Why is it that most countries other than the US have the steelbooks?

[Robsonmonkey]

Originally Posted by MileHigh AI

except for that Piece of **** statue US got for InJustice...UK got way better and got a steelbook. there.

See thats what UK/Europe people like to call a "once in a blue moon" moment when it comes to collectors editions being better over here

[Robsonmonkey]

Originally Posted by Gannet

What's stopping you exactly? The $1.52 shipping?

http://www.zavvi.com/games/platforms.../10805734.html

Sometimes it's more about how much customs will be

I got the Last of Us Post Pandemic Edition and it was an extra £40 on top of what I had paid....£130 in total. I think I actually shed a tear

I remember when the LittlebigPlanet 2 CE only came to the US despite the developer MM being British based

[richieb1971]

The USA does not pay customs fees on entertainment. Only the UK seems to charge customs fee's on movie discs.

[mutron]

Through some of my direct work with Scanavo in Calgary, the answer isn't as convoluted as some people are making it: 90% of the time it simply comes down to cost. Scanavo go out and pitch their product to a lot of studios & retailers, but ultimately, they're still just the product manufacturer and facilitator. It really comes down to chains like Future Shop pitching the idea of a Steelbook exclusive from Studio X, licensing said release(s), and then of course selling through. On the flipside, sometimes Studio X will decide to do a one-off or entire wave of releases, and then choose who, if anyone, will get the exclusive. But in the case of chains like Future Shop, they're footing the entire bill. They have to do the licensing, the royalties, the manufacturing and all the shipping - everything. And they rarely, if ever, actually make profit on it. Break even, yes, but rarely anything above that.

Things have changed in recent years now that Scanavo are manufacturing G2 bluray cases in North America, but up until 2010-2011 ish, it was EXTREMELY expensive for any North American based retailer and/or studio to get Steelbooks made because they all had to be done overseas in Europe. This is why G1 cases stuck around for as long as they did - they were already being manufactured in the States, subsequently making them much more affordable.

Anyway, not so nutshelled - it's still cheaper overall for a lot of European outlets to go this route, and in the cases of Zavvi for example, they're in a bulk manufacturing discount contract, where they're just getting a better "deal" cost wise.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by mutron

Through some of my direct work with Scanavo in Calgary, the answer isn't as convoluted as some people are making it: 90% of the time it simply comes down to cost. Scanavo go out and pitch their product to a lot of studios & retailers, but ultimately, they're still just the product manufacturer and facilitator. It really comes down to chains like Future Shop pitching the idea of a Steelbook exclusive from Studio X, licensing said release(s), and then of course selling through. On the flipside, sometimes Studio X will decide to do a one-off or entire wave of releases, and then choose who, if anyone, will get the exclusive. But in the case of chains like Future Shop, they're footing the entire bill. They have to do the licensing, the royalties, the manufacturing and all the shipping - everything. And they rarely, if ever, actually make profit on it. Break even, yes, but rarely anything above that.

Things have changed in recent years now that Scanavo are manufacturing G2 bluray cases in North America, but up until 2010-2011 ish, it was EXTREMELY expensive for any North American based retailer and/or studio to get Steelbooks made because they all had to be done overseas in Europe. This is why G1 cases stuck around for as long as they did - they were already being manufactured in the States, subsequently making them much more affordable.

Anyway, not so nutshelled - it's still cheaper overall for a lot of European outlets to go this route, and in the cases of Zavvi for example, they're in a bulk manufacturing discount contract, where they're just getting a better "deal" cost wise.

Man... where were you a year or teo ago when I was telling people that exclusive steelbooks were mostly always funded by the retailer? So many people told me that I was and that the studios paid for everything.

[Gannet]

Originally Posted by Robsonmonkey

Sometimes it's more about how much customs will be

I got the Last of Us Post Pandemic Edition and it was an extra £40 on top of what I had paid....£130 in total. I think I actually shed a tear

Your country must really hate free trade, but like the guy above already said, the U.S. doesn't have duties on packaged media.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by Gannet

Your country must really hate free trade, but like the guy above already said, the U.S. doesn't have duties on packaged media.

Well... technically... packaged media worth less than $100 in a single package. If you have over $100 in USD value coming across the border in North America, the customs office is highly more likely going to take notice of it and consider duty taxes. Anything less than $100 and it isn't worth the paperwork involved with charging you duty.

[Smigro]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

Well... technically... packaged media worth less than $100 in a single package. If you have over $100 in USD value coming across the border in North America, the customs office is highly more likely going to take notice of it and consider duty taxes. Anything less than $100 and it isn't worth the paperwork involved with charging you duty.

I heard it was $300 for the US. A few months ago I received about $200 worth of steelbooks in one package and did not see any fees.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by Smigro

I heard it was $300 for the US. A few months ago I received about $200 worth of steelbooks in one package and did not see any fees.

Like I said, as soon as it is over $100 it is MORE LIKELY to be noticed by customs and tagged for duty taxes. I'm not saying that there is a set amount that makes a definitive "crossing the line" guarantee. Obviously, once you cross $100, the higher you go above that the more likely you'll get hit. Sometimes they slip through though. It all depends on the customs agent and whatever quota that they have to meet for that month.

[richieb1971]

Well in most cases the media value isn't noted on the outside of the package. Therefore even if $1m worth of media was in it nobody would take any notice.

The only company I have a problem with is Amazon.jp because they use DHL (into the UK) and note the value on the packet. I imported into the USA for 6 years and NEVER got hit on customs fee's. You have some of the most relaxed rules ever.