It can be tough being an Australian LEGO fan. We all know that Australian prices are higher, but there are also other issues that we have to deal with. Australian prices are not just higher, they are inconsistently higher with markups anywhere from 5% to 50%. There is also the recent increase in the free shipping threshold which has made the official online LEGO store practically useless for small orders, with delivery costing at least $25.
After years of dealing with higher prices Australian consumers got smart. In the harsh desert of Australian retail prices we found an oasis; a secret source of cheaper LEGO. That oasis was Amazon. It really was wonderful; the strong Australian dollar combined with low US prices and affordable shipping to create a situation where Australians could import LEGO for less than the Australian RRP. Unfortunately Amazon has currently blocked international shipping for LEGO.
If you try and by LEGO from Amazon today you will get the following message;
Sorry, this item can’t be shipped to your selected address. Learn more. You may either change the shipping address or delete the item from your order.
We have been communicating with Amazon on the issue extensively, and today received the following response;
Due to certain restrictions by the manufacturer, this change has been bought and I can confirm that the change is not permanent.
We suggest everybody cross their fingers and hope that this information is accurate. The Amazon apocolapse may just be a temporary set-back. It is important to note that this information is coming from a support agent, so until we can start ordering from Amazon, we won’t know for sure.
If there are products that you do want to purchase from Amazon, we suggest getting in touch with them and letting them know that you aren’t happy with the restriction. The more people that complain, the more pressure they can put on LEGO.
We promise to stay on top of the issue and update as more information becomes available.
wow, got lucky. i ordered about $200 worth late last week thru amazon. and my first test experience, the latest white ninjago copter 70724, just arrived. With shipping it was $55.45 (42 + 13.45). damn site cheaper than the $80 they want here. Brickbadger.com steered me towards the deal, and there’s always that trepidation on whether it will say they will ship it here.
umm.. i just checked that deal and its still available to australia, its a bit hit and miss what you can find that does ship here, but its possible. funnily enough that ninjacopter is Lego’s own listing 🙂 and a quick check 100% of their listings, sample of 20 random clicks, all still good
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n%3A165793011%2Cp_4%3ALEGO&ie=UTF8&qid=1408341554
scrap that, you’re right. upon checkout it kills the order. grrrrr
what’s the best contact for us to get to amazon through???
I believe you have to go through their support process. https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/contact-us
I selected “Something else” then chose “Placing an order” from the drop-down box.
I probably get more of my Lego from Amazon than Lego due to the price, was always a bit hit and miss for what they would ship and sometimes I use myus.com to forward.
I got on the band wagon to Amazon via customer support asking more about the no international shipping Lego policy, what is it and why?
I wish Lego would just figure it out, its crazy that I can buy it US retail and ship it for less than Lego want to charge me for it! (I guess Lego get their money regardless)
This is very disappointing and poor form on Lego’s behalf, they’re obviously just trying to milk the Australian marketplace for what it’s worth. Between this and the free shipping increase from Lego store it’s been a tough few months!
I also raised a complaint to Amazon but unfortunately the message is it’s out of their control. It is encouraging however they have indicated it is a temporary thing.
I asked Amazon the following:
Can you advise me of the policy detail that restricts so many Lego products from being valid for international shipping?
And why this changes without notice?
And they gave the following reply:
I’m sorry to hear your order isn’t qualifying for AmazonGlobal Free Shipping. Orders shipping to Australia are no longer eligible for this shipping method. AmazonGlobal Free Shipping isn’t eligible for certain oversize products or products with a shipping weight over 20 pounds. Items must also be eligible for the AmazonGlobal Program and sold by Amazon.com.
However as one time exception, please place an order with Standard International Shipping and write back to us with the order number as an exception we’ll either waive off or refund the total shipping costs.
No mention of Lego. And I wasn’t getting free shipping, guess the answer is dependent on which way the wind is blowing.
“… this change has been bought…” – wow, I’m disgusted that The LEGO Group would pay a 3rd party to establish a cartel.
Instead of throwing money around to maintain their extortionate prices, why not build better warehouses in Australia and stop scamming us?
This is very disappointing. I really want to stop using the Lego online shop altogether and this is not going to help. Lego shop@home is not only very expensive, but their delivery is also pretty unreliable due to the hand off between DHL and AusPost. Case in point: my last order (exo suit, research institute, mini cooper) arrived in Australia over a week ago but has yet to be dispatched. I’ve been trying to follow up with Lego support over the phone and they have been remarkably unhelpful. Seems like some sort of paperwork discrepency between AusPost and DHL (according to AusPost who were far more helpful) but Lego refuse to even call DHL to follow it up. All they have offered to do so far is cancel the order and refund me because exo suit and research institute are out of stock. This is the THIRD time this has happened in the last 9 months. The service from Amazon was not only way cheaper, but 10 times better. Makes me want to give up Lego altogether quite frankly.
Really angry about that!
A couple days ago when I was browsing Amazon US, I indeed came across the same thing. Many Lego sets with reasonable price cannot be shipped to Australia. The ones which can be shipped to Australia will be added more than 100$ delivery&handling fee, or are pretty expensive.
is Lego Australia legal doing this?
This should be brought up on A Current Affair and reported to the Australian Media. It is price gouging and a dirty tactic
a couple days ago, I sent a letter to Lego regarding this problem, and they replied:
“Amazon is one of our retailers, and who they ship to is up to them and is not a decision made by The LEGO Group. Please contact Amazon for your request.”
Interesting! who is not telling the truth?
That is very interesting. Any chance you could forward that to me so I can investigate further? michael [at] brickingaround.com
Does anyone have an update on this issue? I just checked Amazon and still unable to purchase any sets.
It’d be good to know conclusively who initiated the restriction. As shipping is still permitted outside the US by ToysRUs and Barnes & Noble it makes it hard to point the finger only at Lego.
Unfortunately we are struggling to get answers on this. Every time we contact Amazon they say it is LEGO, and LEGO aren’t really saying anything.
Hi Everyone, I see you are having the same issues with Amazon and international shipping as I am. I know you are primarily worried about Lego, but this change in policy seems to be across thousands of products and across multiple categories, and though Lego has been affected, most toys and gift items have been blocked to.
I have been working hard to get a response from Amazon in regards to this change of policy and have received the same answer as you that “Warranty and legal restrictions limit the delivery destinations for some products,” which obviously doesn’t ring as true particularly because this change has affected thousands of products across multiple brands and categories.
If anyone has any luck in getting an update on this please let me know!
Kayla
I am having the same problems with Marvel and Lego items. The thing is I have bought many of these items over the last 12 months and now I am doing a Christmas shop. The timing is very odd and the answers I get from Amazon customer service are vague and don’t answer my questions!