Why are Sims 3 store items not cheaper?

sam123

They've had the exact same prices for years now and nothing has actually gone down except when it's on sale. I think all base prices really should be reduced..

Pancakesandwich

Since it's been so many years after development on Sims 3 has completely stopped, it's surprising to me that the store still exists after so much time. One would think that it's not bringing any profit anymore, but apparently that's wrong.

GITTE2001

Since I just bought 2040 simpoints today and bought serenity retreat and a dress with it, and with all those recently new sims3-players who also use the store, I don't think it's surprising at all. Like these forums prove, Sims 3 is still a very popular game and there are lots of simmers who have far from all content they want and obviously buy it often. As long as that is, I don't think it'll close soon.

But I saw (unless it's very will hidden) the store section here has disappeared, so, maybe...But in that case I'll start a big petition cause they aren't allowed to close the store.

Simanite

I own everything (I've been playing since '09) but I also think it would be nice and right to reduce the prices a bit at this point in time.

lisasc360

GITTE2001 wrote: »

Since I just bought 2040 simpoints today and bought serenity retreat and a dress with it, and with all those recently new sims3-players who also use the store, I don't think it's surprising at all. Like these forums prove, Sims 3 is still a very popular game and there are lots of simmers who have far from all content they want and obviously buy it often. As long as that is, I don't think it'll close soon.

But I saw (unless it's very will hidden) the store section here has disappeared, so, maybe...But in that case I'll start a big petition cause they aren't allowed to close the store.

The Store forums is still here, it's listed in The Sims 3 tab as one of the Child categories.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/categories/general-discussion

igazor

There are lots of ways to save money/points when shopping the store. For most of us, the Daily Deals system is still chugging along its final repeated and extremely long rotation through items. But let's remember that the game itself "only" went out of development just over three years ago and new store items were still being released up through Sept. 2014. That really isn't that long ago.

TreyNutz

EA did something to the Store last fall (maintenance maybe) and they ended up breaking the Weekly Sales, breaking the MMAO machine for many players (myself included), and causing issues for many people trying to download purchases (which was eventually resolved). If EA did try to change prices the chance of them breaking the Store again seems pretty high to me. And if that happens I'm sure they don't want spend more money and manpower trying to fix it. Even if the Store is not all that profitable, it might be better to just leave it alone until they decide to terminate it.

Odonata68

I'm still watching ads and buying stuff through the store. I only started about a year, or so, ago. The daily deal thread seems pretty active.
I would so pay real cash if EA decided to release the store stuff that's not available anymore! I would love to own everything before the store does go away.

CrazyShowerSinger

I think EA realizes Sims 3 is the super star of the series. But who knows? Maybe 5 will grant us some freebies.

CravenLestat

I have put so much money into the store last few months alone and so have many of my sim friends.We own the store but still love to gift people. Am pretty sure it is profitable plus all those posting pics of them playing in newly bought worlds.Or using new premium content they just got from sets.

ShojoDagger

Well, I'm just going to be blunt....
The real reason they aren't lowering the base prices is: so that they can get more money from people buying them. Duh.

Obviously the store must still be profitable to them or they would've removed it already.
Like Craven said, there's still demand for the store items; players who own the store gifting to others, veteran players just now buying x item, plus newbies (like me) just getting into S3 recently.
Heck, I was just at WalMart today & they're still selling new discs of S3 & several EPs too.
So definitely S3 is still very popular & certainly still profitable to EA, even with S4 out.

SimplyJen

No doubt it's still selling. Should they reduce prices? Yes and this is coming from someone who already owns 90% of it. I honestly don't see them lowering prices. When it stops making money then it won't be long until the site is closed down just like the Sims 1 and Sims 2 websites. No telling when that will be. This series is still doing well.

Daily deals + ads is the way to grab things for cheap. I haven't logged on thesims3.com in a while so I don't actually know if ads are still showing.

GITTE2001

For me, the ads have disappeared. Annoying.

Jessa_Dakkar

GITTE2001 wrote: »

For me, the ads have disappeared. Annoying.

Have you enabled an AdBlocker? The ads still show for me but they did stop for a while until I realized I was blocking them.

GITTE2001

Jessa_Dakkar wrote: »

GITTE2001 wrote: »

For me, the ads have disappeared. Annoying.

Have you enabled an AdBlocker? The ads still show for me but they did stop for a while until I realized I was blocking them.

Nope, I don't.

Jessa_Dakkar

GITTE2001 wrote: »

Jessa_Dakkar wrote: »

GITTE2001 wrote: »

For me, the ads have disappeared. Annoying.

Have you enabled an AdBlocker? The ads still show for me but they did stop for a while until I realized I was blocking them.

Nope, I don't.

I just went over to the TS3 site to check it out and I was still seeing the buttons like always. But I wondered if maybe you, too, are seeing the buttons but they aren't working. I haven't clicked on an ad in a few months so I tried it. Almost every one I tried was broken. Some would just pop up with the blue box and do nothing, others would pop up with the black box and a 'play again' button - nothing from those as they wouldn't play an ad. Another one said something about it no longer being available. I tried about fifteen or twenty times then I finally got one which worked as far as getting an ad but I haven't seen the points added to my account yet. Usually it is pretty instantaneous so I kind of don't expect the points will show.
Watched a second 'successful' video and still no points.
The ads do look like they are messed up from my side, if you aren't even seeing the ad button I guess you aren't missing much. I do hope they fix it though. I also wish they'd just let people dl everything for free at this point.

Kelvin

sam123 wrote: »

They've had the exact same prices for years now and nothing has actually gone down except when it's on sale. I think all base prices really should be reduced..

Actually there was a daily deal offer on the Deliciously Indulgent Bakery venue yesterday in the evening at my time (GMT+1). It was 855 simpoints with almost 50% discount. It was kind of sad because I brought the venue some months ago at full price XD I'm glad for those who grabbed it whilst it was on a generous offer though

By the way, Live, Laugh, Love set is currently on sale (66% off) at DD as well. It's quite a deal for the store, I would say.

igazor

Unintended store malfunctions aside for a moment, this kind of rephrases what @ShojoDagger already said above. The "correct" market price for something is that which customers are willing to pay. Not necessarily what they want to pay. Digital assets take up no inventory space and have none of the overhead associated with them that physical objects for sale do; there would be very little motivation for EA to slash prices down to zero or almost that at this point in time. I could see maybe 50% off everything in a few years if sales dwindle down below a certain point otherwise.

sam123

Yeah I bought lots of stuff a few months ago but stopped. I still play TS3, I love that game so much. I just want a lot of store items and I don't think it is worth spending hundreds of dollars on such an old game anymore. If the prices were reduced I would buy so many items.