Why is the asset store always ripping me off with exchange rates?

I bought a lot of assets trough the asset store sales in the last half year and every time I feel ripped off.
Just today I wanted to buy Flow, it is priced at 35$ in the 24 hour sale.
When I try to buy it, Unity converts it to 33.25€.
A quick check in Google shows that 35$ are actually 26.90€.

Why can't I have real exchange rates and if that's not possible, why can't I pay in dollars through PayPal?
Another question, do these inflated prices get paid out to the developers, or are you just paying them 70% of 35$ in this example, even if I send you more money?

 

Denmark has 25% VAT (Mehrwertsteuer / Umsatzsteuer), when you pay in Euro the danish VAT will be added for citizens of the EU.

It ist very different in each country: In the US for example, residents of Texas must pay VAT if they buy in an online store located in Texas, while residents of other states don't need to pay the VAT. That's why in the USA the prices usually are shown excluding VAT.

BTW: As an EU-Citizen usually you don't need to pay VAT if you buy in an online store situated in an other EU-Country when you enter your sales tax identification number (Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer). I don't know if this is possible in the asset store also (I was to lazy to make an application for a sales tax identification number during the last years) but I think I saw it when buying Unity.

 

Edit: VIC20 is right, they use Denmark.
If they don't sort it out soon for us europeans, I won't buy anything from them anymore.
I paid the 25% extra on my Unity 3 and 4 license and even though I have a registered business I wasn't able to get it back until now.

Afaik it's also illegal in europe to advertise a dollar price without VAT and then give me a totally different price at checkout.

 

They use DENMARK (not Ireland) because Unity Technologies is originally an EU based company from Copenhagen, Denmark - they moved their HQ to San Francisco a few years ago… I guess because this somehow saved them taxes in their biggest market, or because of the much nicer weather ;-)

To be able to tax the german Mehrwertsteuer they would need to add an asset store for each country.

BTW: When you are mostly selling Apps on the Apple App Store you don't get any VAT from Apple and you don't have to pay any VAT/UST to the german tax office because those sales are "nicht steuerbar". I don't know how Android Stores works, possibly it is different there. This means when you don't be a "Kleingewerbe" you will be able to get your paid VAT back while you usually don't have to give the Finanzamt any UST except for those jobs where you have invoiced UST.

 

The asset store (in the Unity application) always shows me prices in Euro including VAT - I never see the prices listed in Dollar, maybe you just should change your settings?

 

Do what I did, create a new account for buying assets and list your address as somewhere in america. You get the assets at the USD price
Once the Assets are downloaded and you switch back to your original account, all assets downloaded from both accounts can be accessed in unity.

 

It's these sort of confessions that come back to haunt you later in life.

 

I guess you can blame the commies in the european union.

 

The U.S. has no VAT at all actually. Most states have a sales tax, but it's not VAT. A sales tax is applied only when something is sold, rather than at each stage of production.

--Eric

 

Just like VAT!

 

I don't think you understand...VAT is applied at each state of production. Sales tax is only applied at the end. So, not the same. (VAT stands for "value added tax", and applied whenever there is value added.)

--Eric

 

I'm currently making my first purchase on the asset store, Apex Path is priced on sale at $47.50 and when I press checkout the price is suddenly 50.49€. The Euro is worth more than the American dollar. I mean for gods sake put the VAT somewhere so I know what the extra money is going towards.

When an American checks out, do they have to pay GST on top of the listed price? In Europe it is very common to include all taxes in the price at the point of sale.

So it is unnerving to pay this fake-listed amount.

 

Yes, if your state has sales tax. Taxes, if applicable, are never included until right before you pay.

--Eric

 

You pay sales tax only if the company selling has a presence in your state. With unity having no presence in Missouri, I don't pay sales tax on the asset store

 

Technically you're supposed to pay use tax though.

--Eric

 

Super useful info in here, especially @VIC20, thanks a bunch!

 

The total VAT of the entire production is finally paid by the end customer. All companies get all the VAT they paid back from the tax authority and it does not raise the price for the customer in any way except for the final tax itself. Companies can count any VAT they have collected against the VAT they have paid. The difference has to be paid or is what they get back from the tax authorities. But at the very end the final PRIVATE individual has to pay the entire VAT.

No question, this is a system with total unnecessary steps which creates nothing but additional paperwork for zero effect when compared to a pure end customer sales tax. And it was misused a lot in the past because it offeres/offered a lot of opportunities to trick the system.

On the other hand when a sales tax means that companies have to pay the sales tax too (do they have to?) then I would prefer VAT because it would be better for the economy.

 

Sales tax laws vary by State. Some states don't charge it at all. For those that do, some entities never pay sales tax (like government agencies). In some States, non-profit groups, charities or educational institutions do not pay sales tax. In some states, specific categories of items are exempt from sales tax (medicine, food, and clothing are the most common). Items that are resold are usually exempt from sales taxes. Again, the circumstances will vary by State. States are free to modify this at well. Some have specific "Tax Free" days to stimulate spending (for example, when the new School year starts, etc. ). Sales tax is not charged to citizens of other States if the delivery of the merchandise occurs in a state that the seller does not have a presence in. This makes most internet shopping Tax Free for many Americans.

It's a complex nightmare, and I'm quite certain that money is not charged when it should be, or is charged when it should not be. And that's not even including that municipalities and counties can each charge their own sales taxes on top of the State sales tax (if one exists), and have their own exemptions.

 

Then it is somehow less „united" and more complex than inner-EU trade and basically the same thing as VAT because some goods also have reduced VAT or are even free of VAT (postal stamps for example). The newst rule here is that the VAT for online payments like Apps belongs to the customers state of residence.

 

I want to know I live in Canada I wish to purchase (world creator professional) it lists it at $189,00 and i don't know what that is going to be USD EURO in Canadian dollars if it is in the euro that means im going to pay $270.87 if that is the case you just lost a sale there is no way in hell im going to pay almost a hundred dollars more than the list price.

 

We pay sales tax if the company or a company's warehouse are in our state. However, sales tax is much lower than VAT, something like 5% give or take a few depending on the state.

VAT is 25%...but we don't have free daycare or free college either. I would happily change places.

 

That is in US dollars, so the exchange won't be too bad.

 

thank you for the reply, I hope your right, I really want to buy the world creator, but not for the euro exchange rate..... have a nice day

 

I have 1 more question since every one here seems to like to help
here is my question: can i keep adding money to my unity account lets say i wish to purchase several prepaid visa's and place it all in the account because i can only purchase cards with a limit of $250.00 maximum were i live world creator is about $255.00 with the USD exchange rate more than the limit i can purchase on one card.
...... thanks for your time

 

I'm not aware of the ability for it to split purchases across multiple cards, or for it to accumulate a balance. I recommend looking into a paypal account.

 

I know this is old, but yes Some of us Americans get taxed and taxed badly...worse than most countries.. Want to try some of our things we pay taxes for ?? and get nothing in return?? I pay 16 cents on each dollar for everything I BUY.... yet I live in a state that is one of the worst in the country, for everything.. small business's we get tax to hell

.Used to be one of the better ones..

 

19 cents on each EUR here, and this is a common average VAT in Europe, many countries want more. But it is always included (and shown) in the listing of the price for consumers – it is not allowed to just write something like “(+19% VAT)“ and to advertise the price without VAT. This is what Nathan means.

 

agreed... and more..

 

Be glad they do this....We get surprised every time we pay something... Then an example, if we go to get our car repair, they will say, 200 bucks, Plus taxes...Most have no idea what is taxes in some items since some stuff is taxed and some isn't so ...Most show up and say I thought it was 200 bucks...When the bill is like 275 bucks...due to taxes this is not the right amount just an example of the surprise I see a lot when I was an auto mechanic for 20 years..

So we get it after the repair, not before, so your stuck paying for it no matter what is my point..

 

Not only that, but if we sell stuff, we have to calculate it all for the seller on the spot. Some things are taxed, some things are not taxed. For example, food is not taxed. Hotel taxes can be huge. Also, you should have seen the exchange rate when we went to Italy a few years ago!

 

yup, there is alot, my last post was deleted, so I did include other stuff i'm sure there is a lot more, that I can't even mention.

 

I saw you post in my mails. You do know that VAT is just the last one on top of many much higher taxes here?
Every year the organization of taxpayers publish the date of the „Steuerzahlergedenktag“ (day when you work for your own pocket) – last year it was July 12th. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steuerzahlergedenktag

And do you know that you are forced to pay (fee and/or tax) for all those „free“ services?
Most ridiculous example is the 210,- EUR per year that you are forced to pay for the „free“ public TV even when you don’t have a TV, just because you have a household. People went to jail because they refused to pay it.

As a self employed, if you can’t afford to pay for your health insurance as a self employed, and ever want to get one later then you have to pay about 650 EUR (and add interrest and a penalty to it) for all those months that you have lived without one before – otherwise you won’t get one.

 

love to reply, but as I said my post was deleted for saying that very comment... since it was off topic.

your welcome to take it to PM.... No system is fair.... But as Teila said, we will switch you any day of the week.

 

Neat, taxes and politics! Sounds like an rpg.

I feel most people say their taxes are too damn high, but few really know what they actually pay or what they actually get for it. Like others from America would say: I'd gladly pay more taxes if it meant that I would get heath care when I'm sick, or that kids would get tuition feee higher education.

Either way, here's perhaps the best evidence for what we all actually pay: https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=REV

(The USA you may notice has lower taxes, by far, than most major countries as a percent of GDP, nearly half what Denmark takes in)

 

PS: Not worth, agruing, I live this I know what we have to pay... for taxes and in health care . I wish we only had to worry about Vat Tax,... Again trade others any day of the week, for VAT tax over having to pay what we do in education, Health, property , Business and more..

3.5 Million right now in medical bills want to TRADE?

 

And we have the fraction of the benefits that Denmark's taxes bring to its people. Denmark has the healthiest and the happiest people on earth, or so I have heard. We have high infant and mother mortality rates. Again, I would trade places.

 

Agreed... over and over again, I would pay taxes more and more it will still be less than paying what I have and lost due to our poor tax and health system..

Education, Health care , are 2 most important things in life, and you guys pay high taxes for it, we pay high taxes for what? Do some countries pay more than us, yes of course, but do the math, I would rather may 22% for an item, for a VAT, then have to pay 3.5 million or die because you can't afford to pay for a new heart..

 

America privatizes its taxes.