That's why you have to pay attention to where the store is located. I just made an order from Australia for one set, and of course going to the US it's going to cost a few dollars. But I also just placed an order from a store in the same state as me for six sets, and the shipping's basically negligible. And if we're just talking about parts, then deeefinitely watch where you're buying from. Because it's possible the shipping could even be more expensive than just the parts if it's from far enough away. And yes LEGO's service is free, guys, but try not to abuse it. ~|ET|~I ordered from a guy in the same province as me and shipping was $12. I ordered $4 worth of stuff.