay friend.

 

[Shenmue]

If only there was some sort of multi national parent parent company involved. Oh well.

Facebook will get there some day. That Mark boy works really hard in his mother's basement everyday to make Facebook as good as it can be.

Facebook is a big company but don't confuse that with shipping and manufacturing ability.

Oh come on. I'm not saying they have to have distribution in every single place in the world. But the EU is most definitely their second biggest market after the US, so again, be real. I mean even Sony eventually started doing that manufacturing thing in Brazil to get the crazy prices down and Brazil's no Europe and Sony's no Facebook.

 

[Audioboxer]

Lol @ people expecting them to lose money due to your country's importing fees/taxes.

If they hike the price on the store for the EU saying it's for import then rightfully so no one expects further import charges on arrival.

No one is complaining about paying more on the storefront, but that there will be further costs you end up paying to your government when import is said to be the reason you paid more in the first place.

 

[Caayn]

Expect customs add another 100 to 200 euro's because that is customs in the netherlands.

That's not how it works.

You either pay customs or you pay taxes, not both. If Oculus charges more to cover the taxes (as is usual in the EU), you shouldn't need to pay customs as well. If Oculus charges "taxes" and you need to pay customs as well, those taxes you payed are going straight into Oculus' pocket.