shawn_low

US buyers aren't the only ones affected. As TRU ships overseas, quite a few people (including myself) have had the runaround from TRU. The problem in getting money back is compounded by the fact that TRUs e-commerce system means that we paid via Paypal to the shipping company that TRU uses i-parcel. i-Parcel haven't been told by TRU that the orders are cancelled and won't refund. TRU won't refund as they didn't get 'paid'. A Paypal dispute has to be lodged to even begin the process of getting our money back as TRU just keeps saying they didn't take the money... TRU claim the item won't be back in stock. Anyone know the best agency to write to with complaints? The Federal Trade Commission?

Nice! I like that once but prices have gone bonkers for this small set. I put my money towards an Ole Kirk House instead.

This series is great for army builders. I count at least 4 out of 16 suitable for armies. - Mohican - English? Soldier (pairs with Mohican for the Wilderness Wars) - Roman (could be made into a Spartan) soldier - Xena female warrior I read conflicting reports that the gold minifig is limited to 5000 or 10000 making it near impossible to get I would imagine. It would be nice if they made it 1 per box. But TLG making it the Monopoly Man = them saying 'Show me the money!' Which we all no doubt will.

Picked up 5 case fresh Zombies sets today (Australia) under Aussie RRP. There were 6 (Three in a box) but the employee cut open the Lego shipping box with a blade and sliced into one box (OUCH). So I left that on the shelves for some other person.

Doesn't apply to places outside the US where this set WASN'T an exclusive. In countries like Singapore and Australia, you can find these sets on 'clearance'. Mind you, I say clearance but with the high RRP mark ups here compared to the US, the Zombie set is about US$45.

No one really said anything when Amazon was sitting on hundreds of set at US$238 just last Christmas even though it was widely known to be going EOL. Now everyone and their mothers wants to get a few! :-) $340 on eBay minus 10% fees for eBay and Paypal = $306. Your cost is $260 + tax + effort to pack the set and get it shipped. Is it really worth the effort to sell now? Ah, the power of hindsight.

Picked up from a local collector - Mini Modulars (gonna build this) - Used 10175 UCS Darth Vadar Tie Advanced - Used 10198 Tantive IV All for building. :-)

Picked up the Employee-only Ole Kirk's House 4000007

2x Medieval Marketplace 10193 Like the set. :-)

Good video. However, my Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde figure has the same bump codes as your battle mech. :-)

Picked up an old Lego 8461 F1 Williams Racer from a local collector for fun. Also picked up a SW 9500 Sith Fury Interceptor...ebay snipe.

As someone said, at those prices, why even bother asking us whether you think you should get a set or not? Just get everything. Or are you here to dangle a carrot in our faces while going, 'Neh neh neh neh neh?' because at those prices, assuming everything is above board, it certainly feels like it. :-)

Picked up 5 x Diagon Alley at a local clearance. Also picked up a 2011 SW Advent Calendar just because I missed out earlier!

As the title says, can anyone shed some light on why Amazon.com can ship some Lego sets internationally but not others. The same goes for Amazon.FR/DE/ES. Strange. Just curious.

I'd imagine it will go EOL soon but it has been around for SOOO long that so many are sitting on copies. Amazon have been listing it for a silly bargain price of $119 since Christmas. Over 5500 people have it on the 'owned' list on Brickset. I suspect the only way for prices on this one to really soar is for new AFOLs to come out of their Dark Ages and start hunting for the old modulars...

Was travelling in Singapore and found a collector who had some gems that I promptly relieved him of: 1 x 10444 Star Wars Sandcrawler 2 x 10174 UCS AT-ST (one US box and the other was the Rest of World box without piece count) 1 x 7668 Rebel Scout Speeder. Everyone needs more rebel troopers! W00t!

I think the set can and will hit $3000 at some point. In Australia, new sealed sets are hitting A$2700 (last two ended eBay auctions) which is about US$2836 so the US seller you thought was selling his dead mint version for US$3000 is actually an attractive option for Australian buyers...

Finally picked up my holy grail the 10179 Falcon UCS. En route from the US. Fingers crossed. Found a 10215 Obi Wan Starfighter on shelves in Singapore (work trip) for retail and couldn't help but pick it up...

How about 'buyer beware' instead of 'scammer'?

Minecraft Lego is a clever collaboration/license on Lego's part. While I don't 'get' the game, it has great appeal. And like good popular video games, there's plenty of merchandising to cash in on. Just witness all the stuff with Angry Birds. I don't 'get' the crappy board games and the gazillion other peripherals based on Angry Birds, but hey, fans like enough to shell out $$$. And Lego + Minecraft has a great thematic link. FYI, here's how popular Minecraft is according to Wikipedia: A of December 13, 2012, the game has sold over 8.3 million copies on PC and over 17.5 million copies across all platforms. Assuming even 1% of the people who play Minecraft decide to get the Lego set, that's still 175,000 sets sold. Not bad eh?

Thanks! Looks like a huge new batch has hit the big retailers?

There have, and always will be, scammers out to get your money. It could be that cheap 10188 Death Star on eBay going for $199 BIN or a $500 10179 Falcon on Craigslist. Perhaps we could have a 'sticky' thread where we post scammer or suspicious listings so buyers and Brickpickers can be alerted? Also note that if you find a fraudulent listing on eBay, you can email ebay. There's a 'report seller' link on the Seller's bio page. Ebay are generally quick to respond to such emails and pulls down listings quick. Having said that, here's a story that I posted in another thread but thought it might be apt to post it here. And why do people do such things for a couple of hundred bucks?! Also, another recent scam I did't fall for via a FACE to FACE deal on Gumtree. Sometime late last year, a seller posted on Gumtree selling a couple of Lego sets. Death Star, Super Star Destroyer, Cars, City Mine. I emailed and seller (never gave me a name or a number) said he/she would only ship via courier COD. I asked for a pick-up and he/she said they work 80 hours a week and am not home for pick up. Prices were reasonable and it seemed safe enough via courier. After a few weeks, we finally arranged for a delivery. I ordered the Death Star 10188 for $420. Same price as Amazon shipped but figured it was local so... This morning, a guy turns up. Says he's from Couriers Plus and shows some dodgy paperwork (no seller name or address). The company delivery sheet had no contact number. Only a business name and address. So courier was paid and walks off. I lift the box and it feels too light. Opened it up and it was the Cars and City Mine set. Worth $150 but I gave the courier $420. Chased after the courier (he parked round the corner and drove a Holden not a van) and he umm and ahhed and said I already signed for it. I refused to let it go and said it labelled as Star Wars but I didn't receive it. He couldn't give me the sellers name for 'privacy reasons'. Fair enough. He tried to call the 'depot' but couldn't get through. Throughout, he said various things that contradicted each other (Oh I'm in a rush, have other deliveries to make. Then later on, he said, Oh, this is my last delivery for the morning). In the end, I refused the delivery and insisted on my money back. Courier gave it back and went off. I did a Google search on the company and found no telephone number and only an ABN and a business address (at a residence: 7 Lucerne St, Campbellfield, Vic 3061). I emailed the seller who said that it was a mix up and my Death Star was shipped to the wrong address and it was the courier's fault and the other receiving party doesn't want to own up etc. He/she was out of pocket. Despite me asking for him/her to call me throughout, there was no phone call. Haven't heard back from the seller since.

I generally adhere to the 'If it's too good to be true rule, it probably isn't.' If I do break the rule, for such risky transactions, I only ever pay via Paypal with a credit card. That way, I can either go back to my CC issuer or Paypal. I've had a situation like this once. Bought an iPhone off Gumtree, local equivalent of Craigslist and had the sellers phone number. He said he mailed it out but never gave a tracking number. Turned out to be a scam. In any case, I was refunded after opening a dispute with Paypal. Also, another recent scam I did't fall for via a FACE to FACE deal on Gumtree. Sometime late last year, a seller posted on Gumtree selling a couple of Lego sets. Death Star, Super Star Destroyer, Cars, City Mine. I emailed and seller (never gave me a name or a number) said he/she would only ship via courier COD. I asked for a pick-up and he/she said they work 80 hours a week and am not home for pick up. Prices were reasonable and it seemed safe enough via courier. After a few weeks, we finally arranged for a delivery. I ordered the Death Star 10188 for $420. Same price as Amazon shipped but figured it was local so... This morning, a guy turns up. Says he's from Couriers Plus and shows some dodgy paperwork (no seller name or address). The company delivery sheet had no contact number. Only a business name and address. So courier was paid and walks off. I lift the box and it feels too light. Opened it up and it was the Cars and City Mine set. Worth $150 but I gave the courier $420. Chased after the courier (he parked round the corner and drove a Holden not a van) and he umm and ahhed and said I already signed for it. I refused to let it go and said it labelled as Star Wars but I didn't receive it. He couldn't give me the sellers name for 'privacy reasons'. Fair enough. He tried to call the 'depot' but couldn't get through. Throughout, he said various things that contradicted each other (Oh I'm in a rush, have other deliveries to make. Then later on, he said, Oh, this is my last delivery for the morning). In the end, I refused the delivery and insisted on my money back. Courier gave it back and went off. I did a Google search on the company and found no telephone number and only an ABN and a business address (at a residence: 7 Lucerne St, Campbellfield, Vic 3061). I emailed the seller who said that it was a mix up and my Death Star was shipped to the wrong address and it was the courier's fault and the other receiving party doesn't want to own up etc. He/she was out of pocket. Despite me asking for him/her to call me throughout, there was no phone call.

Anyone have any idea (in terms of percentage value) what these imperfections/damage might have on the value of the Green Grocer set? - dings to the corners - a crease at the front - a dint and crease on the top - a crease on the back (side of box) 10, 20 30%? More? Thanks for opinions!

It comes down to what your time is worth. How much time will you spend preparing the ebay listing, actually listing, packing the set and getting it shipped off or going down the the post office? Rinse and repeat 100 times. Could get tiresome real quick. :-)