ccbill forces currency based on geoip?
 

I'm at a signup page and there seems to be no way to change the currency from AUD to anything else. Clicking on the flags just changes the language. I'm pretty sure you used to be able to select the currency too (or the flag changed currency as well as lang)

Is this so that people can't see they're being ripped by regional pricing?

I just realised the currency is in AUD ("$38.39(AUD) for 30 days then $38.39(AUD) recurring every 30 days*1") but the rebill disclaimer shows the pricing in USD... *1 $29.99(USD) for 30 days will rebill at $29.99(USD) recurring every 30 days until cancelled

Ironically this oversight clearly shows the discrepancy... $AUD38.39 is around $USD35, not $USD29.99.

Yep, you get owned for paying more.

You just found out about regional billing?

Read his message and not just the subject.

:) pay less then

I've known about regional billing for years, you think ccbill was the first to do it? :) I was suggesting that locking in the currency to the region may be a way to hide it. Unfortunately including rebill info in USD when the rest of the page uses AUD kind of confuses things (or alternatively, for a clued up surfer, makes them much clearer...)

nope it's been locked in since I stumbled across the rip off regional billing around 3 years ago.

Not to turn this into a regional billing gripe, but thsi shit is just one big scam and anyone using it should be ashamed.

Whenever it's brought up, people always tout the "big guys do it, like Apple, Dell, any frikken bricks and mortar international shit", whereas that shit does not fly in porn. You seem to forget that for those bricks and mortar guys, the US$ price is VAT exempt as you don't pay VAT cross-state, whereas their regional billing prices must include VAT, which is anywhere from 15-25%.

*that* is why regional billing prices seem higher, because of the included VAT.

And porn companies use it why again?

To make more $ and screw the end user.

Unless of course you are paying VAT in far-away lands.


/rant

I just hate it when someone uses GeoCurrency. It's always to the customers' disadvantage. Let customers choose for themselves!

So thats why everything costs 30-40% more in Europe compared to the US? Because of the VAT? Thats why a BMW costs $30k in the US and 30k euro in Europe? Because of VAT? Get your head out of your ass! Mainstream companies are ripping customers off just as adult companies, not only they charge different prices within different countries, they even charge different prices to different people. Its called demand-supply or economics, if you wish. The sooner you understand it, the sooner you can start making money, too. Just like all the others who make money instead of nonstop whining.


btw rowan, it looks fine to me. I can change currencies and see different prices for each. Weird.

I was on met-art's join page, got a sample you can link?

Here's what happens if I click the French flag...

$38.39(AUD) pour 30 jours, puis $38.39(AUD) facture tous les 30 jours*1

Still in AUD...

Tried katesplayground.com and this time the currency is in USD, and doesn't change with language.

met-art = regional billing enabled, katesplayground = no regional billing? Just a guess?

Do you even read what you write?
Well, $30k is not very far off €30k when you figure in vat at 20%. However, I cannot judge your statement since the BMW website doesn't give out prices. Also, I am talking about internet sales, that are not subject to VAT in the US (cross state).

So, they charge different prices to different countries huh? Ehm, is that cos of differences in VAT? And, in the absence of bartering or targeted marketing, I've never come across 1 guy paying a price for one thing, and another paying a different.

Its called economics??? Supply and demand I can understand, although that does NOT apply to regional billing for porn since there are no supply costs. That is pure greed and ripping off a market. The test of course would be to have regional billing on for 2 months (a rebill cycle) and RB off for 2 months and see how much each earns. Less cost = more customers = greater rebill chances. Just ask Ryanair about that economic business model.

And when did I become a none-stop whiner?

Maybe i'm completely off the wall here, but I think this is CCBILLs way of taking a piece of that exchange rate pie instead of it all going to the credit card company.

For instance, I charge my card in USD$ 29.99, CCBILL makes nothing and my credit card does the exchange back to Canadian with a fewee included, and I pay like $35.00 CDN or that's what I see on my statement.

Now i charge my card in $CDN, CCBILL does the exchange and makes the exchange rate plus membership, and my credit card doesn't make anything on the transaction, because it's in my own currency.

See, everyone gets sold on how it's making everyone more money.... but to be honest...the only one it's making money for.... is CCBILL.

And don't forget that the credit card exchange rates are more realistic then the payment processor ones! Paypal also has a hand of it, their rates always are worse for the customer then the actual one.

What I find funny is eg on met-art (as that was brought up), the $29.99 30 day membership is ?29.99 for Europe, yet the cross sale, which is $19.99 for 30 days recurring at $14.99 (gotten from view html source) is actually presented with proper $ conversion:
So they screw their members with bullshit regional billing, but apply fair currency conversion for x-sells. :1orglaugh

No, it doesn't have anything with VAT. Even if you check a shop like Ikea, they have different prices for the same products in each European country. You can even go to Ikea in one country and pay 200 for a table and go 50miles further away, to another country and pay 300 for the same table. Why? Supply demand. Until people are willing to pay more, companies will charge more, simple as that. If the shop would know there is a big demand for that table in the other country, they would even try to ask 400 or more for it. Until it sells.

And does anyone force the surfers to use regional billing? They see the price on the join page, if they think they are beeing ripped off, they don't have to join. Yet, they join just as without regional billing, so whats the problem? Why are you defending someone who doesn't want that? They don't care and you do?

Yeah, met-art is fucked up, but thats probably because they have a lot of custom set up and they are testing something, I didn't see it on other ccbill sites.

No - an example from ikea, using UK (17.5% vat), Italy (20%), and the US (0% for internet pricing).

Italy: ?349 (20% VAT = ?279 == ~$384)
http://www.ikea.com/it/it/catalog/products/90126571

UK: £299 (17.5% VAT = £247 == ~$374)
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30126569

US: $399 (0% VAT)
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50126573

Now, that is proper regional billing. Not saying the chair is $399 in the us, ?399 in europe and £400 in the UK, when VAT does not apply. :2 cents:

Giving the choice of join or don't join is pathetic. Why is regional billing locked in ie if I want to pay in $US, why not let me? What difference does it make to you (besides less cash)???

No, I can't because regional billing is locked and I don't care what you say whether met-art is experimenting with something or not, it has been locked in for a long time with CCBILL, Local Billing and every other regional billing supplyer for adult.

If you get the choice, it is *not* regional billing, but the much fairer currency conversion (although I think the billing in this case still goes through as $US - the conversion is just to show the surfer the cost in their currency).

It doesn't go for every product...thats how shady Ikea really is. :) I have seen real examples in "my" Ikea and another one in another country, even if its only 30 minutes by car from my house. Some items did cost twice as much here and some did cost much more in the other store. Shops don't give a fuck about their customers, they only want to make money, which is obvious, they were made to make money.

No, thats the only important thing. There are 100000 paysites in every niche, its not like the surfer doesn't have any to choose from, we aren't talking about monopoly. If we were talking about a monopoly economy, then it would be fucked up. But in a free market you can do whatever you want if you make it clear to the customer and he agrees. Its not like the regional billing thing is hidden, the surfer is charged what the join page says.