so the new sets began to arrive today at my local toy store

and while i was happy the new sets were finally here i couldnt help but notice...THE PRICES!

we are really getting ripped off over here! some of these prices are unbeilivible!

55 euro for the hovercraft when its only 32 euro for germany

75 euro for the fire station when on S@H its 60-65 for most countries

55 euro for the batmobile with two-face when in germany its 33

14 euro for the new yellow creator car when its 10 euro for everyone else

8 euro for the small creator sets when its only 5 for everyone else

13 for the off-road fire resque when it is 10

125 euro for the UC batmobile when its 95 for Germany

*sing*

im really kind of mad right now...i got the creator car and the fire off-road resque and paid 27 euro when in every other country you would give about 20 >:-(

( i just copy pasted this page and sent it to TLC..cant wait to here an answer on these prices)

The answer is rather simple, I'm afraid. The only possible reason is that there's very little demand for Lego in Greece. Because of that, TLC have to ask more money for sets to reach their break-even point (the point at which expenses and income equal each other).

Still, the prices you mention are sometimes almost twice as high as the German prices. My only guess at that point would be that the shops add a huge margin to the sets. What are the Greek S@H prices anyway? That would make a better comparison I guess.

there is no S@H for Greece.. :'-( >:-(

these prices i think are the same for the whole country..not only for one shop

the same prices are usually in the catalog...

Ouch.

Those prices are pretty steep! Its too bad that some regions are forced to pay such outrageous prices for LEGO. Normally when I hear about LEGO pricing being unfair I start to roll my eyes, but this takes it to an extreme. Most jurisdictions (with the exception of the U.S. of course) pay similar prices, but those are unreal!

Thats quite sad. Sorry, thats too bad. Well, you can get them off the internet.

-ZotS

i think ebay is starting to seem really appealing..

i used it a few times for old sets but i guess i should start using it for new ones

:-X Talk about bad, I'm in the Philippines.

Lego Exo-force Stealth Hunter (and others) is 1500 PHP (23.5 Euros)

I got the Gate Defender for a whopping 3000 PHP (47 Euros)

I checked out the price of the Technic Tow truck - a whopping 14000 PHP (222 Euros)

The bigger the set the exponential the rise of the cost for us here.

These are terrible prices for a kids toy. 8-

Lego has always been expensive (even when I was a kid).

so the new sets began to arrive today at my local toy store

and while i was happy the new sets were finally here i couldnt help but notice...THE PRICES!

we are really getting ripped off over here! some of these prices are unbeilivible!

55 euro for the hovercraft when its only 32 euro for germany

75 euro for the fire station when on S@H its 60-65 for most countries

55 euro for the batmobile with two-face when in germany its 33

14 euro for the new yellow creator car when its 10 euro for everyone else

8 euro for the small creator sets when its only 5 for everyone else

13 for the off-road fire resque when it is 10

125 euro for the UC batmobile when its 95 for Germany

*sing*

im really kind of mad right now...i got the creator car and the fire off-road resque and paid 27 euro when in every other country you would give about 20 >:-(

( i just copy pasted this page and sent it to TLC..cant wait to here an answer on these prices)

g... did you guys curse the Gods or something? :-P i think it's a combination of factors. Lack of demand due to too high prices compared to wages in Greece and high distribution costs... :-/ :-X

i think you are right sne about lack of demand..

i heard that lego in Greece sells about 5% of the whole German market...

Its just that wages in Greece are really low compared to other european countries..

so Lego is not really affortable by everyone..

and as it dosent sell all that well the prices get higher and so on..

i just hope there was a way to buy Lego directly from TLC like in other countries

(today i went to a store that has the kids lego-wear.They had the new airport for 140 euro!!!! :-X )

i think you are right sne about lack of demand..

i heard that lego in Greece sells about 5% of the whole German market...

Its just that wages in Greece are really low compared to other european countries..

so Lego is not really affortable by everyone..

and as it dosent sell all that well the prices get higher and so on..

i just hope there was a way to buy Lego directly from TLC like in other countries

(today i went to a store that has the kids lego-wear.They had the new airport for 140 euro!!!! :-X )

g... Greece makes even Bricklink look like a bargain!

g... Greece makes even Bricklink look like a bargain!

Most of the time, Bricklink IS a bargain *y* !

Only when your hunting for extremely rare bricks/minifigs does it become expensive. The basic elements themselves are generally far cheaper on Bricklink than they are when sold through LEGO. Heck, for some of you fans in Greece, it might actually be worthwhile to contact a seller you trust and see if he or she could sell you some sets. An American seller is getting his or her bricks at less than 1/2 of what you are, so they could even stand to make a profit selling to you.

Lego has always been expensive (even when I was a kid).

Sad but true....

(today i went to a store that has the kids lego-wear.They had the new airport for 140 euro!!!! :-X )

That

Lego has always been expensive (even when I was a kid).

If you live in the US my friend you dont know what "expensive lego" means..

and yes lego has always been expensive but im just comparing the prices from my country to others.

Im not saying 32 euro is too much for the batmobile (price for germany)...im saying 55 is (price for Greece)

people in the US pay 30 dollars for this set..how would you feel if you had to pay 60?

There is but 2 options.

--Bricklink

--A really good American penpal.

And sometimes, eBay.

so i got an answer from TLC on my prices question and complain

this is the first time it took them so long to answer an email!!

and this is what they say:

Dear Mr ......

Thank you for getting in touch with us and so carefully and precisely

letting us know the situation in Greece.

I am really sorry to know about such speculation of prices and I can

understand your frustration but the prices through the Shop At Home

Service and our Web site are determined by suggested retail prices, plus a

shipping & handling fee for consumer convenience. As you have

experienced, actual retail prices are dependent on the market such as where you

shop, or seasonal sales. At any time, you may find LEGO toys in local

stores or kiosks at prices higher or lower than the suggested retail.

The prices charged at the retail level are at the discretion of the

retail store or kiosk and we do not compete with those prices.

We hope to be able to ship to Greece soon as we are actively working to

expand and include more countries soon.

Best regards,

Eduardo Barbosa

LEGO Direct

Eduardo Barbosa

LEGO Direct

Barbosa eh? I think Pirates have infiltrated Lego to make it difficult for people who live out of Lego's shipping ranges... To the Intercepter!

We hope to be able to ship to Greece soon as we are actively working to

expand and include more countries soon.

Well.... sounds promising.... 8-|

Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.

Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626)

so i got an answer from TLC on my prices question and complain

this is the first time it took them so long to answer an email!!

and this is what they say:

Dear Mr ......

Thank you for getting in touch with us and so carefully and precisely

letting us know the situation in Greece.

I am really sorry to know about such speculation of prices and I can

understand your frustration but the prices through the Shop At Home

Service and our Web site are determined by suggested retail prices, plus a

shipping & handling fee for consumer convenience. As you have

experienced, actual retail prices are dependent on the market such as where you

shop, or seasonal sales. At any time, you may find LEGO toys in local

stores or kiosks at prices higher or lower than the suggested retail.

The prices charged at the retail level are at the discretion of the

retail store or kiosk and we do not compete with those prices.

We hope to be able to ship to Greece soon as we are actively working to

expand and include more countries soon.

Best regards,

Eduardo Barbosa

LEGO Direct

honestly, this is a very standard reply. in fact, they're saying exactly the same thing in any catalog that mentions prices... It doesn't help you much I'm afraid... :-X

no it really dosent..

because these prices are also in the Greek lego catalog

so its not a metter of retail shop but the whole greek lego company branch (whatever its called)

and they have been promising to ecxpand the S@H for almost 2 years now...

so its just a standar reply....

Those prices are terribly high. In the USA the new creator car set is about 8 Euro ($10). Does Lego have a monopoly in Greece, like it does in the Netherlands and it used to in Germany, or does it have competitors for market share in the building brick field? It does sound like Bricklink is probably a better source for you, and you have my sympathy.

Those prices are terribly high. In the USA the new creator car set is about 8 Euro ($10). Does Lego have a monopoly in Greece, like it does in the Netherlands and it used to in Germany, or does it have competitors for market share in the building brick field? It does sound like Bricklink is probably a better source for you, and you have my sympathy.

thank you for your sympathy :'-)

do you mean if there are any other good selling brick build brands?

well there are megablocks but the sell terribly

the bad think is that these are the official greek prices and not some stores bad pricing.

and not all the sets make it here..

a lot of them arent even mentioned

bionicle and star-wars seem to be very popular and so not all city sets make it here (like the new hospital)

and if you can find a set in some small store the price will be huge (airport-140 euro)

i tried to go through bricklink as many of you sugested but it looks like absolute chaos to me

i cant find my way in all those stores and pages!!

can any of you sugest a few good sellers?

(sorry to double post)

well the answer i got from TLC didnt really answer my questions..

so i replied with this:

The terrible prices i mentioned in my previous email are not the prices of any given store or kiosk.They are the prices of Lego-Greece.This are the prices of the lego catalog in Greece.So they are official company prices and not random retail market prices.

let me give you another example

set no 4953- 19.99 euro for Germany 24.99 for Greece

set no 7784- 94.99 euro for Germany 119.99 for Greece

set no 7659- 64.99 euro for Germany 79.99 for Greece

and ofcourse there are many more examples i could mention.

The prices at most stores are even higher than the catalog-official ones.

I understand you are not to blame for the store prices.

But the prices in the catalog are lego official ones and somebody should really tell us what is wrong with your Greek market.

Wages in Greece are some of the lowest in the EU, and those of Germany are trully high.So how do you decide on what everything will cost for every country?

If Lego whants to increase its sales in Greece they should show more respect to the customers and handle their prices better.

Unless you dont care about the Greek market because you sell so few sets here compared to other countries and in order to make a profit you have to have such high prices.

Even if this is the story you should open the S@H market to everyone so that those of us who love lego could continue on with our hobby.

I have another question for you.

How do you decide which sets are sent to which country..

We got the batman sets this year but there are two sets missing from the catalog.The batcave and the set with cat-woman..Why are these sets NOT coming to Greece?Who decides for this?

i wonder what their answer will be... 8-|

(sorry to double post)

well the answer i got from TLC didnt really answer my questions..

so i replied with this:

The terrible prices i mentioned in my previous email are not the prices of any given store or kiosk.They are the prices of Lego-Greece.This are the prices of the lego catalog in Greece.So they are official company prices and not random retail market prices.

let me give you another example

set no 4953- 19.99 euro for Germany 24.99 for Greece

set no 7784- 94.99 euro for Germany 119.99 for Greece

set no 7659- 64.99 euro for Germany 79.99 for Greece

and ofcourse there are many more examples i could mention.

The prices at most stores are even higher than the catalog-official ones.

I understand you are not to blame for the store prices.

But the prices in the catalog are lego official ones and somebody should really tell us what is wrong with your Greek market.

Wages in Greece are some of the lowest in the EU, and those of Germany are trully high.So how do you decide on what everything will cost for every country?

If Lego whants to increase its sales in Greece they should show more respect to the customers and handle their prices better.

Unless you dont care about the Greek market because you sell so few sets here compared to other countries and in order to make a profit you have to have such high prices.

Even if this is the story you should open the S@H market to everyone so that those of us who love lego could continue on with our hobby.

I have another question for you.

How do you decide which sets are sent to which country..

We got the batman sets this year but there are two sets missing from the catalog.The batcave and the set with cat-woman..Why are these sets NOT coming to Greece?Who decides for this?

i wonder what their answer will be... 8-|

I understand that you feel ripped off, phoinix, but the prices you mention there are actually very much like the prices in Denmark(which is where lego was founded, and most of it produced, until recently).

So you are not the only one who has bad prices in your country, and it also takes forever for the new sets to show up in the Danish shops, even though that we have Tru's and other big toy chains around here.