Higher prices in Europe

[stephen_rockefeller]

Pardon my ignorance but if LEGO sets are more expensive than in the US, why don't put people in Europe and other countries just order from the US and have the sets shipped to them? Is this not a viable option? Just curious, I have never been to Europe so don't know what options y'all have over there.

[legolandia]

Pardon my ignorance but if LEGO sets are more expensive than in the US, why don't put people in Europe and other countries just order from the US and have the sets shipped to them? Is this not a viable option? Just curious, I have never been to Europe so don't know what options y'all have over there.

That would be very nice indeed but the problem is that all goods purchased from the US of the value of GBP£15 or more gets taxed by the customs here upon arrival. And on top of that in UK we have to pay a £8 fee to the Royal Mail for retrieving the parcel from the customs. So by the time you paid all that it works out a lot more expensive than the local price. This is something that has been in place for a long time and has derived from the so called "banana wars". And I believe that US citizens would have to pay the same sort of fees if they purchased goods from Europe.

[JopieK]

Only way is to get it yourself when traveling by plane ;) And you bought it as a gift for your son of course!

[Bilbo Baggins]

Here in Mexico the sets have higher prices as well, but the shipping and taxes overpass the price of the set here.

[Faefrost]

That would be very nice indeed but the problem is that all goods purchased from the US of the value of GBP£15 or more gets taxed by the customs here upon arrival. And on top of that in UK we have to pay a £8 fee to the Royal Mail for retrieving the parcel from the customs. So by the time you paid all that it works out a lot more expensive than the local price. This is something that has been in place for a long time and has derived from the so called "banana wars". And I believe that US citizens would have to pay the same sort of fees if they purchased goods from Europe.

It's actually not as bad going the other way, Europe to US. It's mainly just shipping costs, taxes and fees going Euro to US aren't that bad, and individual packages normally aren't held up too long in customs. I've had stuff from Amazon UK arrive faster and in some cases cheaper than stuff from straight up Amazon.com. It's just not normally cost effective and norm softly only do it for rare or hard to find stuff.

It's America. We tend to make it strikingly easy for people to sell us stuff. (which kinda explains why the prices are cheaper to begin with.)

Edited August 11, 2012 by Faefrost

[Angeli]

Pardon my ignorance but if LEGO sets are more expensive than in the US, why don't put people in Europe and other countries just order from the US and have the sets shipped to them? Is this not a viable option? Just curious, I have never been to Europe so don't know what options y'all have over there.

I am doing that all the time. I just have a friend buy a set, unpack it, throw the box and send me the bags. This way, this is "used" lego, and I do not pay the customs. I would throw box anyway. I usually leave behind all the paper, also, but this is optional :)

[stephen_rockefeller]

I am doing that all the time. I just have a friend buy a set, unpack it, throw the box and send me the bags. This way, this is "used" lego, and I do not pay the customs. I would throw box anyway. I usually leave behind all the paper, also, but this is optional :)

I will send you a set anytime....just let me know!! ;)

[Brickmamba]

You are not alone, prices in Australia are inflated as well

[DCLegoboy75]

Here in New Zealand, online is the way to go. Compare $639 for UCS Executor online via USA vs $900+ local retailers. That is if you don't mind wating a few months for it to be shipped. The strong NZD to USD ex rate helps a lot.

[SheepEater]

I am doing that all the time. I just have a friend buy a set, unpack it, throw the box and send me the bags. This way, this is "used" lego, and I do not pay the customs. I would throw box anyway. I usually leave behind all the paper, also, but this is optional :)

That is a brillant idea. Unfortunately, I collect boxes, so I have pay my fair share of customs fees.

It's not so much the actual taxes that bother me - it's the customs handling fee that's ticking me off.

[Siegfried]

This isn't Star Wars specific so I'll move this... and it'll probably be merged later.

[ibecks]

From the sets I've looked at, it's really not that much cheaper in the US. For example, Mini Modulars is £59.99 or $79.99 (£50) and by the time you've added US sales tax and/or import duty the difference really is negligible. For Aussies, the difference is much, MUCH bigger. e.g. Town Hall costs AU $299 but the US price translates to AU $189.

I've been spending alternate months in the US this year and the only Lego I've bought back is a few PAB cups from when they were BOGOF a few months ago. To me, the slight difference in price isn't worth the hassle of getting a big set home. If I was an Aussie, I would be filling my suitcase with the stuff every time!

[SheepEater]

What I don't get is why isn't Denmark exempt from this. You'd think their government would encourage local businesses...

[Hive]

What I don't get is why isn't Denmark exempt from this. You'd think their government would encourage local businesses...

Our government does not set the price on LEGO, though.