In which country is Lego the cheapest....

[lightningpaul]

Iam just wondering what price differences there are around the world.

Take the new UCS Slave1 set 75060. Here in Holland it costs 179.95 euro. 1 euro = 1.10 USD/1.38 CAD/0.73 GBP/1.42 AUD

Help me.....lol.

[Lego Spy]

I'm pretty sure its cheapest here in the US of A.

The UK is notorious for having higher prices, and Canada generally has things slightly more expensive I believe.

Australia also has higher prices, what with importation costs.

[Ode]

I'm pretty sure its cheapest here in the US of A.

To add to this, I just looked on the official Lego shop site and here it is 199$

[Basiliscus]

Brickset usually has a list of the different prices in the largest markets on the right-hand side (RRP as well as current prices).

For the Slave 1 75060, it's listed as £169.99 / $199.99 / 199.99EUR.

The latest rates from XE.com show that £169.99 buys $258.93 and 199.99EUR buys $220.80.

So, using USD as a standard in descending order:

UK = $258.93 (most expensive)

Europe = $220.80

USA = $199.99 (least expensive)

Although, if I recall directly, the US price does not include local sales tax which varies from state to state (perhaps a local can confirm?). I can't speak for Europe, but the UK price includes 20% VAT.

Ultimately what drives the price is what Lego can get away with in the local market conditions, not what is "fair" between markets.

[dr_spock]

I think USA is the lowest. I don't think it is a simple as a straight currency conversion. There are sales taxes, cost of doing business in the country (employee wages, pension benefits, employment insurance, health insurance, business supplies and services, tranportation costs, real estate costs, import tariffs, corporate taxes, etc), local market competition that can influence the local price.

In USA and Canada, the advertized price does not include local state and federal taxes. They are added on at the time of purchase.

[Lego Spy]

Although, if I recall directly, the US price does not include local sales tax which varies from state to state (perhaps a local can confirm?). I can't speak for Europe, but the UK price includes 20% VAT.

In USA and Canada, the advertized price does not include local state and federal taxes. They are added on at the time of purchase.

Correct. Its 8% of the original price in New York. (So the price of the Slave I is actually ~$215.99)

Edited March 5, 2015 by Lego Spy

[TheLegGodt]

Correct. Its 8% of the original price in New York. (So the price of the Slave I is actually ~$215.99)

If that's so then the Slave 1 = $216 incl taxes which is almost the same as the price in Europe.

Take the new UCS Slave1 set 75060. Here in Holland it costs 179.95 euro. 1 euro = 1.10 USD/1.38 CAD/0.73 GBP/1.42 AUD

You need to be a bit more specific about what you are comparing. The RRP is 199 euros in Holland and that is the price if your order at the Dutch S&H. The price at Brickshop.nl is indeed 179,95.

[Breakdown]

I think USA is the lowest. I don't think it is a simple as a straight currency conversion. There are sales taxes, cost of doing business in the country (employee wages, pension benefits, employment insurance, health insurance, business supplies and services, tranportation costs, real estate costs, import tariffs, corporate taxes, etc), local market competition that can influence the local price.

In USA and Canada, the advertized price does not include local state and federal taxes. They are added on at the time of purchase.

I think that Canada is really the right answer:

I ship much of my parts to the US, and it's basically only a case of what I cannot buy in Canada from TRU etc, I buy in the US and send to my buddy's house.

I'll give an example.

60051 (WILL NOT GO ON SALE IN USA TRU) PRICE: $149.99 USD + 5% tax = $157.49 USD Equivalent

60051 (EVERY 5th week in Canada TRU) PRICE: $135.99 CAD

That $135.99 translates into $108.79 USD. + 13% taxes in Ontario = $122.93 USD Equivalent

This is universal across all of the newer sets that I'm interested in. If I was a US citizen with a Canadian friend that I would visit, I would ship all of my stuffs to Canada.

Pick-a-brick until February was equal USD to CAD.

Currently my sample order is $6.72 CAD or $6.20 USD.

USD value: in US: $6.51 (assuming 5% tax) $6.07 (Canadian converted with 13% taxes). If you go to some place like Alberta their taxes would ONLY be 5%.

It's rare to say this, but Lego is one thing that Canadians are not getting punished on . . . .yet.

[talos]

I think its hard to factor tax into it. I think the msrp is a more uniform measure. My tax here in California is 9%..unfortunately..

[lightningpaul]

Pffffff.... so there is not 1 answer but many answers. Taxes and shipment costs are always killing. Brickshop is a good place to buy here in Holland but sometimes ToysXL has actions like buying 3 lego boxes and get the cheapest free. Not allowed to buy 3 the same sets.

[Kelso]

Pffffff.... so there is not 1 answer but many answers. Taxes and shipment costs are always killing. Brickshop is a good place to buy here in Holland but sometimes ToysXL has actions like buying 3 lego boxes and get the cheapest free. Not allowed to buy 3 the same sets.

I also check regularly with Brickshop and ToysXL for good deals.

And currently Wehkamp has a 7.50 off code: nieuw (For first order)

http://www.wehkamp.nl/specials/kortingscode/

[Vorkosigan]

I think its hard to factor tax into it. I think the msrp is a more uniform measure. My tax here in California is 9%..unfortunately..

Does anyone in the US have higher sales tax than this? Here in Wisconsin its only 5%. Generally big cities have their own tax, I remember PA has 6% but in Philly its 7% because the city takes their own percent.

Breakdown makes a good argument but I think its tricky to take sales into account. There are many different stores across North America, though if you want the really big sets that is more limiting.

[lightningpaul]

I really dont understand this tax thing. Is any state allowed to create his own tax? Even citys? We have different government taxes for different items like alcohol or tobacco or food or petrol but its the same all around the country. Yep, I know. Holland is small and probably fits in every moderate city in the states. I also was astonished/surprised off the diference in postage in the US buying ebay things.

Edited March 6, 2015 by lightningpaul

[fred67]

Clarifications about U.S. taxes...

First, there's generally no federal sales tax (except on certain things regulated by the federal government, like cigarettes and gasoline), so there's no federal sales tax on LEGO.

Second, the United States was originally something a lot more like the European Union than a single country. We often talk about countries around the world and interchange the words country and state ("nation state," "sovereign state," "member state" - so Canada is a member state of the united nations, not a member "country"). The United States joined together a bunch of independent states. The federal government, like the governance of the EU, issued a common currency, set policies for interstate commerce, and set some national standards, and we were joined for a common defense... but mostly states were free to run themselves independently.

Our political structure has changed wildly over the years, as has the power of the federal government over states, but a lot of that legacy still exists.

So yes, some states have higher sales taxes than others; some states have no income tax. Cities are also free to implement their own sales taxes. In fact, in my state, every county can set it's own sales tax. Every city can have it's own property taxes. So, for example, I live in an "unincorporated" part of my county, so I pay county property taxes. If I lived a tenth mile closer to the closest city, I'd also have to pay city property taxes on top of that.... but I'd also be able to do things like reserve a part of the city park for a party without having to pay for it.

I pay 6% sales tax in my county; when I drive into Atlanta for work, not only are they in a different county, but the city also adds sales tax... so I pay 9% if I buy something at or near work. So it doesn't just vary state to state, but county to county.

It might seem crazy, but we're still only paying 9% (probably a bit more than that in places like NYC), while people in other countries are paying 20% already built into their prices. It's partly (and intentionally) because of competition... states that want you to live there and do business there often offer lower taxes, both on sales and income.

Edited March 6, 2015 by fred67

[mikaelsol]

I think the VAT on Lego sets in Sweden is 25 %, but it's included in the price.

[TheLegGodt]

I always find A-Tembo to be the cheapest but they don't always have the cheapest prices.

Brickshop I find a bit crafty. They say they give 15% discount but that's often on a price that is higher than the RRP. Another example: they were offering 15 % on pre-order of Elves sets. Now the price is the LEGO RRP. A-Tembo has the sets on the shelves with a standard 20% discount.

Worse still, exclusive sets will often be more expensive at Brickshop than their price at LEGO S@H. And then you should't forget that S@H offers a standard 5% discount if you are a VIP member.

[LAKAbricks]

I think the VAT on Lego sets in Sweden is 25 %, but it's included in the price.

It's the same here in Denmark. Even though LEGO is a Danish toy - we are not the lucky ones to have the cheapest LEGO...

[kage28]

With the discussion on taxes..... i don't live anywhere near the US, but I do know that Amazon.com (not 3rd parties selling using Amazon) does not charge sales tax, in states where it has no Brick and Mortar presence, and generally does not charge shipping as long as you have minimum US$35 worth of purchases .So for the majority of states in the US, LEGO is sales tax and shipping free.... as long as you use Amazon.com.

So I'm not sure if it will make it the cheapest in the world, but i though it is worth to take that into consideration.

[Artifex]

Unfortunately, I was never able to purchase straight from Lego as it won't ship to Brazil.

I don't know about the cheapest, but I'm pretty sure about the most expensive.

In Brazil, Lego sets cost, in average, two and a half to three times as much as they cost in USD or GBP. And it's all taxes.

As BRA 1 = USD 3+ and GBP 4+, you can have an idea how much a Lego sets costs in Brazil.

[GallardoLU]

another consideration that is very hard to calculate accurately is what each USD/EURO/GBP's buying power is. for example in the US if I had 100USD places like Indiana can buy approx. 110usd worth of general goods (meaning the dollar is stronger) while someone in California can only buy around 85 USD in general goods.... So the price of Lego is uniform sure, but the impact on Indiana is far less than the impact in California. (and for those wondering there was a study done not to long ago rating the value of the Dollar on a state by state basis, if anyone wants a source I can look it up again for you)

[fred67]

@GallardoLU, that's an interesting point. I was just thinking about this the other day. Keeping in mind that people living in those areas generally have higher incomes, though... I was offered significantly more pay for a job in the San Jose, CA area than I was for a job in GA. I took the job in GA because, by cost of living estimates, the amount was roughly equal.

However, financially speaking, the job for more money in CA would have been better. Theoretically I would have had the same spending power, but LEGO costs the same (before taxes) no matter where you go, as do a lot of goods - MSRP for cars, for example, doesn't vary by state (although CA adds other charges, so not a great example).

IOW, if I had to spend 70% of my income for necessities, that would give me 30% for extra spending... 30% of what I was offered in CA is a LOT more than 30% of what I made in Atlanta.

Financially I'd have been much better off in CA. Luckily, having lived on both coasts, that's what really made the decision for me... I'm an East Coast guy.

[DD840]

It's not cheaper in Canada, especially when the Cdn dollar is on par. Comparing lego.com list prices by country: Ghostbusters Ecto-1 is $59.99 cdn, 49.99 usd; Detectives Office 199.99 cdn, 159.99 usd; Tower of Orthanc $249.99 cdn, 199.99 usd.

Taxes are 12% in BC and we don't always get the same great sales offered in US stores. Shipping to Canada is almost always more than shipping to the US. I think for comparisons you have to look at msrp.

Edit: if we are slightly cheaper it's only due to the current low Cdn dollar.

Edited March 10, 2015 by DD840

[LukeWarmTea]

I feel like Lego is extra expensive here in New Zealand - perhaps that's relative to buying power as has been mentioned above. For example, the Simpsons house is $400 NZD, versus $200 US. Exchange rate wise today $200 US is just $271 NZD!

Also, as an example, my partner works a 43 hour week and takes home $460 net - so that is a very expensive set relative to income.