Guild Wars 2

Is it safe to pre-order from amazon?

Im Confused i can purchase HOT on amazon for 28 quid ? is it legit ? its being sold by koch international on amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guild-Wars-Heart-Thorns-Purchase/dp/B010023XAQ/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1434863898&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=guild+wars+2+heart+of+thornes

No it aint only anet is selling hot at this moment.

It’s only $5 cheaper than buying directly. I’d be cautious.

Decrypter.1785:

Im Confused i can purchase HOT on amazon for 28 quid ? is it legit ? its being sold by koch international on amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guild-Wars-Heart-Thorns-Purchase/dp/B010023XAQ/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1434863898&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=guild+wars+2+heart+of+thornes

its says pre order, not pre purchase

Linken.6345:

No it aint only anet is selling hot at this moment.

The strange thing is… I see it available for pre-order in lots of stores. Well respected ones at that, not shady internet sites. The largest hardware stores in Sweden are all selling it and state its HoT expansion only, the cheapest going for around €35.

None are selling deluxe/ultimate though.

I would love to have an Anet reply on this because its kind of important.

http://www.amazon.de/Guild-Wars-Heart-Thorns-Vorverkaufsbox/dp/B00SN5JM6W

Looks like the official date for pre-purchase from (online) stores will be on the 23.

Sooner than expected, so maybe there will be some better deals than what ANet offers straight from their store.

The offer comes directly from NCsoft, so it is legit.

Seems to be a marketplace seller, right?

In the UK the marketplace sellers are horrific. half of my orders don’t get dispatched, even though the companies claim to have dispatched them, and I end up having a fight to get my money back.

On the basis of how untrustworthy marketplace sellers are in the UK, I would suggest you give them a wide berth….but maybe they’re more regulated in other countries.

Dawdler.8521:

The strange thing is… I see it available for pre-order in lots of stores. Well respected ones at that, not shady internet sites. The largest hardware stores in Sweden are all selling it and state its HoT expansion only, the cheapest going for around €35.

Is this because it’s an ArenaNet website deal that if you buy the HoT expansion as a new player you get the core game for free? I don’t know for sure…. but it seems like it could be an explanation. Digital versions elsewhere may be expansion only and people should be wary of that if the product description is not as you might expect.

ArenaNet breaking their wall of silence really could help, but maybe I should give them the benefit of the doubt as it has been the weekend.

pre order and purchase are two different things

Rai.9625:

pre order and purchase are two different things

My link is an actual pre-purchase, from the 23. you can actually play GW2, and you own the expansion.

It is actually the same deal as the pre-purchase offered by ANet.

I think it is safe to say, that pre-purchase in general will start on tuesday from third-party sellers.

Kaiyanwan.8521:

Rai.9625:

pre order and purchase are two different things

My link is an actual pre-purchase, from the 23. you can actually play GW2, and you own the expansion.

It is actually the same deal as the pre-purchase offered by ANet.

I think it is safe to say, that pre-purchase in general will start on tuesday from third-party sellers.

Yeah this would seem about right. ANet get a weeks head start on the rest, to get the can not waits. While the 3rd party’s get the ones wanting a deal/price drop. After all they will all be competing for sales at that point. And you want to make sales that don’t destroy your bottom line. Id expect to see anything from a £/$/€ 5-10 difference between the ANet store price and the 3rd party price. Wonder if they will get the deluxe edition. I think the Ultimate with be an ANet only option.

The link i provided is pre purchase but from 23rd of june , its also $10 cheaper , im just curious how they can off it for cheaper ? im hoping anet can explain later

Decrypter.1785:

The link i provided is pre purchase but from 23rd of june , its also $10 cheaper , im just curious how they can off it for cheaper ? im hoping anet can explain later

It is just how it works. A product you want to sell over a third party has to be cheap enough for the third party to make enough profit to actually want to sell it.

Third party sellers will probably buy GW2:HoT for roughly 1/3 of the retail price, which will give them enough room to sell it for a cheaper prize.

I’ll just quote myself on this from yesterday:

Kaiyanwan.8521:

This is my way of protest for ANets expansion-gate.

I will buy the “expansion” or whatever you want to call it – twice. But I wont pre-purchase it.

There are several reasons for this, but the biggest of them is that I think that ANet got greedy. Therefore not pre-purchasing the game from their store will result in the smallest amount of money they will get from me (unless I wouldn’t buy it at all).

Let me explain:
If you pre-purchase GW2:HoT directly from ANet, they will earn $50 minus taxes (before NCsoft’s share). That is actually what I really like to do for companies I support, financing them directly. I would have done so, if the whole expansion-gate had never happened.
Now if you buy the game from a retailer, the profit for ANet is at max 1/3 of the recommended retail price. That’s just how it works. So by buying a physical or digital copy in a store I will cut ANet’s profit by 2/3.
The funny thing is, that I will have to pay less for the game (around 1/3) from a retailer, as they tend to offer sales at release so more people will buy it in their store (I expect GW2:HoT will be sold as low as $35), which will result in a win/win situation for me.

Sorry ANet. Nowadays it becomes fairly common to treat existing customers worse than new ones (like new contracts being cheaper in the first 24 monthes and stuff) but I am not going to accept that from you.

I will vote with my wallet – and still enjoy GW2:HoT.

Thank you.

Decrypter.1785:

The link i provided is pre purchase but from 23rd of june , its also $10 cheaper , im just curious how they can off it for cheaper ? im hoping anet can explain later

Oh, I can explain that for you. This is basically valid for ALL products sold by a retailer.

When producers hand things over to retailers, they aim at reaching a wider public, people who may never have even heard of the product before. The producers tend to give an advisory price, including a certain profit margin, but generally, the retailer is free to accept a lower profit margin and sell at a lower price (for possibly more sales). The producer, on the other hand, is generally bound to keep selling at the advisory price.

If you consider that the profit margins calculated into the advisory price can – depending on the product – run up to 80% of the total (or even more), that leaves retailers a lot of wriggle room for price stunts.

And then, of course, there’s also the old trick of stepping up to a producer, saying ‘I have pre-sold 1000 of your product, how about you give me a nicer price’.

It was ever thus. Guild Wars 2 preorder back in 2012 was £49.99 on the official website but £35 from amazon themselves before launch.

If you buy HoT from the official site don’t complain when you see it cheaper elsewhere because it’s 99% certain this will happen again. (edit: 100% since the OP listing is real)

http://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/product/B007YZ5B0I

Chris Cleary.8017:

Hey all,

Heart of Thorns is currently only available offically to purchase through our purchase site and in-game through the gem store. There have been a number of 3rd Party websites/services offereing Heart of Thorns for sale, and many of them are currently not officially authorized to do so.

These sites are most likely getting their keys through fraudulent practices, which means there is a VERY high chance that if you purchase from these websites that the key will be disabled shortly after. This will result in your account being closed for fraud, and Customer Service will require that you purchase HoT though legitimate means before you can access your account again.

For your account’s sake, please be careful when purchasing your HoT key through a non officially authorized 3rd party.

To clarify:
The only way to officially Pre-Purchase right now is through the official GW2 website, or in-game. This does not cover Pre-Ordering, which may exist on a number of reputable resellers. Pre-Purchase and Pre-Order are different.

https://www.guildwars2.com/retailers/
Here you can find a list of authorized retailers

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/Buying-HoT-through-a-3rd-Party-Careful/first#post5175830

NCsoft is selling it on amazon.de, not a fraudulent practice involved for sure.

Technically it is a pre-order till tuesday, but than it is a pre-purchase working the same way as ANet’s offer.

Kaiyanwan.8521:

NCsoft is selling it on amazon.de, not a fraudulent practice involved for sure.

Technically it is a pre-order till tuesday, but than it is a pre-purchase working the same way as ANet’s offer.

not at all. it is a preorder no matter what, according to chris. The ONLY way to officially prepurchase (not preorder ready for release, entirely different thing) is to buy via the website/in game

rapthorne.7345:

Kaiyanwan.8521:

NCsoft is selling it on amazon.de, not a fraudulent practice involved for sure.

Technically it is a pre-order till tuesday, but than it is a pre-purchase working the same way as ANet’s offer.

not at all. it is a preorder no matter what, according to chris. The ONLY way to officially prepurchase (not preorder ready for release, entirely different thing) is to buy via the website/in game

- Das Basisspiel kann ab dem 23.06.2015 gespielt werden

The base game can be played from June 23rd. So yes, from Tuesday on, it will be an official way to pre-purchase HoT. Of course for another what, 36 hours it will stay a pre-order, but we official know, from when you can pre-purchase the game from third party retailers.

rapthorne.7345:

Kaiyanwan.8521:

NCsoft is selling it on amazon.de, not a fraudulent practice involved for sure.

Technically it is a pre-order till tuesday, but than it is a pre-purchase working the same way as ANet’s offer.

not at all. it is a preorder no matter what, according to chris. The ONLY way to officially prepurchase (not preorder ready for release, entirely different thing) is to buy via the website/in game

That is only because some completely legitimate retailers are making “prepurchase of the prepurchase”. They are offering you to pay for the prepurchase before they will be able to send it to you. Which (if you haven’t noticed) they will be able to do this Tuesday.
So yes, Amazon links are legit.

Pre-purchase boxed versions will arrive in stores (not online stores) on June the 30th.

http://www.mediamarkt.de/mcs/product/_Guild-Wars-2-Heart-of-Thornes-Rollenspiel-PC,48353,464590,2101209.html?langId=-3
http://www.saturn.de/mcs/product/_Guild-Wars-2-Heart-of-Thornes-Rollenspiel-PC,48352,521570,2101210.html?langId=-3

Yeah, but mediamarkt’s offer is 5 euros more expensive then a-net’s package, and saturn’s the same price point. Little gain there, unless you’re out to punish a-net with lesser share of the profit.

Kaiyanwan.8521:

Pre-purchase boxed versions will arrive in stores (not online stores) on June the 30th.

But havent Anet said that there will be no boxed version?

Its all really confusing.

Webhallen, the Swedish store selling HoT as expansion only for €35 (they specifically note that GW2 is required) is listed as an Anet certified retailer.

I find it odd that Webhallen would have the wrong info available.

Does this mean that the pre-purchase version of HoT sold here on the webpage include GW2 and is more expensive than the pre-order version that is expansion only?

Wait wtf? Why couldnt they have told us this?!?!

Dawdler.8521:

Kaiyanwan.8521:

Pre-purchase boxed versions will arrive in stores (not online stores) on June the 30th.

But havent Anet said that there will be no boxed version?

Its all really confusing.

Webhallen, the Swedish store selling HoT as expansion only for €35 (they specifically note that GW2 is required) is listed as an Anet certified retailer.

I find it odd that Webhallen would have the wrong info available.

Does this mean that the pre-purchase version of HoT sold here on the webpage include GW2 and is more expensive than the pre-order version that is expansion only?

Wait wtf? Why couldnt they have told us this?!?!

It is a total fiasco no matter what.

The official response it that there will be no boxed ultimate edition. Anything else is possible though.

Regina Buenaobra.6193:

There is no boxed Ultimate Edition version of the game and no other editions of the game being offered beyond what you see on buy.guildwars2.com.

We have an FAQ that covers this and other questions you may have: https://help.guildwars2.com/entries/94582027-Heart-of-Thorns-Pre-Purchase-FAQ

I am a player that thought the initial price for HoT was a bit on the high side especially as there was no character slot included.

But the Amazon price is enough of a deal for me to go for it.

Though it does seem strange buying a pre-order on a pre-order, hope it doesn’t cause a singularity or something equally strange and mysterious.

Looking forward to some beta action.

Ok thanx a lot guys ill just purchase it on tues 23rd for a cheaper price from amazon n save a few pounds

If an unofficial retailer is offering a cheaper price, it was likely obtained through shady resellers which may have obtained the keys through fraudulent means. For example, they will buy the keys directly from ArenaNet, then force a refund a few weeks later, causing all those keys to get banned. If it’s a well known retailer however, they’re likely intentionally taking a hit to advertise.

Dawdler.8521:

But havent Anet said that there will be no boxed version?

Pre-purchases boxes aren’t exactly a boxed version of the game. They’re simply cheap cases with a code inside. The original game for example had one.

Dawdler.8521:

Kaiyanwan.8521:

Pre-purchase boxed versions will arrive in stores (not online stores) on June the 30th.

But havent Anet said that there will be no boxed version?

Its all really confusing.

Webhallen, the Swedish store selling HoT as expansion only for €35 (they specifically note that GW2 is required) is listed as an Anet certified retailer.

I find it odd that Webhallen would have the wrong info available.

Does this mean that the pre-purchase version of HoT sold here on the webpage include GW2 and is more expensive than the pre-order version that is expansion only?

Wait wtf? Why couldnt they have told us this?!?!

And webhallen says that the price and date aint set its a guess on what it will be mate.

Im sure a dev mentioned amazon and game are official legit retailers in case folks are cautious

Oddly enough, on Amazon.co.uk the price is cheaper than the official one from Anet store, yet on Amazon.de and .fr the price is the same as the standard edition, €45.

@Sarie: no, all HoT copies on Amazon (uk,fr and de) are sold and dispatched directly by Amazon, so no marketplace seller involved.

Galandil.9641:

Oddly enough, on Amazon.co.uk the price is cheaper than the official one from Anet store, yet on Amazon.de and .fr the price is the same as the standard edition, €45.

@Sarie: no, all HoT copies on Amazon (uk,fr and de) are sold and dispatched directly by Amazon, so no marketplace seller involved.

this my point im from UK , i can save 7 pounds from buying from amazon a no brainer surely no ?

Don’t buy the game via other places unless you get confirmation from a Dev or until other retailers have been authorized to sell the game. If you do, it looks like your entire account could be shut down for fraud, and you will need to buy it AGAIN from an authentic source to play. Is that really worth saving a few bucks?

It probably WILL come out for 3rd-parties to sell at some point, but it has NOT yet. If you don’t want to pre-purchase from ANET, HOLD ON TO YOUR MONEY. Otherwise, it’s gonna cost more than the Deluxe Edition costs to be able to play because your first purchase will LITERALLY be like throwing that money away.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/Buying-HoT-through-a-3rd-Party-Careful

Decrypter.1785:

Galandil.9641:

Oddly enough, on Amazon.co.uk the price is cheaper than the official one from Anet store, yet on Amazon.de and .fr the price is the same as the standard edition, €45.

@Sarie: no, all HoT copies on Amazon (uk,fr and de) are sold and dispatched directly by Amazon, so no marketplace seller involved.

this my point im from UK , i can save 7 pounds from buying from amazon a no brainer surely no ?

for the Base version of the game. Seems if you want the HoT flavoured goodies, then it’s only from ANet, at the moment.

soakman.7539:

Don’t buy the game via other places unless you get confirmation from a Dev or until other retailers have been authorized to sell the game. If you do, it looks like your entire account could be shut down for fraud, and you will need to buy it AGAIN from an authentic source to play. Is that really worth saving a few bucks?

It probably WILL come out for 3rd-parties to sell at some point, but it has NOT yet. If you don’t want to pre-purchase from ANET, HOLD ON TO YOUR MONEY.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/Buying-HoT-through-a-3rd-Party-Careful

I’ve bought the original GW2 pre-order copies (3, for my household) from Amazon at the time, and didn’t have a single problem.

Moreover, it would be utterly ridicolous for Anet considering AMAZON (which is one of the most trusted, if not THE most trusted online seller in the world) an unauthorized reseller. We’re not talking about Kinguin here.

And where do you read about shutting down the whole account (even the base one), if only the HoT key is not legit? Give a link, if there’s one.

I’d buy the copies of HoT from Amazon.co.uk btw, but living in Italy the shipping costs would kill the saving on the base price.

@BrotherBelial: a mini, a skin and the guild hall thingamabob – who cares about them at THAT cost? I don’t, and I’m sure a LOT of players don’t either.

What shipping costs ? its a serial code you buy dude lol

Decrypter.1785:

What shipping costs ? its a serial code you buy dude lol

No, apparently it’s the same as the original GW2 pre-order, you receive a cardboard box with the key code in it.

I tried the checkout before confirming the payment, and I’d pay a total of £33.82, due to higher VAT in Italy (so the price goes to £29.22) and the shipping cost of £4.60.

So “lol” less and try to inform yourself a little bit more before randomly replying. Dude.

Sorry im UK so free delivery as im amazon prime member thats why the LOL

Bottom line, if you calmly wait a bit, you should be able to get a more reasonably priced HoT package at realease or not long after. I’m hip with that idea.

Decrypter.1785:

Sorry im UK so free delivery as im amazon prime member thats why the LOL

That’s why I said “but I live in Italy so I’m shafted”. For a UK based customer, it’s a good price and if I lived there, I’d have bought it.

There was a good time when even shipping to Italy from co.uk was free, but not anymore.

Just wanted to point out that “being sold by koch international on amazon” is not the same as “being sold by amazon”.

Amazon will be an official supplier of HoT, but Amazon are currently not offering HoT, at least not yet.

Yeah notice the Amazon UK “Pre-order Price Guarantee” is only for the pre-order of the pre-order, not the pre-order itself. If that makes sense.

Kaz.5430:

Amazon will be an official supplier of HoT, but Amazon are currently not offering HoT, at least not yet.

Yes they are. It says "Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. " on the listing and " Sold by Amazon EU S.a.r.L. " on basket. Koch is just making the boxes.

Kaz.5430:

Just wanted to point out that “being sold by koch international on amazon” is not the same as “being sold by amazon”.

Amazon will be an official supplier of HoT, but Amazon are currently not offering HoT, at least not yet.

NCsoft is, at least in Germany.

http://www.amazon.de/Guild-Wars-Heart-Thorns-Vorverkaufsbox/dp/B00SN5JM6W

Don’t tell me, you cannot trust NCsoft as a retailer…

Kaz.5430:

Just wanted to point out that “being sold by koch international on amazon” is not the same as “being sold by amazon”.

Amazon will be an official supplier of HoT, but Amazon are currently not offering HoT, at least not yet.

Try to learn to read what has been posted before, I pointed out before your post that the copy is dispatched and sold by Amazon.co.uk.

@ Galandil

Galandil.9641:

“Moreover, it would be utterly ridicolous for Anet considering AMAZON (which is one of the most trusted, if not THE most trusted online seller in the world) an unauthorized reseller. We’re not talking about Kinguin here.
And where do you read about shutting down the whole account (even the base one), if only the HoT key is not legit? Give a link, if there’s one.”

From the link I DID include in my post:

Chris Cleary.8017:

“This will result in your account being closed for fraud, and Customer Service will require that you purchase HoT though legitimate means before you can access your account again.”

It sounds like if you buy fraudulent source, your account will be closed until you get an authentic version of HoT.

I’m not saying Amazon is inauthentic, but they have a link to the current authentic retailers which only include (in the U.S) Bestbuy, Newegg, and Gamestop. I don’t see Amazon. I’m not a marketing guru, but I’m saying that if I were trying to get a cheaper version or whatever, I would wait a week or so JUST TO BE SAFE. This is because retail versions of the pre-purchase will be available then. I’m pretty sure that technically UNTIL the 23rd or whatever official date for 3rd party retailers is, anyone offering pre-sales/pre-orders/etc are unauthorized.

If you end up with an inauthentic version because some retailer didn’t wait long enough before selling the game, and you have to buy it AGAIN… it’s on you (and the 3rd party retailer if they flubbed the date). Even though we all know everyone will kick and scream and say “ANET DID IT AGAIN!”

Don’t be stubborn. Make the informed purchase that is right for you. Making assumptions is a very good way to tick yourself off. Whether it be about pricing, content, release dates, marketing methods or whatever else in life.

@soakman: my bad, didn’t see the link (that I even quoted lol).

However, when I follow the link to the official retailers (at the end of the post that you linked), if I choose United Kingdom from the drop down menu, I get only 2 retailers: Amazon and GAME. So we have the confirmation that the pre-order on Amazon.co.uk is absolutely legit.

Proof: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/retailers/#UnitedKingdom-physical

Galandil.9641:

@soakman: my bad, didn’t see the link (that I even quoted lol).

However, when I follow the link to the official retailers (at the end of the post that you linked), if I choose United Kingdom from the drop down menu, I get only 2 retailers: Amazon and GAME. So we have the confirmation that the pre-order on Amazon.co.uk is absolutely legit.

Proof: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/retailers/#UnitedKingdom-physical

Good good! I wasn’t sure where you were from and definitely wasn’t trying to hassle anyone. I just want to make sure everyone is on the same page so there isn’t even more backlash against ANET if they purchase the wrong thing.

The Anet price will normally be the higher one. When they sell copies of the game to other suppliers to spread the game around, these supplies can buy in bulk and offer a lower price. If Anet however would start competing with them they would lose interest in buying the game as it won’t turn them a profit. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see other places, especially big companies, sell it for a lower price. Other smaller companies who can’t buy in bulk can still sell it for a price that’s reasonable since Anet is selling it at the SGRP themselves.

So it’s quite normal that the Anet price is where it is as such. Doesn’t mean there are no bad sites out there but the reason they can sell at low prices is bulk purchases from Anet.

This is essentially a pre-order for the pre-purchase. I can see why that’s confusing, but if you think about it that does make sense.

A pre-order is basically an agreement between you and a retailer that you will buy that product from them when it’s released. The specifics vary of course, sometimes you have to pay a deposit, sometimes not, sometimes (as is the case with Amazon) you provide payment details and the money goes out of your account automatically when the item is released.

Pre-purchase is basically paying the full price up-front and then you own the product from that point on but don’t actually receive it until it’s released.

In this case it’s both and the end result is a kind of 3-step purchase process:
1) You agree to buy it from this seller for this price (or the lowest price between now and release as per Amazon policy), but you don’t pay anything until the 23rd when authorised retailers can begin selling HoT.
2) At that point the money goes out of your bank account, your pre-order is converted to a pre-purchase and you get your HoT code and can apply it to your GW2 account to get the pre-purchase items.
3) When HoT is released (we don’t know when this will be) you get full access to everything in the expansion. You don’t pay any more money at this point.

Confused.
So is it safe to buy of amazon uk then?

Well it says on here retailer is amazon uk so i bought it.
It better be safe as anet says its official retailer.

XxTAFxX.6741:

Confused.
So is it safe to buy of amazon uk then?

Well it says on here retailer is amazon uk so i bought it.
It better be safe as anet says its official retailer.

Pretty sure amazon UK and Game are legit for HOT ill also be buying from there