Of Legos and the GBP

[JackJonespaw]

Hey, everyone. JackJonespaw here. You probably don't know me, as I never frequent this part of the forum, and you, the reader, probably do. But that's not really relevant. I just wanted to bring up an idea that I had based on the whole Brexit mess, and the fact that the GBP is now worth 1.35 of the USD (as of 29/6/16), which has fallen quite far.

So let's say there's a 60$ Lego set. When a Lego set comes out, the prices for USD, GBP, and Euro are all set, and those prices don't change. For example, take the set THE BATTLE OF TAKODANA, which is priced at 59.99$ and 49.99£. But, if you run the numbers today, with the lowered price of the GBP, the value is actually 59.99$/44.5£. Roughly a 5 pound difference...which could be definitely taken advantage of.

So think about it - if you bought Lego sets in America and retailed them off for the full price in England somehow, whether it be online or in public, you could definitely make a profit based upon the fixed price that Lego sets, if you plan it out right.

Thoughts?

[Robianco]

You have to figure out shipping into that. As a UK Lego buyer someone in the US could probably sell me a set cheaper than I can buy it here in the UK... but the US seller would have to hope that Amazon or a similar UK retailer wouldn't have it reduced at all... and then they'd have to get a pretty good shipping option to be able to sell it to me quickly and still be lower than I can buy in the UK.

There's also no sales tax on the UK price... so each regional sales tax in the US would bump the price a little bit closer to the UK price anyway.

I can buy Takodana for £39.97 from Amazon, with price matching from various bricks and mortar retailers and get free shipping with next day delivery.

[Peppermint_M]

Postage costs are a nightmare from the US. Then there is import/export taxes that jack up the price even more!

Trust me, it looks great initially but then it ends up costing an arm and a leg. (Take it from someone who wants to get Target figure cubes, certain exclusive Converse shoes and any and all merch from certain franchises that retailers in the UK do not think are popular enough)

[Robianco]

Postage costs are a nightmare from the US. Then there is import/export taxes that jack up the price even more!

Take it from someone who wants to get Target figure cubes

I normally order a couple online and sent to a friend in the US who then ships mine to me. Much cheaper way of doing it. If they do the same this year I'll happily try and include another one in the order ;)

[Lyichir]

As an American, I don't see actually ordering Lego from the UK becoming more economical than the already low U.S. prices any time soon.

That said, I have been considering the possibility of subscribing to a UK-based Lego magazine like Blocks, Bricks, or Bricks Culture while the exchange rate is in my favor.