International (Boardgaming) Trade
I got an email from Days of Wonder this morning advising me of a special offer they have going at the moment. If I spend US$50 at the Days of Wonder online store, I can get Cargo Noir, which normally sells for US$50, for free. Also, they suggested a few games that could be bought to get to that US$50 mark, including Ticket To Ride Asia.
Fair enough, I thought, I've been looking at getting Ticket To Ride Asia anyway. It's an expansion rather than a full game, so I knew it wouldn't be enough to get to that US$50 mark, but maybe there was something else I could get at the same time. I wouldn't buy Cargo Noir, but if it was a freebie on top of stuff I wanted anyway, I could do business with the Days of Wonder online store for that, if the prices are otherwise competitive.
So, I have just checked out the store. TTR Asia is US$30 (and a couple of dollars more in Australian stores). The Ticket To Ride Dice Expansion isn't really my thing, but I think I'd get some use out of it when various friends who like dice more than me are in attendance and want to play a different TTR game. That's US$20 (and a couple of dollars more in Australian stores). Together, exactly the US$50 I'd need to spend to get the free game. Sounds good.
Until I get to three-quarters of the way through checkout. That's when it shows me the one and only shipping option, costing US$50.51.
Yeah, no. If I took the offer, I'd save a little bit on what I'd pay for the same three items in an Australian store, but half of what I'd pay here would be for a game I don't actually want. Heck, I don't even have a lot of motivation for the TTR Dice Expansion. If I just order what I really want from Milsims, I'll save two thirds the cost of that special order.