Hello from Australia

Bluefairy_56

Hi,
My name is Lynn, I am a 51yr old grandmother. I live in rural South Australia with my husband and my youngest daughter.

As a kid we never had Lego. When I had kids I bought Lego for each of my kids and I enjoyed playing and building with them. Now that they have children of their own, I have got to buy and see the sets being built by my grandchildren.

I love how the sets have gone from basic sets, to now recreating movie scenes. My two youngest daughters and myself have picked themes we love and are buying sets to build our collections. So Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings/Hobbit and me Harry Potter.

I'm glad I can chat to other people who also love Lego, I'm so glad I found this web site.

Lynn

jadedanc

Welcome!!

MorkMan

G'day! Sorry, just had to be stereotypical! :) Is your username because of the blue fairy who took away Tinkerbell's wings?

MorkMan

Ps... If you answer, put it here, too!
http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/comment/261012#Comment_261012

Bluefairy_56

G'day to you too! Lol

As for my user name it's from the AI (Artificial Intelligence) movie, the boy thought the blue fairy could make him into a real boy. I always liked the movie, even though it's sad.

hewman

Welcome from another South Aussie. I don't know of many on here, but there are lots on Eurobricks.

MorkMan

@bluefairy_56 Would've been my second guess. AI used the blue fairy storyline to hearken back to Tinkerbell in Pinocchio. David remembers her from the Pinocchio book.

TheAdipose

Hi Bluefairy_56

I am another Aussie (QLD)
Have used this site for a long long time but always lurked and only just joined up a few weeks ago.

Good to see some Aussies on here! Sadly we get a raw deal all around when it comes to LEGO but oh well :)

Bluefairy_56

Yeah! Another Aussie lol

Sorry I am new to Lego, why do Aussies get a raw deal?

Unless you mean postage costs.

I am finding it hard to find the Harry Potter sets I want, they are either so expensive, or if I find a set I can afford the postage is astronomical.

I wanted a 2x2 purple brick and I could get it from Lego.com but postage to me was $25...holy crap, for one brick. That sucks.

TheAdipose

I was meaning a raw deal in how we get sets really late compared to the rest of the world and the prices are highly inflated for Aussies also.

Go on the LEGO store and change the region to US and look at the prices, then change it to Au... Even after exchange rates their is a massive difference in price sadly.

We also get a raw deal in the sense TLG pretty much embargo USA sellers so that they can not ship to Aus which is a shame as it would allow us to take advantage of the amazing prices.

Bluefairy_56

Yep I agree with what your saying. It's not fair. I wish I knew someone who flies to the US and back often, I'd save heaps...unfortunately I don't so that bursts my bubble.

Basta

Welcome, another one from down under here :).

Although Lego is somewhat more expensive in Australia, there are plenty of deals to be had. At a minimum you will be able to get 20% off almost all Lego, only exceptions being exclusives at certain stores (Big W and Kmart don't do across the board % of sales so some sets never go on sale).

If your willing to wait for the right time you can do much better then 20% off. For instance Myer normally do 20%+ extra 10% off, Buy 1 Get 1 Half price & Buy 2 Get 1 free a number of times a year.

Target does clearance items from time to time as has Myer (currently online Myer have some sets at over 50% off, most already sold out, picked up a Lone Ranger Colby City Showdown for $35 plus also got a Horizon Express for $100).

Target recently had a Buy 2 Get 1 free which stacked with 20% off City & Ninjago, so about 45% off new city sets. It also stacked with LOTR and TMNT clearance items, picked up some sets at 63% off.

Especially now that the US has the ban on discounting exclusives I find I buy alot less from the US then previous.

Bluefairy_56

Unfortunately I live in the country, I have no Myers, etc, only expensive Country target. Kmart have next to nothing in any range except two or three of the most popular ones.

I just found the Monster Fight Haunted House for $179.99 on the. Lego.com web site.
In Oz they are $349.95

How can that be?

TheAdipose

Same here Bluefairy, I also live in the country, and I find BIG W and Target have lots of nothing interesting, and even when the sets are on sale they still work out way more than what the US exhange rate is or what our US friends pay.

Pretty much pollybag sets are impossible to find in any of those stores mentioned also.

Sorry 20% off 100% inflated prices does not appease me :)

Bertle

Hi Blue Fairy. I'm a female Lego fan in Melbourne. I do a bit of buying and selling. What Harry Potter sets are you looking for? I may be able to help. [email protected]

Bluefairy_56

Thank you Bertie,
I went to KMarts today and I got the. Monster Fighters Hearse, Mummy, Werewolf and the Ghost Train on Lay-by.
I also went to Toyworld, and they said they had never heard of Monster Fighters as it was never in their business catalogues. I told him it is available from the Australian LEGO web site for $269. So he is going to see if he can get at least one in for me, so I can put that on lay-by too.

So hopefully I can get this...I told my husband it's his gift to me from him for my Birthday....lol. He is happy he has got me something I really wanted... :p

Just impatiently waiting to hear back from Toyworld now.

Nikaliptus

Hi Bluefairy, et al...another new to the forums Aussie over here too (from Melbourne).

I could well be wrong, especially as it's not a theme that I collect, but I thought I read somewhere that Monster Fighters Haunted House was a Kmart exclusive here in Aus, so that might explain why it was never in Toyworld's business catalogues. Hopefully they can manage to get one in for you, but if not, at least it would qualify for free shipping from the LEGO website and you could add that 2x2 purple brick to your order to save you the ridiculous $25.00 shipping charge. ;-)

I just got back from a trip to the US and picked up a couple of sets from the LEGO Brand Store, but at least on the smaller stuff that I had any hope of fitting in my suitcase, the conversion rate didn't really make it much cheaper than over here, especially when we get regular 20% off deals at Target and Myer (for those of us that live close to those stores and can find the sets we want). I also noticed that the pre-tax shelf prices were more expensive than the US online prices, but I sucked it up so that I could qualify for the Piece of Resistance freebie, and they gave me a free TLM poster too (after I saw them hand one out to a kid, so asked if I could have one too, lol), and at least I got a small discount off those prices in the form of VIP points (and I was lucky enough to get to see the movie over there, so now don't have to wait until April for its Aus release).

What I don't like is that we get jibbed on polybags and smaller exclusive sets like the Valentines Teddy or Easter Bunny, as the LEGO website shipping is exorbitant unless you can buy enough stuff in one order to qualify for the free shipping. Same with the freebie polybag deals; the qualifying amount may only be $45.00 (it was $50.00 in the US for Piece of Resistance), or any purchase from a specific theme, etc., but with the shipping, it just winds up being too expensive to bother, so it's often cheaper to just pay inflated ebay prices.

Anyway, that was a long soapbox-y post wasn't it? Sorry if I hijacked your hello thread. :-( Let us know how you go with getting the Haunted House through Toyworld.

Bluefairy_56

Thank you.
If I haven't heard anything by Tuesday I'll ring Toyworld again. This guy is brilliant at sourcing hard to find items, and as he said, if it's on the Australian Lego web site then he should be able to get it in for me. But if he can't I will get it straight from the web site, and like you said it's free shipping.

I managed to source the two purple pieces I needed from Bricks To The World, here in Australia. They are getting them for me from the USA, but it's only costing me an extra $5 so I'm ok with that. Better than the $25 I was quoted.

Thanks, I'll post here what happens.

mrw

Hi All,
Melbourne Lego fan here as well.

I actually find my local Kmart has the best deals usually. I've seen The Monster Fighters Haunted House for $189AUD a couple of times. Usually they have just one every couple of months.
As a City collector I find I can pick up most sets from there if I just wait for them to discount.
I usually do a walkthrough my local Kmart (Northcote) and the Big W and Target in the CBD at least once a week - if i notice any good discounts I'll post them up somewhere.
I just wish we got more promo polybags. I buy a lot of them from Ebay and seems they are all given away in the Europe or America with newspapers etc. Drives me nuts.
Though I'm moving to Sweden next year so hope to start getting the good stuff.
That said, on a recent visit to Sweden and the UK I couldnt find much that wasnt nearly exactly the same price when converted - but the range was far better.
Shops in sweden were still selling series 2,3,4,5,6, 7 etc Minifigs for the equivalent of $4.85AUD!

Bluefairy_56

I agree it sucks.

I managed to source the haunted House from a Kmart in the city for $169. I am picking it up tomorrow as they have it on hold for me.

Our Kmart has a few of each of the new Lego sets, no poly bags, and only one type of the Mystery Minifigures Lego Movie bags. It's about 3/4 of a short isle, that's it. But then again we live rurally, so no BigW, only expensive country Target and nothing else. KMart prices were higher on the price tags than they advertised on their web site, I got them at the cheaper price, but they are still selling them at the higher price...what a rip off.

Bluefairy_56

I just picked up my Haunted House...I was so happy, the box was a little bent on one side, so I went to get another one with a better looking box. There were none left, so I got the last one. It is now going to sit in the lounge boxed and sealed until we buy our other house and move. I will have a room to myself for my sewing, Scrapbooking and Lego. I can't wait.