Shipping prices on Bricklink

[harrypotterstarwarsfan]

I was wondering, how do you see the shipping prices on Bricklink?

[Brickdoctor]

Each store has their own shipping policy and rates. Check the splash page of the store you're ordering from.

[Toadtorrent]

It varies from dealer. I usually buy from dealers who either charge actual postal rates only, or a slight premium above that (e.g. $1.50 USD above that to account for the cost of bubble mailers, and PP fees). I think a slight premium above actual postal is fair given the low price for a lot of the parts, and the time involved to pull them.

Some rates can be high because of certain countries national postal service rates (I find Italy in general is high to ship FROM, but Germany and the Netherlands for small packages are quite reasonable)...others can charge more because they demand insurance and signature or expensive options for shipping only.

Choose your dealer accordingly.

In Canada, it can often be cheaper to ship a parcel from the US than it is WITHIN Canada...so with current exchange rates, it's often better to deal outside of my own country.

Edited June 1, 2011 by Toadtorrent

[fred67]

Ahh, one of the great mysteries of being a LEGO enthusiast... how much will shipping cost on bricklink.

The answer, my friend, is like how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop... the world may never know.

Very few sellers can tell you in advance... think about it, this isn't Amazon... these people are selling mostly very low cost items and never know how much you're going to buy. They could quote a price for a flat rate box, but then you order a baseplate or something that doesn't fit, or you buy just a few too many pieces...

Read the store terms - most of them will tell you something reasonable, like "actual postage plus $X handling/packing." If you really need to know, to the penny, before committing, I think you can email a link to your shopping cart from a seller's store and ask how much it will be before you commit to buy, some of them will give you a reasonable estimate.

I will say this, though, I've got nearly 100 orders on BL and I never knew ahead of time what the shipping would be (except in rare cases), and never really had a big problem with it. Sometimes it seems the charges were a bit high, but nothing to complain about. It's true I've heard cases of people getting ripped for shipping, but look at the seller's feedback... hundreds of positives with few or no negatives should be a good indication they don't rip you off with shipping.

Edited June 1, 2011 by fred67

[CP5670]

I got an order from Canada last week. The guy was friendly and the parts were perfect, but I do think he did something shady with the shipping, with $16 airmail for a fairly small box from the Ottawa area to New Jersey (he also gave a $13 ground shipping option, which he said would take 3+ weeks). Other orders I've gotten from Canada in the past have been much cheaper and similar to US shipping rates.

I also ordered a significantly larger box (a set) from Germany a few days ago, and that was only $15 for registered airmail. German and UK shipping is usually pretty reasonable, while Italy is quite a bit more expensive. Note that international shipping rates will also vary with the exchange rates. I bought a lot of stuff from Europe around 2001-04, when the USD/Euro rate was higher and the shipping prices were considerably lower.

[Ricecracker]

I got an order from Canada last week. The guy was friendly and the parts were perfect, but I do think he did something shady with the shipping, with $16 airmail for a fairly small box from the Ottawa area to New Jersey (he also gave a $13 ground shipping option, which he said would take 3+ weeks). Other orders I've gotten from Canada in the past have been much cheaper and similar to US shipping rates.

Shipping costs a lot more from Canada to the US, even if it's to a Canadian address. From my experience, the most valuable (time vs. money) has been from Germany, with Canada ranking near the bottom...

[madoka]

If I am about to place a large-ish order (over $150 or so), I usually ask if they will ship for free. 9 out of 10 will agree to do so. Then I remember who those are as am more likely to order from them again in the future.

Every once in a while you can get burned by some seller who surprises you with much larger than anticipated shipping fees. I remember there used to be a seller from several years ago who would charge a large handling fee (it was something like $25 or $50, I forgot which one) for every order you placed.

[fred67]

Every once in a while you can get burned by some seller who surprises you with much larger than anticipated shipping fees. I remember there used to be a seller from several years ago who would charge a large handling fee (it was something like $25 or $50, I forgot which one) for every order you placed.

But that would have to be in the store terms, otherwise it's not valid.

Always read the store terms... they almost always give a good indication on shipping/handling, even if they can't tell you exactly how much.

You also see store minimums and maximums and other things that might just drive you to another store, but it's usually all right there in the terms.

[Tugarin]

In my experience it has never been an issue with shipping but the well hidden lot fees many sellers add to the invoice. It only hit me the first two times I used BrickLink as I quickly became aware of what to look for in the splash and store terms pages. A number of sellers will fill up their splash pages with a huge amount of terms and hidden in those terms are fees that turn an order for a few pieces that would have been pocket change into an order that is a major financial obligation.

I understand the reasoning for such fees (many sellers don't want to bother with 20+ lots) but I've found that it's best to look around at who doesn't charge those fees and use their shops as the prices don't vary by much and those lot and handling fees add up quickly.

It's also important to watch for sellers that charge the customer Paypal fees. As someone who does a lot of business with eBay I understand that Paypal eats a chunk of your profit but I find it in rather poor taste that some sellers attempt to pass that burden back onto the consumer and don't eat the cost as the price of doing business.

Edited June 3, 2011 by Tugarin

[Notorious Guf]

If I am about to place a large-ish order (over $150 or so), I usually ask if they will ship for free. 9 out of 10 will agree to do so. Then I remember who those are as am more likely to order from them again in the future.

Every once in a while you can get burned by some seller who surprises you with much larger than anticipated shipping fees. I remember there used to be a seller from several years ago who would charge a large handling fee (it was something like $25 or $50, I forgot which one) for every order you placed.

I find it interesting that you ask for free shipping and get a great response. I'm sorry if this is slightly off topic, but how many people ask for free shipping or discounts on Bricklink & actually receive it? especially on international orders. I have on occasions asked for a discount if I'm ordering hundreds or thousands of a particular part, but have never received one.

[AndyC]

I find it interesting that you ask for free shipping and get a great response. I'm sorry if this is slightly off topic, but how many people ask for free shipping or discounts on Bricklink & actually receive it? especially on international orders. I have on occasions asked for a discount if I'm ordering hundreds or thousands of a particular part, but have never received one.

I've received a few discounts without ever having asked for it, I don't think it ever occured to me to do so. I'm probably more likely to go back to a store that gives good service like that, so I guess it's good for everyone.

[Follows Closely]

I find it interesting that you ask for free shipping and get a great response. I'm sorry if this is slightly off topic, but how many people ask for free shipping or discounts on Bricklink & actually receive it? especially on international orders. I have on occasions asked for a discount if I'm ordering hundreds or thousands of a particular part, but have never received one.

I ALWAYS ask for free shipping if my order is over $100. I get a yes more often than not.

[CP5670]

I understand the reasoning for such fees (many sellers don't want to bother with 20+ lots) but I've found that it's best to look around at who doesn't charge those fees and use their shops as the prices don't vary by much and those lot and handling fees add up quickly.

I only buy from those sellers when they have specific rare parts I need. It can be frustrating to add all the parts you want to the cart, and then be forced to toss out half the order to make it fit within the seller's lot limit. For bulk orders of generic pieces, there are some specific sellers that I know handle large lots (150+) efficiently, and I tend to stick with them even if their prices are a bit higher. It's worth not having to worry about buying too much stuff, or waiting months to get your order shipped.

It's also important to watch for sellers that charge the customer Paypal fees. As someone who does a lot of business with eBay I understand that Paypal eats a chunk of your profit but I find it in rather poor taste that some sellers attempt to pass that burden back onto the consumer and don't eat the cost as the price of doing business.

I believe this is against Paypal's terms of service but the rules are not really enforced. This used to be especially common among the European sellers who were playing tricks with exchange rates.

Edited June 3, 2011 by CP5670

[RetroInferno]

I only wish sellers would stop bullshitting their shipping cost as ''what is actually costing them", I've had orders from the south of the US for over-sized letters that costed me 2.50 US, while another seller in freacking vermont wants to charge 12$ for 3 pieces...

[WerferOfFlammen]

I just had a bricklink order from Italy for like $80 in small parts. Shipping was like $25. Just ridiculous

[zux]

We had this discussion somewhere in this topic.

Some sellers just like to charge for every ml of water they drink while getting your order together...

I don't shop in US much, but I found T&C for many BL US shops quite unclear most of the time - you cannot estimate how much extra you are going to pay. Luckily this isn't that common in Europe.

[MAB]

I just had a bricklink order from Italy for like $80 in small parts. Shipping was like $25. Just ridiculous

Is it ridiculous? You need to say where you are wanting it sent to (presumably US). It is no doubt going to need to be tracked and insured too. If it was being sent from the UK, just regular airmail with track and trace will be coming in at just over $16. If he is also charging for packaging and maybe a slightly faster delivery service, and probably some component of the cost is going on PayPal fees and exchange rates, then it is not hard to see $25 all in.

If it is ridiculous, then buy from a US seller. National postage is normally cheaper than international.

[fred67]

I only wish sellers would stop bullshitting their shipping cost as ''what is actually costing them", I've had orders from the south of the US for over-sized letters that costed me 2.50 US, while another seller in freacking vermont wants to charge 12$ for 3 pieces...

The problem is there are too many shipping choices. An over sized letter is not a package, and they will have different rates. Even among packages there are a bunch of options - if a seller uses flat rate packages, then it doesn't matter how much is in it.

Is it ridiculous? You need to say where you are wanting it sent to (presumably US). It is no doubt going to need to be tracked and insured too. If it was being sent from the UK, just regular airmail with track and trace will be coming in at just over $16. If he is also charging for packaging and maybe a slightly faster delivery service, and probably some component of the cost is going on PayPal fees and exchange rates, then it is not hard to see $25 all in.

If it is ridiculous, then buy from a US seller. National postage is normally cheaper than international.

Agreed - international shipping can be really expensive, and some countries cost a lot more than others. It is why I do, in fact, have my bricklink searches limited to North America. I only very rarely look at other stores when I'm not finding what I need in the U.S. or Canada.

[dr_spock]

Many country's postal services have a website listing their rates. You can use to see to get an idea what the shipping costs might be and figure out which country is cheaper for shipping. Also check your country's customs for any import duty for goods coming from the the country you're buying your parts.

Some Bricklink shops have the QUOTE feature enabled. You can use to get a quote from the seller with the shipping and handling costs included before you commit to buy.

[Captain Pirate Man]

I have asked for quotes from people and its 50/50 that they even respond to it. One set I ordered, I waited and waited for the quote (that never came). So I just ended up buying it anyways, because it was the cheapest set in Bricklink at that time and I didn't want someone else snagging it from me while I'm waiting for a quote. Bottom line, some sellers don't care until you actually make an order, and even then, the communication is sometimes awful.

My rule of thumb is simple, I live in the US so buying from the US is cheaper for me 9 out of 10 times. If I can't get something from US, I look at Canada and then the UK third. I don't buy from outside of those 3 very often anymore. They have just been the most reliable for me. Not a comment on mainland European sellers (because I've had good experience with many of them as well), but I have had a few really bad experiences as well. Things taking FOREVER, broken pieces, etc. So I've found sticking with what works best for you. If you live in mainland Europe, it's probably better to buy from those sellers than US sellers.

[masterX244]

I have asked for quotes from people and its 50/50 that they even respond to it. One set I ordered, I waited and waited for the quote (that never came). So I just ended up buying it anyways, because it was the cheapest set in Bricklink at that time and I didn't want someone else snagging it from me while I'm waiting for a quote. Bottom line, some sellers don't care until you actually make an order, and even then, the communication is sometimes awful.

My rule of thumb is simple, I live in the US so buying from the US is cheaper for me 9 out of 10 times. If I can't get something from US, I look at Canada and then the UK third. I don't buy from outside of those 3 very often anymore. They have just been the most reliable for me. Not a comment on mainland European sellers (because I've had good experience with many of them as well), but I have had a few really bad experiences as well. Things taking FOREVER, broken pieces, etc. So I've found sticking with what works best for you. If you live in mainland Europe, it's probably better to buy from those sellers than US sellers.

stuff taking forever over the atlantic happens from US to europe, too, afaik any oversea delivery has that issue so its most likely caused by the postal systems

[Captain Pirate Man]

I don't disagree with that, that's why I said (or implyed) that is quicker and cheaper to buy from your country or surronding countries.

I don't know why (maybe it's their postal system) but UK orders seem to arrive faster than from mainland Europe in my experiences.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Captain Pirate Man

[fred67]

Agree with Captain, though - I have had a couple of great orders from Europe, but even with good luck shipping costs more, it takes longer, and if there is a problem, and they need to send another package, it takes that much longer.

[Mr Meleca]

I am in Brazil and 8years Ago, I used to buy from Australia.

They were always fast And cheaper that time.

Now we have to pay a100% tax over the Set AND shipping costs, thanks to Lula's socialist goverment.

I just bought 10 40225 Rio 2016 mascots I am planning to sell by their RRP. The shipping cost will be amazing $22 worldwide!!!

This is what we pay when the postmail is from the state.

I was in Portugal last Month, postmail from the goverment too. I was selling a 4956. The shipping cost for it to USA was €30!

Edited September 18, 2016 by Mr Meleca

[fred67]

My wife has a lot of money in reais tied up in Brazil. We're hoping with Dilma gone the economy, and exchange rate, will improve. Having shipped a number of things to family in Brazil, it is ridiculously expensive and scary hoping people receive what you sent at all sometimes.

I guess the moral is that Bricklink is not Amazon Prime. A company like Amazon can amortize shipping costs based on average shipping charges over millions of orders. Bricklink vendors can't do that.

I would rather wait and get the cost after I commit if it means paying first class instead of flat rate, which costs a whole lot more for LEGO parts.