Hobbes

What I know: SPOILERS!!! Hightlight to read, but only AFTER you've post what you know: * It truly was a creature and didn't look like a tiger at all. The latin name sounds like some dinosaur, as far as I can remember. The last one died in the Hobart Zoo in the 1940s... or was it the 1930s?... dunno, I remembered Hobart only because of the sailing race there. So, actually you could say it was on a big island ;) * I read somewhere that they tried to clone it (like in Jurassic Park)? * Aren't the Tasmanian Tigers some Rugby-or-Cricket-or-some-other-weird-sports Team? I came across it once cos I looking for stuff on tigers (my favorite animal - who'd have guessed?). But this creature only had the name in common and so I dropped my reading on it...

Huh... does your wife know my girlfriend?! Sure sounds like it... ;)

Well, having "refurbished" Eldorado Fortress and the Imperial Trading Post and soon be receiving a(n) SES, I have to admit I do like that theme... but only because they fit with my trains ;) Welcome, Captain Roger! :D

7344 is around EUR 20 in Europe (stores or S@H) and I just found it on TRU/amazon.com for $29.99 which at the current exchange rate comes to EUR 24.93. That's the first item I see that is more expensive in the States. Unfortunately it's one I don't like ;)

I'm in the lucky position that my girlfriend's sister lives in the States. She visits "home" twice a year, my girlfriend and I visit her once a year and the parents go there, too. That's at least 4 opportunities to "collect" LEGO and bring it with me or have it brought to me. I got my 5 Santa Fe cars for about EUR 23 each on a US S@H sale instead of EUR 39.99 at the "local" S@H. My (extended) 4511 cost me a bit more than half of what it costs here. And straight tracks at regular US-price are even cheaper than on bricklink (let alone eBay "Europe") :o If I didn't have that connection I don't know if I had that much LEGO |-/

Whoa, nice! :oo That reminds me to convince my brother to finally give me his/our classic castle sets he keeps at his place... |-/

Well, I now can announce that refurbishing is finished and after nights of not so comfortable bunk-sharing Governor Broadside and his troops return to their Eldorado Fortress. Trading business can continue as usual. And here's some pics of my collection: Panorama View Boxed View Hmm... it doesn't look that much on "film"... weird... the room seems so small in reality |-/

Hehe, I haven't thought of it that way ;) As promised, here's one of my Sabre Islands at my office (the pic's not the best cos I only had my cell phone with built-in camera to make it). If secretaries can put plush animals on their monitor I can put this next to it *satis*

mister_phes, have you seen this? Found it on LUGNET and thought you (or anybody else for that matter) might like it ;) (dial-up users watch out - lots of pics to download!)

I'd like to be able to "forget" $200,000 I left on an auction somewhere...

I think there is one on the box but in that store they had their own...

That's true. I've said numerous times that I own Pirate sets but haven't proved anything yet. Well, I can provide this picture: I do have 'em! The plastic bag on the left contains the 6276. The SES, unfortunately, is stuck in the mail. I've received word from the sender a few hours ago that she got the package back - no one knows why as of yet. I'm pretty p1$$3d 'cos so far I've received every package, no matter where it was sent from. My two Sabre Islands are at the post office and will be picked up tomorrow (I came home too late today). So I'll go in the morning and take 'em to the office with me. I'm bored there anyways at the moment...

I'm with you, snefroe1. Your explanations imply some sort of "symmetry", though. By which I mean that percentagewise the products should differ roughly by the same amount. Then how does one explain these two: 7249: USD 49.99 vs EUR 51.99 (AT) 4886: USD 39.99 vs EUR 51.99 (AT) This just defies my sense of logic, expensive or not being ignored.

It's true, LEGO was never cheap - but it was affordable once. Big sets (like trains in the 80s) always have been expensive but I dare say that the small sets were cheaper - even with taking inflation into account.

I just went through that thread. And I wasn't even that surprised anymore. Is that a bad sign? BTW, is the yoda-toast auction over? It was a long time ago...

Hmmm... one could switch the barcode sticker...

None at the moment. Usually I just browse through the auctions and if something strikes me as a possible deal I watch it. What I always look for are a reasonably priced 7740 (max. EUR 100) and/or 7760 (max. EUR 40). Unfortunately those two always wander off into the world of the insane bidder...

LOL Terrific! I used to do that, too, just not with LEGO which was too expensive for me one way or the other...

It was the cashier's fault (she mistyped the amount). If it was the technology the store would be empty, trust me ;)

I've always liked it but somehow been reluctant to buy it. Now I like it even more ;) It was fun to build, too. Lots of interesting parts. For this set I wouldn't have mind the correct price, either, but I just couldn't say "no" to a "discount offer" like this ;)

:'( I know that feeling. That's how toy stores used to look here, too. That's why I was so surprised when I saw all that restocking (and be it older sets that needed to get off the inventory).

Last Saturday I went to a local toy store to check if they had also restocked their LEGO. They had. While I was standing there, drooling, I found a 7044 which I've wanted for some time. And after quite some time of hesitating and pondering I decided to just buy it. It was priced at EUR 20.49 which isn't cheap but to me it was worth the feeling of buying LEGO in real life :) At the register I paid with my debit card. Side note: They had a system there where the cash register isn't hooked up to the debit card system. They scan the box, give you a receipt from the cash register and then "manually" type in the price into a smaller second register which is hooked up to the debit card system. You then get a second receipt which shows the amount your debit card will be charged. When I went out the store I saw that the cash receipt said EUR 20.49, but the debit card receipt said EUR 2.49 - the cashier must have mistyped the price! Since they cannot charge more than "registered" with the debit card system I paid only EUR 2.49 for a brand new 7044 :oD That's what I call a sale ;)

I know, BUT: snefroe1 said the price difference is because of taxes. jipay countered with his example. I say, snefroe1 meant that the value of US prices correspond to net value of European prices. For jipay's example this means that USD 140 "equal" EUR 140 to which then taxes are added and we arrive at a price of almost EUR 170 for USD 140. ;)

I think snefroe1 means that the USD 140 you're referring to already are the net prices. If you add 20 % VAT (like in Austria) to the 140 in question you come up with 168...

That is true - but unfortunately they usually spend their money on sets I also would like to have (like sets with a box) :'(