Fatteh

Is it though? If they are charging you NZ GST on items which are included in a single package with a total value of less than $400 or so, they shouldn't be. Such a package sent from offshore is exempt from GST. If their pricing doesn't change depending on the total value of your order, then they are not charging people correctly.

They used to charge NZ GST on S@H? Did they apply it to all purchases, or only those that exceeded the customs $50 minimum GST limit for incoming goods? If they were charging it on everything, people were paying more than they should've. Had a funny trip to the Warewhare yesterday. Was checking the price on the unpopular $80 Freeco superpack and the box I picked up happened to be torn. I thought someone had probably raided it, so took it to customer service to make an offer for whatever was left. Everything was there. I tried it on and said I'd give them $50 for it. The guy said 'Nah, forty'll do'. Okay.

Isn't S@H an overseas website? Why would they charge NZ GST? That is the responsibility of customs.

Anyone looking for a good deal on the Imperial Shuttle 10212? IQ Toys has it for $370 with free shipping.

Took a punt on a 10195 Dropship and AT-OT for $NZ170 ($US130) the other day. May need a few bits off BL to bring it up to scratch. Then a few minutes ago a Spider Droid complete with Commander Fox popped up for $NZ30. Sweet. Add those to the mint complete Battle of Endor set that stung me a whopping $NZ82 a while back, and it's shaping up to be a much bigger xmas than I thought it would be. Except guilt made me go a bit overboard on the missus' present, so that Death Star just drifted further out of range.

Not sure about boxing day sales, but I did notice that Mighty Ape has a lot of reasonable deals on lego at the moment. Anyone here bought from them before?

I think there's a few more than two sets in that boat. [crowd chants 'Monorail' softly and rhythmically]

Scored a complete used 7751 Ahsoka's Starfighter for NZ$56 (US$43) a couple of weeks ago - could do with new stickers - and a complete 8038 Battle of Endor from an adult collector for NZ$82 (US$63) yesterday. Sweet deals.

I'm pretty sure customs will apply the GST and associated fees to anything with a stated value that would incur $60+ of GST - a total value of $400 for most items. We've had problems at work with scientific gear that has to be sent to Australia for calibration being hit by these fees on return to NZ. They are calculated off the value which is stated on the shipping dockets for insurance purposes. As far as I know, customs has never backed down even with proof of prior ownership. Chances are high that if customs sees a parcel with a value over the threshold, you will be charged the GST and fees.

I don't think I can afford to look at amazon.fr I did get a complete Ahsoka's starfighter on TM for $56 though, which was surprising. I had expected to lose out to bids much higher than that. The last complete 7751 on there went for about a hundie more if I recall correctly. One of the rarer sets on my wishlist checked off.

Cheers nk. Picked one up on the way home tonight. Rugby and LEGO for me this evening. There's one more on the shelves if anyone here would like me to nab it for them. $56 + postage.

Cheers Legoman. Is the midi Falcon very hard to come by these days? Local TW has some left which are included in their 20% off sale this weekend. I'm thinking I should probably pick one up while I still can.

Cheers Legoman. I don't suppose those same old clearances include the midi-ISD do they?

Of course. Excellent logic.

True. I just noticed they weren't S=R. 20% off SW at the warehouse along with quite a few other sets on sale. No sign of a clearance reduction in the last month or so, though, and the current TW and Farmers sales have already been mentioned.

Another big SW collection dump on TM at the moment. Slightly older stuff with quite decent starting bids.

Not privy to the machinations of the WH, but I do frequently drop by to check on the clearance prices because they are so randomly discounted without any advertising. Will be sure to post here if there's anything on. My opinion may be skewed by preference and by it being one of the sets that introduced me to modern LEGO, but $80 for Palpatine's Shuttle is a hella nice deal. 600 pieces of decent variety, four uncommon figures, a really interesting build, and a surprisingly nice model. 7959 be hanged. PS Anyone got a spare Fox or Cody they'd like to swap for a Rex?

Slave 1 is back down to $100 and midi ISD to $40 at the WH today. Looks like all their atlantis sets have been moved to clearance too. Most are about 50% off.

Is the midi SD still available at Kmart for a song? I picked up one recently and actually really like it. Wouldn't say no to a few more at the right price. If you can find a Freeco speeder (not the superpack) at the WH, they've been marked down to $30 for a while now. In the case of the Falcon, a MISB one went recently for just over $1k on TM after a bidding war so it seems rash to pay $900+ for one that is not in excellent nick. Then again, the rarity may mean that roughly a grand is the price that people will pay regardless. This is one case where NZ's isolation appears to work in the buyer's favour when comparing the price the Falcon fetches up North. As for purchasing sets with bung parts? Sure, at the right price. Sets with damaged/missing pieces or minifigs on TM go for a fraction of the MISB price. It's a good way to build up your collection and BL can be used to restore the set if you so desire. Is the SW LEGO market on TM a bit slow at the moment? Seen quite a few good deals go begging and $1 reserves sell far below what I'd expect.

Our local TW has tonnes of atlantis sets at half price too - including the larger ones. Many of them had been shifted to the clearance piles at the front of the store. Though judging by the stocks remaining at the WH - of which very few seemed to shift in the recent 50% sales - I'd say you should be able to pick up the big atlantis sets for sweet FA in a month or so. Brings back fond memories of getting the SP3 police station, lunar limo and undercover cruiser for a total of $60, down from $300+ at RRP. I love teh warewhare. Long may they heavily discount LEGO.

Ebay has an annual revenue in the order of US$10,000,000,000. It is highly likely that the company is occupied with tackling the effects of fraudulent activity which beggars belief, let alone the odd LEGO scam.

All of which means jack diddley to a kid choosing a toy.

Set pieces: 43,000 Missing pieces: 42,737 You have 0.61% of the pieces required to build this set Bummer

Judging by the numerous enthusiastic responses to the pics in this thread, and by the responses of my children and their peers, I'd say there is a very significant point in the emphasis TLG is placing on the development of minifigs. The ability of a unique figure to sell a set - particularly in the SW line - is obviously well proven and will no doubt continue to be a tactic employed by TLG. The minifig does indeed play a very large role in the desirability and quality of sets, regardless of how unnecessary some may consider it.

We need to recruit a frequent flying NZer who does business in the States. First class baggage priviledges, love of Lego and major altruistic streak required.