The cost of living is much higher in the UK. Petrol, for instance, and housing.
Why should fonts be different?
It is not a cost of living issue... The price of FF Scala (single weight) is 40 euros also for Italy and other Euro-Zone countries. FontFont have a pricing policy based on the equation 1 Euro = 1 Dollar. In fact the euro is much stronger against the dollar (check www.xe.com) so European FontFont customer pay more for the same stuff ):
In my opinion their pricing policy is not fair.
What if a European customer buy online directly from FontFont US?
There is nothing unfair about selling a product for a different amount in different markets.
It is a marketing strategy — take it or leave it.
The fact is, fonts are underpriced in the US market, which is why FontFont has to cut its prices to participate there. This is not news, but has been happening since before e-commerce.
>it is not a cost of living issue
Of course it is. Otherwise known as standard of living. Companies set product prices for particular countries based on what the local conditions are. They charge what they think the market will bear.
For instance, Quark XPress wil cost you £700 in the UK, $1000 in the US.
Obviously, graphic designers make a lot more money in the UK than they do in the US!
Paul, make it three: I agree with Nick that “contextual” pricing is normal, even healthy. Although I think cost-of-living is only one factor at play here, another big one being Keeping Things Simple, like in not having a different price for every single country/state/village. That said, piss off an honest person enough and he’ll just “find” the fond instead of buying it...
Actually, someone making 50k (in US dollars) in the US, would have to make about 37k in the UK. According to this site.
But then again, according to that site, 50k in New York is about equal to 25.5K in Idaho. Though fonts cost the same both places. So I’d have to agree with the orginal post that it isn’t fair. That being said, I agree with hrant that they’re probably just trying to keep it simple.
Does FF sell through MyFonts? Europeans can buy fonts at MyFonts for cheap, can’t they? Just have your credit card billed in dollars—nothing else is an option with them, is it?
__ www.typeoff.de
Unfortunately FF fonts cannot be bought at MyFonts.com: “MyFonts is not yet authorized to sell this font directly.” I am also very disappointed by the FontShop pricing policy. I wanted to spent some money buying some FF fonts last year but I decided not to do so.
They answered my angry email: “you are right that the price difference is quite a lot at the moment due to the US exchange rate to Euro. But I hope you understand that we cannot change our prices every time the exchange rates differ. So since the official currency in Europe is Euro, european customers are charged in Euro.” But official currency in my country is not Euro...
I decided to ask my friend in the US to buy the fonts for me. FontShop allows this: “...he is able to enter a ’licensee’ name which can differ from his own, resp. from the adress of the person/company who pays for the fonts. Then you are the official licensee of the fonts.”
Software vendors (let’s say Adobe) usually sell the same product (let’s say Photoshop) at different prices in different countries but the software they sell in Italy, France, etc. is localized (translated in Italian, French). Instead fonts are a universal product; there is no need for traslation or other adaptments (we are not speaking of CE, turkish or baltic version). FontFont should sell their fonts from a unique web site at a unique price automatically translated in Euros, Dollars, etc.
I can confirm that cost of living is not a valid explication of FontFont pricing policy. Fonts cost the same (40 euros) in all European countries (UK, France, Italy, Greece, Albany, Bulgary, Poland, Ungary, Spain, etc.) Of course most European countries have a cost of living lower than US, where fonts sell for 40 dollars.
FontFont is a private firm: they can sell their fonts at whatever price they like. However, considering current exchange rates, they are not playing fair with European customers.
If FontFont want to keep it simple, they sould quote their price only in dollars (as for oil): when a customer buy a font from Europe the credit card company will translate the amount from dollars to euros at current exchange rates.
Other companies, such as amazon, sell the same product at different prices in different countries via separate firms (amazon.co.uk, amazon.de, etc.) but please don’t forget: the customer is free to choose where to buy. Most European customers are currently buying books directly from amazon.com (not from their European satellites) since buying goods priced in dollars is very cheap at the moment. With FontFont Europeans are forced to buy in Euros...
> most European countries have a cost of living lower than US
Ah, but what if you restrict it to people who actually
buy fonts? Maybe FontFont is leveraging the fact that
a font customer in Europe has more money than one
in the US? Or at least is willing to spend more of it on
fonts, if he’s the type to buy fonts in the first place.
most European countries have a cost of living lower than US
Ah, but what if you restrict it to people who actually
buy fonts?
Cost of living is an index related to the cost of goods and services in a certain country or city. It is not related to a particular category of people.
However I don’t think FontFont pricing choices are so complex. They want keep it simple: 1 dollar = 1 euro —> 40 dollars = 40 euros. Unfortunately international currency markets have a different opinion... and European customers are paying the price.
Of course if the dollar will get stronger against the euros in the next future American customers will be penalized.
My solution is more simple and fair: a unique price in dollar wordwide . Let the credit card companies convert the price in euros, pounds, yens, etc. according to exchange rates at the time of purchase.
> It is not related to a particular category of people.
But my point of course is that FontFont’s clientele is.
> My solution is more simple and fair
I’m not sure, since it penalizes poorer people [too]. I don’t think Simple and Fair go together very well. And most of all, any solution has to make sense to the seller first.
I would guess that implementing a system that actively adjusted prices based on currency fluctuations would be cost prohibitive.
Does anyone recall what pricing was like several years ago when the dollar was in a more favorable position to other money systems? It may have been the inverse of what we see now.
I own a German car (a Eurovan) that was discontinued in the US because the dollar has fallen and it’s no longer profitable for VW to sell it here. For me, it means prices for parts are steadily climbing... Does Volkswagen have something against Americans? No, of course not. It’s purely about economics, which often suck for different people in different parts of the world.
I’m not defending the price discrepancy... just saying that it doesn’t surprise me given the way currencies fluctuate. Best thing to do is contact FontFont and let them know you don’t like it.
Come on, a lot of the things being discussed here are not comparable. Pricing always reflects the market it’s intended for.
In countries where a dollar equals a day’s wages, commodities will have lower prices than in the US or Europe. Luxury items in these countries, though, are a different story. There is a small market for them, cost of support, marketing etc. is high, hence luxury goods will be more expensive!
As for the European market: it can not be compared to the USA (and Canada). It is not one market, in the sense that marketing has to be done in a lot of different languages, localisation (not only language but also ways of distribution) adds to cost, and so on. For one FontShop in Northern America there are SEVERAL in Europe!
The point can be made that fonts are more of a commodity in the States (“5000 fonts for $50 !”) and more of a luxury item in the rest of the world. And that’s reflected in the pricing.
Who's Online:
There are currently 18 users and 108 guests online.
User login
New to Typophile? Accounts are free, and easy to set up.
31.May.2005 8.53am
I noticed the price difference as well, but nearly double ( ? ) aint exactly true..
( 40.00 EUR are currently approximately 49.38 USD.. )
31.May.2005 9.05am
The cost of living is much higher in the UK. Petrol, for instance, and housing.
Why should fonts be different?
31.May.2005 10.17am
The cost of living is much higher in the UK. Petrol, for instance, and housing.
Why should fonts be different?
It is not a cost of living issue... The price of FF Scala (single weight) is 40 euros also for Italy and other Euro-Zone countries. FontFont have a pricing policy based on the equation 1 Euro = 1 Dollar. In fact the euro is much stronger against the dollar (check www.xe.com) so European FontFont customer pay more for the same stuff ):
In my opinion their pricing policy is not fair.
What if a European customer buy online directly from FontFont US?
31.May.2005 12.19pm
Does the price include VAT?
31.May.2005 2.29pm
If you try and buy through Phils fonts, they cancel the transaction and email you asking to buy it through fontfont.
As fontfont are not playing fair, I have taken my business elsewhere.
31.May.2005 3.48pm
>in my opinion their pricing policy is not fair.
There is nothing unfair about selling a product for a different amount in different markets.
It is a marketing strategy — take it or leave it.
The fact is, fonts are underpriced in the US market, which is why FontFont has to cut its prices to participate there. This is not news, but has been happening since before e-commerce.
>it is not a cost of living issue
Of course it is. Otherwise known as standard of living. Companies set product prices for particular countries based on what the local conditions are. They charge what they think the market will bear.
For instance, Quark XPress wil cost you £700 in the UK, $1000 in the US.
Obviously, graphic designers make a lot more money in the UK than they do in the US!
31.May.2005 4.01pm
Paul, make it three: I agree with Nick that “contextual” pricing is normal, even healthy. Although I think cost-of-living is only one factor at play here, another big one being Keeping Things Simple, like in not having a different price for every single country/state/village. That said, piss off an honest person enough and he’ll just “find” the fond instead of buying it...
hhp
31.May.2005 5.32pm
There is quite a range in “standard” retail font prices from different foundries, even in the US. Veer’s Umbrella brand sells single fonts for $49.
Multiple licences vary hugely from foundry to foundry — FontFont is very favorable in that respect.
31.May.2005 5.58pm
Actually, someone making 50k (in US dollars) in the US, would have to make about 37k in the UK. According to this site.
But then again, according to that site, 50k in New York is about equal to 25.5K in Idaho. Though fonts cost the same both places. So I’d have to agree with the orginal post that it isn’t fair. That being said, I agree with hrant that they’re probably just trying to keep it simple.
1.Jun.2005 3.20am
Does FF sell through MyFonts? Europeans can buy fonts at MyFonts for cheap, can’t they? Just have your credit card billed in dollars—nothing else is an option with them, is it?
__
www.typeoff.de
1.Jun.2005 5.40am
Unfortunately FF fonts cannot be bought at MyFonts.com: “MyFonts is not yet authorized to sell this font directly.” I am also very disappointed by the FontShop pricing policy. I wanted to spent some money buying some FF fonts last year but I decided not to do so.
They answered my angry email: “you are right that the price difference is quite a lot at the moment due to the US exchange rate to Euro. But I hope you understand that we cannot change our prices every time the exchange rates differ. So since the official currency in Europe is Euro, european customers are charged in Euro.” But official currency in my country is not Euro...
I decided to ask my friend in the US to buy the fonts for me. FontShop allows this: “...he is able to enter a ’licensee’ name which can differ from his own, resp. from the adress of the person/company who pays for the fonts. Then you are the official licensee of the fonts.”
1.Jun.2005 5.47am
Software vendors (let’s say Adobe) usually sell the same product (let’s say Photoshop) at different prices in different countries but the software they sell in Italy, France, etc. is localized (translated in Italian, French). Instead fonts are a universal product; there is no need for traslation or other adaptments (we are not speaking of CE, turkish or baltic version). FontFont should sell their fonts from a unique web site at a unique price automatically translated in Euros, Dollars, etc.
I can confirm that cost of living is not a valid explication of FontFont pricing policy. Fonts cost the same (40 euros) in all European countries (UK, France, Italy, Greece, Albany, Bulgary, Poland, Ungary, Spain, etc.) Of course most European countries have a cost of living lower than US, where fonts sell for 40 dollars.
FontFont is a private firm: they can sell their fonts at whatever price they like. However, considering current exchange rates, they are not playing fair with European customers.
1.Jun.2005 6.22am
If FontFont want to keep it simple, they sould quote their price only in dollars (as for oil): when a customer buy a font from Europe the credit card company will translate the amount from dollars to euros at current exchange rates.
Other companies, such as amazon, sell the same product at different prices in different countries via separate firms (amazon.co.uk, amazon.de, etc.) but please don’t forget: the customer is free to choose where to buy. Most European customers are currently buying books directly from amazon.com (not from their European satellites) since buying goods priced in dollars is very cheap at the moment. With FontFont Europeans are forced to buy in Euros...
1.Jun.2005 6.27am
Does the price include VAT or not? I believe it does, and if so, that would certainly explain the difference.
1.Jun.2005 7.52am
> most European countries have a cost of living lower than US
Ah, but what if you restrict it to people who actually
buy fonts? Maybe FontFont is leveraging the fact that
a font customer in Europe has more money than one
in the US? Or at least is willing to spend more of it on
fonts, if he’s the type to buy fonts in the first place.
hhp
1.Jun.2005 8.39am
most European countries have a cost of living lower than US
Ah, but what if you restrict it to people who actually
buy fonts?
Cost of living is an index related to the cost of goods and services in a certain country or city. It is not related to a particular category of people.
However I don’t think FontFont pricing choices are so complex. They want keep it simple: 1 dollar = 1 euro —> 40 dollars = 40 euros. Unfortunately international currency markets have a different opinion... and European customers are paying the price.
Of course if the dollar will get stronger against the euros in the next future American customers will be penalized.
My solution is more simple and fair: a unique price in dollar wordwide . Let the credit card companies convert the price in euros, pounds, yens, etc. according to exchange rates at the time of purchase.
1.Jun.2005 9.35am
> It is not related to a particular category of people.
But my point of course is that FontFont’s clientele is.
> My solution is more simple and fair
I’m not sure, since it penalizes poorer people [too]. I don’t think Simple and Fair go together very well. And most of all, any solution has to make sense to the seller first.
hhp
1.Jun.2005 12.25pm
I would guess that implementing a system that actively adjusted prices based on currency fluctuations would be cost prohibitive.
Does anyone recall what pricing was like several years ago when the dollar was in a more favorable position to other money systems? It may have been the inverse of what we see now.
4.Jun.2005 5.51pm
I own a German car (a Eurovan) that was discontinued in the US because the dollar has fallen and it’s no longer profitable for VW to sell it here. For me, it means prices for parts are steadily climbing... Does Volkswagen have something against Americans? No, of course not. It’s purely about economics, which often suck for different people in different parts of the world.
I’m not defending the price discrepancy... just saying that it doesn’t surprise me given the way currencies fluctuate. Best thing to do is contact FontFont and let them know you don’t like it.
5.Jun.2005 6.22am
Come on, a lot of the things being discussed here are not comparable. Pricing always reflects the market it’s intended for.
In countries where a dollar equals a day’s wages, commodities will have lower prices than in the US or Europe. Luxury items in these countries, though, are a different story. There is a small market for them, cost of support, marketing etc. is high, hence luxury goods will be more expensive!
As for the European market: it can not be compared to the USA (and Canada). It is not one market, in the sense that marketing has to be done in a lot of different languages, localisation (not only language but also ways of distribution) adds to cost, and so on. For one FontShop in Northern America there are SEVERAL in Europe!
The point can be made that fonts are more of a commodity in the States (“5000 fonts for $50 !”) and more of a luxury item in the rest of the world. And that’s reflected in the pricing.