Prices of modchip installations - UK vs USA

[rom_hunter]

I'm from the U.K, and I've seen plenty of websites offering their time to install whatever chip us consumers want in their ps2s or others. I was searching one day for any website that can do CC2.0. However, I have noticed something very odd......

In any USA modchip website, the average price is about $20 - $35 (around the lines anyway) which equates in UK GBP as about £14. This price is not including delivery charge of your console nor the price of the chip (whatever it may be). Very worth it over the DMS EZI anyday.

However, in any UK modchip website (which are far fewer than USA), the price, excluding chip and delivery charge, is... wait for it... £35, which equates to about $66! WHOA! That's nearly the price of the DMS EZI!

Why so expensive? Is it because UK is just different than USA? The chips are roughly the same price, so why not the installation services? Well, I can only offer the basic economic theory. In economics, if there is a HIGH demand for installations (or any product), the price goes up. If there is a LOW supply of modchip suppliers (or not alot of suppliers), then price goes up. Is this the explanation? That UK has a high demand in installation services yet there is hardly a modder in sight? Possibly....

I've never seen a price on the net that offers installation in the UK around £14. Sheesh, if they do it correctly, I'd pay £20. But I guess that's life if you live in UK, where politics is crap, and where everyone apparantly watched the dimwit which nearly launched a war with India. (yeah, I'm talking Big Brother Jade Goody)

Can anyone help argue or corroborate with this? Am I the only concious person on the land who realises this price difference?

[gelato]

I say the supply and demand argument explains it. But also take into account the amount of people who own consoles/play video games in the UK vs. the US not just modchip supplier vs. consumer demand. Legality of mod chips should also play a role in the price. I know the copyright laws vary from country to country.

[rom_hunter]

Possibly correct too! Modchips are widely available in UK to buy but not many people know about it or as popular in USA. The law in UK is also quite confusing. I'm not entirely sure if it was illegal to play backup copies or not. I guess this confusion plays a part as well.

[rom_hunter]

Researched into other aspects of PS2 stuff - the repairs section.

Frankly, my ps2 has broken down and when I e-mailed some repairer in the UK how much it would be to fix the dead fan in my ps2 and/or the fuse if that's the case, he e-mailed back the price of:
£20-£25, about $39-$44

The repair sounded easy, not like a broken laser or something and it costs that much?! Sorry if it really is that expensive but to me, the fan is a cheap repair.

Looked at a typical USA PS2 repair shop - in this case, it's www.norcalmods.com. (The UK one didn't have a website, if you are wondering )
The price there for all labour and repairs upon ANYTHING, that is if it is a small thing like, *ahem*, the fan, fuse, *cough cough*. The price for the broken ps2 condition is:

$35 - or about £18

Tsk, and norcalmods even throw in a free laser fix and treatment...
Sometimes, the UK is so overly expensive, in my opinion...

Again, the explanation is as said above... possibly.
(if this was true, does this mean that there are tons of broken ps2s out there?! Far-fetched question, lol)

[gelato]

I think you're getting too hung up over the price. You should remember that for many people in the world playing video games is a luxury.

[rom_hunter]

You think in UK, playing video games is a luxury?!
UK isn't as rich as USA, but that don't mean that UK is poor. Every boy in the land has at least one console. I don't know if that's true, but as soon as I step into a house, a ps2/psp/wii/etc/etc will always be there somewhere. So I think that video games is nearly a normal good...

As for me getting too hung up over the price, yes, I admit, I am! But only because I don't really see why there is a 50% or so difference between two countries that ain't that poor, or have much difference to each other!

[Predz]

rom-hunter i am also in UK and i get all my chip's and spares from Dinineo-China they are generally around 50% cheaper but you do have to wait 4-5 days for delivery
i only get MI from uk i get mine from Ghostfitter......
the huge price diference is all down to economics i guess and ppl pay structure and tax payments.
i got friends in usa and when they come over to visist or i go there. we always comment on the difference in prices etc

[rom_hunter]

Well yes, I guess if you live in the UK, your best bet for cheapest prices is DivineoCN. But only for spares and chips though, and they don't offer CC2.0 (or crystal chip of any sort). Also, I have ordered a ps2 replacement fan off them before, and despite me research for hours on the product before clicking on the "buy" button, I have received a fan that will only properly fit Versions 1-3, not the rest (the research tells me that it will fit my console and I confirmed it with DivineoCN themselves). Therefore, their service needs improvements...
As for Ghost2fitter, they don't really offer a good range of repairs or modchips and they are a bit pricey - a MI installation is £50 or about $100. That's about £25-£30 installation takeaway the chip off (not sure if it includes delivery charges though). For modchip prices, I go for www.foundmy.com although I never ordered there before - they currently have very good feedback and great services, not forgetting to mention better prices.

All of these places have one thing in common - they don't repair it for you (you have to find your own pro installer)...

There are hardly any repairers that specialize in consoles (and/or electronic devices if they want more business) in my area (london) - well there's a few, but one (who has a shop) wants to charge me £25 ($49?) just for a small fix in my broken fan and fuse. Sigh, and I'm no solderer, yet some people take advantage of that, charging £35 just for installation excluding etc etc as mentioned above.

I was thinking of repairing my broken ps2 (which is apparently a simple repair that I can't bear to risk) AND get Crystal Chip 2.0 installed for around £40-£50 maximum (about $80-$100, yes it's over the top for you Americans) but unless a shop in London can provide that, I guess I will just wait for the ps3 and end my ps2 gaming satisfaction career for now .

[jenko]

i dont know the US law but in the UK modding a PS2 is ilegal which probly explains the higher prices.

[rom_hunter]

Hmm, I guess so since I searched it up. However, it seems that Sony isn't really taking it seriously as it should or otherwise all UK online chip stores would have closed down... it which they are still standing with all MORE new stuff available to us in UK