denosya Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I have massively invested in LOTR sets in 2012 and 2013. However, now the 2014 sets are out, I have started hesitating. One of my favorite sets is the 79012 Mirkwood Elf Army. The problem is the price difference between US and Europe. Retail prices: US : 29.9USD UK : 47USD (29.9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fendiixx Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 It's annoying how much cheaper US gets them, a lot of the time it feels like i'm getting a decent discount then see in America they can get it even cheaper. However from what i've experienced so far sets in the Uk sell for higher than in the US so although we pay more initially, we do get a greater return. There is also considerably higher competition. I'll use an example Currently on Amazon, Hogwarts castle: US - Lowest Listing $320/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veegs Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I initially thought this about the Canadian market, but found that it was pretty easy to sell this holiday season. Anyone who has been hit with import fees (or worse, have had to pay shipping with the ebay global shipping program thing) or other shipping issues seems happy to buy from a Canadian. Another advantage is that US EOL seems to go before CAN, as retail prices are higher here, so if you miss the boat you can usually find sets before they jump in price, but after they are retired. It ain't all bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickleboy Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Blame your governments, unions and climatefearmongerers. Imagine trying to do business in that atmosphere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcarin Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 It's annoying how much cheaper US gets them, a lot of the time it feels like i'm getting a decent discount then see in America they can get it even cheaper. However from what i've experienced so far sets in the Uk sell for higher than in the US so although we pay more initially, we do get a greater return. There is also considerably higher competition. I'll use an example Currently on Amazon, Hogwarts castle: US - Lowest Listing $320/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sozial Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 well come on guys...it is cheaper in US but we all earn our money even it is less than over there. If it is too less, you have to look somewhere else to earn your money. stop wasting your time ;-) better search for good offers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinP Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I have to agree that the European pricing for Lego sets is scary. I remember when I was in Europe I saw some Lego sets, and I converted the prices to USD. They were twice the MSRP of the US. You have to look for deals to get them close to the US prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denosya Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 I agree, everything is fine while there is a strong "barrier" between US and EU markets (shipping and taxes). Anyway, it is always strange to see prices doubling when I validate my cart on amazon.com... And yet, it remains most often cheaper than what I can get in France. Curiously, books and blurays are not "protected" as much. I often order up to 75$ without any taxes. Canada is also an interesting case. I guess the people near the US border must enjoy a lot a little ride to the closest US Wallmart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard74 Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Glad you feel my pain. Yes, the Netherlands are an expensive Lego country even for European standards. Ironically the Scandinavian countries (among which Lego's native Denmark) are even more expensive though. But like some others have said, not all is bad concidering the following: 1. It's usually not necessary to pay full retail price. It's pretty rare that I cannot find a set at least 20% below Lego's recommended price. 2. The prices we can get for the sets in the secondary market are usually also higher. Take for example 4184 Black Pearl. Retail price was $99 in the U.S. and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcarin Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Glad you feel my pain. Yes, the Netherlands are an expensive Lego country even for European standards. Ironically the Scandinavian countries (among which Lego's native Denmark) are even more expensive though. But like some others have said, not all is bad concidering the following: 1. It's usually not necessary to pay full retail price. It's pretty rare that I cannot find a set at least 20% below Lego's recommended price. 2. The prices we can get for the sets in the secondary market are usually also higher. Take for example 4184 Black Pearl. Retail price was $99 in the U.S. and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakinisvader Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 You know what else is scary in Europe? Women who don't shave their legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denosya Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 You know what else is scary in Europe? Women who don't shave their legs. We mostly have the "all-naked-on-the-beach" model here, Sir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fendiixx Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Yes but you are limiting your business to only EU and other countries with worse prices.... When you ''invest'' in US you have no limits cos its cheapest so you can expect all to be potential buyers... No because Amazon is region based and on eBay once you factor in shipping/import taxes and so on I'd imagine it would balance the price back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenbart Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 The U.K have it pretty good as far Lego investment goes. Nowhere near the competition of the U.S, for example look on bricklink and search superhero sets and you will only find a handful of each set. We do pay more but we then sell for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOrcKing Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 You know what else is scary in Europe? Women who don't shave their legs. We mostly have the "all-naked-on-the-beach" model here, Sir Yeah, didn't you watch "Eurotrip", Anakin? :spiteful: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denosya Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Finally, I have bought my sets on amazon.com. The US price is currently 25$. Shipping for France (for 5 sets): 34$ Import fees: 20% Total price: (5x25$ + 34$) * 120% = 191$ Which is an amazing 38$ per set compared to 52$ on amazon.fr !! What is funny is shipping to the Netherlands (most expensive country ever) is twice cheaper, which makes the US set even more attractive. I see no logic in buying my sets on amazon.com. But well, while they are 25% cheaper... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Mack Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 The question I have for all non US members is how much do you actually sell and flip sets because of these price differences? Jeff and I are always trying to gauge the importance of this site to non US LEGO investors. We know that non US LEGO fans are some of the most fervent in the world, yet we wonder how much "investing and reselling" non US members actually do or does this site actually help you obtain cheaper LEGO sets for personal use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambroise Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I don't know if my answer will be usefull, but I believe th US and EU markets are very similar, and almost identical once you set a biased conversion rule (like 1$ in US = 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenbart Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I see good deals all the time on ebay in the US, but the postage and the customs charge cancel it out. The site is good as a central source of news from websites in the US and Europe, but I cant think of anything that has led me to getting a good purchase deal. If we get some more freebie Lego in the newspapers, I may use the site to look for members to trade polybags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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