Anyone here familiar with Lego's online store in Brazil? http://www.legobrasil.com.br

 

I'm just curious... I lived in Brazil for a while... first, I couldn't find their normal Shop at Home via the official www.shop.lego.com .... Brasil is not offered as one of the optional countries.  I wonder it the site is just managed differently, or if Lego sold (or rented out)  their license in Brazil to a reseller (allowing them to use the Lego name)... or what.  Just seems odd that it's not part of the regular shop.lego family.

 

Anyway, I'm certainly not buying anything there.  Prices are through-the-roof (with BR$1 = US$ 0.41 right now, you can buy a Jabba's Palace there for about U.S. $325).  Friends in Brazil tell me that Legos are toys only for the very richest rich kids there.

Sorry I also have no clue ^^

 

But I'm curious about those prices though!

SSD for example:

• 10X de R$ 229,99 sem juros

 

That's 10 (monthly) payments of R$229.99 (sem juros = no interest).  Very common in Brazil.  You can buy just about anything over $25 on a monthly payment plan.

I think it's the same as Chile. In Chile Lego has several branded B&M stores and also an online store, that is not part of LEGO Shop at Home. It's just an importing company that got the license of the LEGO brand to use it in Chile. Prices here are between 2-3 times US retail price. New sets take at least 6 month to arrive in store. You can make good profit buying online in the US and reselling here 30% or more cheaper than official Chile Lego price, specially with friends, minecraft, Star Wars and other licensed sets. There is not to much reselling competition, but also the market is not that big. Maybe I should move to Brazil, I think the market there is bigger.

About the "no interest", the same happens in Chile, people buy everything and everywhere, splitting into at least 3 payments, sometimes even to buy something that costs 5 USD. There is no interest, but there are some "hidden" fees. And also people often forget to pay the second, third or whatever payment (they don't use banks and automatic payment) and then it goes boom, with interest rates of 50% and more. It's a very lucrative business managed not by banks, but by the big stores that give this type of "credit" cards to everybody.

My wife is visiting family in Brazil.  She took one of my 21126 The Wither (US$ 21) from inventory to give as a gift to her nephew there.  He liked it very much.  She stopped in a toy store yesterday just to check out what they had, and she found their Lego section... sent back these pictures... makes you feel better about our "deals" here in the USA!

Kenxxx, sir, your assumptions are correct.

Macdroid, sir, you are correct: little interest about Lego here but certainly bigger market. Some competition.

Brasil taxes any import really heavy, they are one of the most protectionist economies that exist......