Why are JPN Xbox 360 games so expensive?

[apple arcade]

Play-Asia has been reliable and often is the cheapest. People say NCSX is good too but I've yet to use them. I don't mind if the prices they charge aren't exact conversions from the JP yen because without them, I probably wouldn't have access to a lot of these games.

[Mad Mage]

NCSX sent me a copy of Ikaruga with a cracked case and seemed rather uninterested when I emailed them about it. Though I guess that was like 10 years ago. At any rate, they've done nothing to show me any better service one might get for their higher prices.

[Ganelon]

NCS has shown me good service. First of all, all their games come shipped in boxes with an additional UPS bubble envelope. Second, they'll provide added touches like canceling your order if the pre-order bonus didn't make it, shipping you an extra copy on them if they forgot, and combining orders to save on shipping.

[E. Randy Dupre]

I second that. NCSX have always been great as far as the stuff I've ordered from them is concerned. One time ages back, got an email saying that they'd fucked up and didn't actually have the game I'd ordered in stock, but they did have an opened, played copy that was as good as new, and they could let me have it for a knocked-down price if I still wanted it. Most other places would simply have sent me the used copy and not said anything.

[MachineAres 1CC]

Like most people said, its because Japan produces so much fewer copies of anything in Japan because there's a huge amount less demand for everything there, given there's a much smaller population, smaller country and they have a much different industry standard especially from America's way of doing things. America produces a gigantic overstock of everything that could barely ever even sell all of the copies and just worries about liquidating them later, whereas Japan makes usually too few copies of things and then worries about having extra pressings later on to make up for demand. They're more active about seeing where the audiences' interests are and monitoring it. You pay premium prices for things because there literally are limited quantities.

Also if you're big into importing things besides shmups, you'll also notice that games that are niche games (like shmups, lesser-known RPGs, etc.) always cost more than more popular games that are going to have more quantities produced. All closely monitored supply and demand.

[Elixir]

Like most people said, its because Japan produces so much fewer copies of anything in Japan because there's a huge amount less demand for everything there, given there's a much smaller population, smaller country and they have a much different industry standard especially from America's way of doing things. America produces a gigantic overstock of everything that could barely ever even sell all of the copies and just worries about liquidating them later, whereas Japan makes usually too few copies of things and then worries about having extra pressings later on to make up for demand. They're more active about seeing where the audiences' interests are and monitoring it. You pay premium prices for things because there literally are limited quantities.

That doesn't make any sense. Some titles released in the US have been so low profile that people have had issues even preordering it; GameStops only getting 2-4 copies of Raiden IV as they don't think they'll even manage to sell them, some GameStops never receiving certain games due to a publisher's low print count, etc. Inside Japan, how do you explain FF13, Monster Hunter Tri, and other games which have had steep price drops in Japan because of mass production? It's because everyone buys the game, plays through it as fast as possible, and sells it back before the price falls to clearance level. Hell, I read of stores giving FF13 away with purchases of PS3 consoles.

I believe it's more like; shmups specifically are limited by distributor, and not by quality or popularity as evident by Daioujou and ESPGaluda being in stock for the past 5 years, yet Mushihimesama and Ibara, which are significantly inferior ports when compared, have been long sold out. Import sites like NCSX, Play-Asia and Yes-Asia will mark them up $10-20 USD above their Yen price because they know there's no language barrier and people will import regardless.

[GaijinPunch]

Indeed, that is a very nonsenical and unresearched look at it. For 360 titles I think it's fair to say that the print runs are lower, but in general that is not the case. Go look at a price index somewhere. Locally created products are almost always more expensive than foreign. Across the board. I wasn't being facetious.

[MachineAres 1CC]

Oh yeah, I forgot I was in the realm amongst the lords and all-knowing beings of the Earth, thanks for putting me back in my place, guys.

Unresearched my fucking ass, I've been buying import movies, CDs, and games from Japan for the last 12 years as a lot of people here surely have and have observed the differences between markets. You act like what I said is true for every single product that gets released in a country, and using very rare and obscure examples to try to prove otherwise (Raiden 4 in the US, etc.) Speaking in relative generalities isn't all-inclusive of every possible situation. These are trends, not regulations. You're trying to act like you have a counter-argument to what I said by basically supporting what I said. Like I said very clearly, more popular titles very quickly see price drops and mass production very quickly because demand is there and they know they'll get circulated. Usually when more pressings of an item are made in any country, the price is dropped as a new way of marketing.

Once again, I'm sorry for bringing researched ideas to the table at a forum where its clearly not accepted!

[SAM]

i get the feeling Play-asia possibly make a killing on the Asian versions of games. When i go on business to HK and i hit up the Wan Chai stores, the prices are insanely low for X360 stuff.

Yeah, games in HK are only like $30 new. Play Asia used to sell Asian 360 games for $40, but I guess they realized people would buy them for $50. Hell, some of the bigger Asian games are $60!

PA sucks now that they don't do free shipping to Japan!

FYI, Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi Extra at Wan Chai stores is selling at $62.