Help me out here

[Marcus Wolfe]

All of the contests for PC Gamer only apply to Americans.

 

Unfair?

 

or

 

Necessary Evil?

[bluekatt]

only unfair if its an international magazine if its a north america based one then you can hardly complain

[Tamujiin]

Hmmm if your canadian unfair, if your from europe, no biggy, better contests over there anyway. But you have to think of Trans- Atlantic mail and what it would cost you just to enter the contest. personally though i really dont care as most of those contests are gonna be won by people who know how to rig em, so i dont enter them.

[Marcus Wolfe]

I live in Canada, so I view it as unfair.

 

I probably won't win, but do I not get the chance to try?

[Vagrant0]

Contests are done like that for legal issues. Should any problem occur because of the entry, or the prize, it's easier to solve. And depending on the prize, less expensive (a prize which is a trip to E3 would be more expensive if flying out of another country, and would require the winner to have a valid passport (among other things)). And their main market is in the US, and may not actually have offices in other countries, so they really don't care what you think.

[Marcus Wolfe]

Ah....now I see.

 

All the prizes are usually high end computers, do they probably do it to save mail costs. Of course, this doesn't mean it's fair, it just means theres a justification behind it. Seriously, I don't see us getting too far with this 'GLOBAL VILLAGE' thing when you refuse a contest to someone in a bordering country (even though they're already buying your product) because of a simple mail fee. (Now, if it was transatlantic, I would understand)

[LokiHades]

I'd have to agree with Vangrant here. The tendency in contests is that its expensive enough to buy the prize, the shipment (if you're in that country), taxes, etc, but shipping overseas (as they pay for the shipment) no matter how close its ridiculous in pricing and even more so due to customs and other legal matters.

 

Trust me, I've been there before, getting my computer airmailed from the Philippines to Singapore, but when I went there (post office place), the guy suggestion I'd not do it. One because I'll have to pay for the shipment, two because I'd have to deal with customs, and three because of the taxation imposed on sending it is ridiculous (the guy even agreed!).

 

I found those points to be valid enough, but I still do think the contest situation isn't technically fair. Canada isn't far from the Northern states (I've been many times), and I understand trans-Atlantic, but border-line should be fine...

 

But you know how governments are, I mean, they've even recently banned the buying of fuel from gas stations within 50 km of the Singapore perimeter in Malaysia (this was outrageous, because one of the best ways to get over to a big business area in Malaysia called Johor Bahru is by car), because they Singapore government didn't want people paying cheaper prices for petrol.

The businesses in Johor Bahru (Gas Stations, Malls, Restaurants) have a large number of Singaporean Customers (ranging from 30%-60% of their customers), and with this recent ban, they foresee plummets in sales and earnings.

In other words, people who would regularly go to JB (like this one guy who goes 8 times a month) have cut down their trips (the same man cut his trips from 8 to 1 trip a month). All because of the government and their regional laws.

 

Anyway you get my point, the government will find any legal way (through taxation+customs, etc) to make people pay for shipping goods to other countries, and frankly, I don't think anyone (who isn't desperate) would want that to happen, yeah?

[MalachiDelacot]

All of the contests for PC Gamer only apply to Americans.

 

Unfair?

 

or

 

Necessary Evil?

 

I live in the US and not only is it unfair, it totally blows.

Have been getting the magazine since about the end of it's first year, and it sure has gone downhill the past three years. Waited until the last minute to renew.