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Amazon [UK] blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
- Thread starter Kuni
- Start date
Linkstrikesback
Member
Seriously this. I'd sign up in an instant for 20% off, this just makes me more likley to shop elsewhere.
kuroneko0509
Member
oh wow this is really stupid
Yup. Worth noting for anyone building a PC that https://uk.pcpartpicker.com is fantastic at showing you the best prices for each component.
This is NOT how you get people to sign up to a service. You give them reasons to sign up for a service, not actually remove things they already had and put it behind an arbitrary paywall like this. This is quite scary. I generally like Amazon, always had good service and no issues personally, as much as their tax avoidance and poor working conditions (apparently) rub me up the wrong way. But this... this is pure twisted evil.
brokenbeans
Banned
So what else can we do to convince people to go fully digital...lets stop them from being able to buy certain games unless they have prime.
But now you can watch a pretty shitty selection of TV shows and movies with no option to opt out of it!!
Sony, MS and Nintendo would have to lower their UK prices to be as reasonable as online stores. Then probably find a way to shutdown TGC and Simply Games. I'm sure Sony could, I mean they were successful in their hit against Lik Sang for DARING to sell import PSPs.
pitcairn55
Member
This seems such a weird thing to do. Locking discounts behind Prime is one thing, but stopping people buying from you at regular price is ridiculous. And it makes me even less likely to get Prime because bollocks to 'em.
Yeah, that's insane. Imagine how much you'd have to buy to make it wortwhile.
Amazon have become incredibly greedy in recent years. I remember when they used to have the cheapest prices for games in the UK. This is just another example of their ridiculous anti-consumer policies on top of increasing the free delivery threshold to £20 and being less competitive on game prices. Thankfully, we have plenty of choice for online game purchases here now so we don't have to put up with this nonsense.
DrunkShogun
Member
Amazon must realise this will only push away sales. No one would purchase a prime account for video games when there are multiple alternatives.
clay_ghost
Member
Amazon US does this too. I hope I won't encounter this for games that I want.
Seriously. If I knew this was happening yesterday, it would have made me think twice despite really liking Now deliveries.
darkinstinct
...lacks reading comprehension.
Different countries, different prices. 50 Euro, 100 Dollar, 80 Pounds.
This is a new low in online retail, and a result of Amazon abusing their dominant position in the UK market. Retailer-exclusive DLC and bonuses were bad enough as is, gating things behind a paywall is pretty disgusting.
I know how cut-throat and scummy retail can get, I worked in that sector for 9 years, but this is not the way to push adoption for your biggest money maker (their subscription service). It should be an incentive not a requirement to subscribe.
I'll just be taking my custom elsewhere for my video games, thankfully the UK is pretty competitive on that front.
I know how cut-throat and scummy retail can get, I worked in that sector for 9 years, but this is not the way to push adoption for your biggest money maker (their subscription service). It should be an incentive not a requirement to subscribe.
I'll just be taking my custom elsewhere for my video games, thankfully the UK is pretty competitive on that front.
giancarlo123x
Banned
That's how you lose business. Lol.
Rinãã¨ã
Banned
Thats pretty shitty of them. Glad i dont use Amazon
Imagine the reaction if this was 20% off pre orders like the US. "OH SHIT" "TAKE MY MONEY" "FUCKING SUBSCRIBING NOW".
Instead, they did something to piss people off... Again. Amazon EU does this all the time.
It is new to us and it's not clickbaity, it's flat out fucking wrong. I don't give a shit if it was in other countries before, it doesn't stop it being incredibly shitty now.
Now if it was "Games such as Star Fox with a metascore of 72 are blocked from non-prime members", it would be a different conversation.
Instead, they did something to piss people off... Again. Amazon EU does this all the time.
It is new to us and it's not clickbaity, it's flat out fucking wrong. I don't give a shit if it was in other countries before, it doesn't stop it being incredibly shitty now.
Now if it was "Games such as Star Fox with a metascore of 72 are blocked from non-prime members", it would be a different conversation.
£80 = 100
No it isn't?
How is the headline click baity?, it's a perfect description of the issue.
How is it click baity when it's what they've done?
The only disingenuous thing about the title is that it's only video games. Seems to be specific items across the board.
I'm wondering if they possibly have a plan to get Amazon exclusive collector's editions for huge upcoming releases.
Imagine if the Call of Duty, Titanfall 2 or Destiny 2 collector's edition was behind this paywall. It wouldn't be a popular move but it just might work for them.
Imagine if the Call of Duty, Titanfall 2 or Destiny 2 collector's edition was behind this paywall. It wouldn't be a popular move but it just might work for them.
jediyoshi
Member
"Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games" is not a correct statement. There are vendors, fulfilled by amazon, eligible for Prime, and cheaper. They're right on the page.
Nit picking.
Wtf are you on about? The headline is fact.
Terrible decision Amazon.
you think this is bad,
You must remember that the ex toss pots from Top Gear; new show will launch next month on Prime I believe, you bet your bottom pound shilling and pence that they will push as much as they can to get people to have prime, and ths will all be used as tool to offer "value" to customers,
Look here all these games are for you to order only, thanks for having prime!!
Pay your UK taxes ya scummy fucks
You must remember that the ex toss pots from Top Gear; new show will launch next month on Prime I believe, you bet your bottom pound shilling and pence that they will push as much as they can to get people to have prime, and ths will all be used as tool to offer "value" to customers,
Look here all these games are for you to order only, thanks for having prime!!
Pay your UK taxes ya scummy fucks
jediyoshi
Member
You can go on Amazon and purchase this game, handled by Amazon, and get Prime benefits. Is that a mutually exclusive statement with that headline?
its been that for at least 2 years
Err, Amazon are blocking people from buying games from them unless you're a prime member.
We're not talking about third party sellers here.
jediyoshi
Member
They handle fulfillment, the stock is with them. You retain the same support and benefits. There's no distinction.
Englebert3rd
Unconfirmed Member
I don't shop much in Amazon and this makes me afraid of future purchases. I'll be honest and say that I'd steer away from them, also because of the practices they employ.
This is honestly a shitty thing to do. Prime is a premium service, but by doing what Amazon is doing means forcing the Premium service just to do what you should be able to do for free in first place, aka buy everything from the store.
This is also super-crappy for another reason: people from foreign countries can buy stuff on other Amazon (ie I'm in Italy and a lot of times I bought from Uk and FR because they had cheap prices compared to .It, even by adding shipping cost).
If you can't sell me a game because I'm not a Prime member and I'm in a foreign country, I can't take that game at all, because I doubt people will subscribe to Prime on a foreign Amazon store just to buy a single game in and there IF they find a good offer for it.
This is also super-crappy for another reason: people from foreign countries can buy stuff on other Amazon (ie I'm in Italy and a lot of times I bought from Uk and FR because they had cheap prices compared to .It, even by adding shipping cost).
If you can't sell me a game because I'm not a Prime member and I'm in a foreign country, I can't take that game at all, because I doubt people will subscribe to Prime on a foreign Amazon store just to buy a single game in and there IF they find a good offer for it.
AnthonypUK
Member
Exactly, as well as fucking non prime users on postage, as well as this blocking, means in my mind prime can fuck right off.
I cancelled prime in Feb because of the 20%, the postage thing made me wane and think to go back because of it...this has sent me the other way, i will not consider prime unless we get the US 20% off.
Impotaku
Member
I'd love to know why prime in the UK is £79 a year yet prime in Japan is only £24 a year that's a huge difference. Thankfully i don't buy domestic games so Amazon UK can't do shit to bother me. I'll start been more concerned when Japan follows suit but seeing as Japan is it's own entity compared to the rest of Amazon i'm not too worried.
Got to pay for all that extra business tax somehow.
Only a fraction of them. Many third-party sellers handle fulfillment themselves, and charge extra for delivery costs.
They only handle stock for vendors that are willing to use them for that. Not all the items affected are necessarily going to have vendors that have.
And even if they have, they're still third party vendors. It's pretty clear and not at all misleading that the topic is titled to reflect items actually sold by Amazon themselves. And it's a scummy move.
Impotaku
Member
I wouldn't be at all suprised, seems like everything over here is a rip off.
Great, Amazon aren't selling it still. It doesn't need to say "Only Amazon stock!", Amazon are still blocking their own sold stuff.
get2sammyb
Member
I always buy my games from Amazon, but if this is going to become a thing, I'll have to shop elsewhere.
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