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AFOL Designer Program

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  • AdeelZubairAdeelZubair London, UKMember Posts: 2,666
    edited August 2019


    Successful collaboration for Bricklink’s AFOL Designer Program with The LEGO Group. - The LEGO Story by BrickJonas sold over 1,400 copies during the pre-order stage. The submission features a small model (Designer’s Drawers) I designed, and the packaging features The LEGO Group’s 60th anniversary branding.

    I’m thrilled discover that I’ve contributed to another success story for an individual. It’s been a pleasant experience collaborating with BrickJonas on his successful project for AFOL Designer Program hosted by Bricklink, with The LEGO Group.

    I was fortunate enough not to pay anything else besides the cost of the item itself, arrived yesterday.
    dmcc0Baby_YodaLittleLoripxchrisFowlerBricks
  • raygunnraygunn Member Posts: 91
    I also received that set yesterday. Nothing extra charged on delivery, but based on previous experience I'm expecting an invoice from FedEx to arrive in about 1 week to 10 days.

    @Adzbadboy, sorry to break the bad news :-(
  • eMJeeNLeMJeeNL The NetherlandsMember Posts: 582
    Just to put it out there: if you already have the set, what will happen if you do not pay FedEx anything?
  • hazz78hazz78 UKMember Posts: 31
    eMJeeNL said:
    Just to put it out there: if you already have the set, what will happen if you do not pay FedEx anything?

    It did cross my mind but I took the view that you can't escape paying import duty and VAT so it would catch up with you at some point.
  • hazz78hazz78 UKMember Posts: 31
    Gruff666 said:
    I think the issue is they put a value against the freight (£126.24 seems very hight though). This would count towards to VAT and duty costs

    Thanks, this is helpful.  I was having trouble interpreting the form which isn't the clearest of documents.  I'm going to attempt to claim a partial refund from HMRC.
  • hazz78hazz78 UKMember Posts: 31
    CCC said:
    There are a number of threads about this on BL too. Where NO did not declare shipping costs, FedEx make an assumption about what the costs are, and charge VAT on the assumed value.

    Thanks, and have just caught up on BL.  I hadn't realised this was such a debacle!
  • hazz78hazz78 UKMember Posts: 31

    Anyone in UK who thinks they have overpaid in Duty/VAT can attempt to claim a refund from HMRC using this form:

    http://https//www.gov.uk/government/publications/import-and-export-application-for-repaymentremission-c285

  • mustang69mustang69 North CarolinaMember Posts: 498
    Ordered by shooting gallery on June 26. Got the shipping notice on Friday (8/2). Now just waiting for the tracking (Fedex) to update to see when it's supposed to get here.
  • pxchrispxchris Oregon, USAMember Posts: 1,002
    Gifted my son the Isle of Peril set last night for his (16th) birthday. He was over-the-top excited about it!
    KungFuKennyFizyx
  • KungFuKennyKungFuKenny Deep in the Heart of TexasMember Posts: 1,537
    My Wild West Saloon arrived in perfect shape— even though it took a while I must say BrickLink did an excellent job with the packaging and shipping
    pxchrisFizyx
  • AdeelZubairAdeelZubair London, UKMember Posts: 2,666
    raygunn said:
    I also received that set yesterday. Nothing extra charged on delivery, but based on previous experience I'm expecting an invoice from FedEx to arrive in about 1 week to 10 days.

    @Adzbadboy, sorry to break the bad news :-(
    I received an invoice of £51.42 this morning...
  • mustang69mustang69 North CarolinaMember Posts: 498
    edited August 2019
    This showed up last night, ordered on 6/25. Now I need to put in more shelving in the living room to hold all the old and new sets.


    BastyKungFuKennyBaby_YodaGlacierfalls265
  • KungFuKennyKungFuKenny Deep in the Heart of TexasMember Posts: 1,537
    What do you think the odds are for a second round of AFOL sets?  They seemed to sell well but Bricklink did seem to have some logistical issues with production and shipping.  I wonder if Lego would be interested in a continued collaboration or if it was a one-off thing due to the 60th anniversary...
  • M1J0EM1J0E Calgary, ABMember Posts: 644
    ^ I could see it. It seems they sold out well enough though LEGO must be comparing sales of these, sales of the fish they did earlier, and even hidden side. As it seems like they’re trying new avenues of marketing. But the AFOL sets don’t really cost them any design resources, just manufacturing capacity, if they have any gaps in production to fill in. 
    KungFuKenny
  • CCCCCC UKMember Posts: 19,302
    I doubt it cost them much in manufacturing capacity. These were small runs, and a pre-defined palette of basic parts.
    M1J0E
  • FizyxFizyx ColoradoMember Posts: 993
    From the content and tone of what Bricklink posted, I really got the feeling that they expected it to be something that could be turned into an ongoing program if it went well.  Based on the quality of the sets produced, and the relatively enormous demand for a decent number of them, I can't imagine they saw it as anything but a success, despite some hiccups with the delivery chain, which, to be honest, were totally foreseeable for a brand new program.
    M1J0E
  • DadsAFOLDadsAFOL USAMember Posts: 617
    CCC said:
    I doubt it cost them much in manufacturing capacity. These were small runs, and a pre-defined palette of basic parts.
    The sets were produced in California by BrickLink employees, so it didn't utilize LEGO's manufacturing infrastructure.  The palette isn't as limited as you think.   Any of the 4000+ actively produced (at the time) elements were allowed.  Some of the sets featured new and uncommon pieces.
  • CCCCCC UKMember Posts: 19,302
    ^ LEGO manufactured the bricks.

    The parts were all current ones, so presumably LEGO had all these parts in stock, and so the manufacturing capacity devoted to these sets would have been very small.

    I know they were handled by Bricklink employees, which is why BL has had essentially no customer support for the last few months with many complaints about 6-8 week delays for opening stores, no replies to complaints about these sets not arriving or arriving in bad condition, and so on.

  • CCCCCC UKMember Posts: 19,302
    edited August 2019

    There was this rather funny image posted on the BL forum a couple of weeks ago.

    Bricklink had automatically suspended the Bricklink store, removing their selling privileges,  for the number of Non-Shipping Seller reports against itself, but they then removed the suspension although the store remains manually closed.


    BumblepantsFizyxKungFuKennysid3windrpxchris
  • shikadishikadi TRU AlumniMember Posts: 117
    edited August 2019
    They are shipping, just slower than everyone expected and without any communication of delays. I have gotten 1/2 of my orders, just got the email about the castle.
  • pxchrispxchris Oregon, USAMember Posts: 1,002
    I'm really curious to know the story behind Jaclyn's firing/quitting of Bricklink and if it had anything to do with how some of how the ADP went down...
  • KeilupKeilup Frisco, TXMember Posts: 169
    Interesting inside look at Bricklink office/warehouse and ADP. 

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=kyKig3xzrdU
    SeanTheCollector
  • PisceanPetPisceanPet UKMember Posts: 33
    Never did get my Saloon, Brinklink have agreed it must have gone missing and only offered me a refund, not a replacement :(
  • KeilupKeilup Frisco, TXMember Posts: 169
    ^ That's not good. :-(  From the video, it sounds like they are left overs.  Or maybe that's just parts.  But if they have the parts or any sets left over, then they should do the right thing and send you one.
  • CCCCCC UKMember Posts: 19,302
    I believe the video is quite old. I know it was uploaded recently, but at one stage Russell says "by end of June", so it could well be a couple of months old by now.

  • KeilupKeilup Frisco, TXMember Posts: 169
    ^Awww ok.  Yeah it was uploaded yesterday.  Missed the June thing as I skimmed a bit.
  • pxchrispxchris Oregon, USAMember Posts: 1,002
    I son opened up his Isle of Peril set today to discover that the base plate was missing!
  • CathyVTCathyVT VermontMember Posts: 131

    If anyone is interested, I'm selling a used Science Tower on eBay, and it's currently less than MSRP. It ends in a few hours. I meant to have the auction end on the weekend, but forgot, last Monday (a holiday in the US) that it was Monday, not Sunday (when I set the auction to end in a week). So someone might get a good deal since it's ending in the middle of a work day (very little data on how the sets are selling used - I haven't seen ANY other than mine). I only ship to the US, though.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/293211376109 

  • hazz78hazz78 UKMember Posts: 31
    hazz78 said:
    SeanTheCollector said:
    I paid the following for my 3 sets:
    • #BL19001 Löwenstein Castle $199 -> £192
      = £159.3 ($ to £ in MC) + £4.69 (MC cc fee) + 27.83 (£12 handling fee + VAT)
    • #BL19004 Wild West Saloon $149 -> £143
      = £115.79 ($ to £ in MC) + £3.41 (MC cc fee) + £23.33 (£12 handling fee + VAT)
    • #BL19008 The LEGO Story $99 -> £102
      = £76.42 ($ to £ in MC) + £2.25 (MC cc fee) + £23.33 (£12 handling fee + VAT)
    Looking at the shipping labels, the declared dollar value for each set was: Castle £100, Saloon $75, and LEGO Story $99.99. Only the LEGO Story looks correct here!
    The customs label for the LEGO Story is shown below (I think this charge is correct):

    I would suggest you have a polite chat with the Border Force (on the number listed on your customs label) to determine how they calculated the fees. I wouldn't assume the fees I paid were correct for the Saloon but I would guess it should be around £12 + £11.50 * 150% = £29.25. What does your charge notice say?
    Looks like you got a good deal on your import charges!

    The shipping labels on mine bear no resemblance to yours - just address, tracking number and a few other codes. No indication of declared value, import duty, VAT etc.  I had to request the following from FedEx which does indicate the charge (says £49.06) but no breakdown of what's the duty and what's the VAT.  HMRC form asks me to enter value of each paid and what the correct amount is!  Very difficult to fill in! I think I'll go back to FedEx and ask for a breakdown and indication of how it was calculated.


    To follow up from my earlier post, I have successfully received a rebate from HRMC on overpaid duty (i.e. because FedEx incorrectly estimated the shipping charge).
    FizyxSeanTheCollectorsid3windrLittleLoriFarmer_John
  • fseyyadfseyyad Member Posts: 8
    I have been charged £94.04 by FedEx upon receipt of the castle set. The goods value is described as £159.99 ( translated from $200 ), but then an 'imaginary' £167.90 freight charge is added on top which then feeds into Duty and VAT calculations. Was there an option to get this fixed by FedEx, or did it have to be an HMRC process after paying the amount?

  • hazz78hazz78 UKMember Posts: 31
    edited September 2019
    fseyyad said:
    I have been charged £94.04 by FedEx upon receipt of the castle set. The goods value is described as £159.99 ( translated from $200 ), but then an 'imaginary' £167.90 freight charge is added on top which then feeds into Duty and VAT calculations. Was there an option to get this fixed by FedEx, or did it have to be an HMRC process after paying the amount?

    I have sent you a PM.

    I decided to pay FedEx then try to claim the wrongly charged amount back from HMRC, which I was successful with.
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