LEGO fight Against Chinese counterfeit LEGO

CCC

Yes, they copy just about anything, small SW and SH sets too.

Russell844

And now for something a bit, different...

https://heatst.com/culture-wars/a-chinese-toy-company-is-now-selling-isis-lego-sets-including-beheaded-figurines/

SumoLego

A chainsaw?  That's just silly.

lfty888

Russell844 said:

And now for something a bit, different...

https://heatst.com/culture-wars/a-chinese-toy-company-is-now-selling-isis-lego-sets-including-beheaded-figurines/

Now that's really taking it to the extreme...................

Swisstony

CaptainPirateMan said:

As someone that owns quite a few RETIRED (only will buy retired) Lego sets made by Lepin, and as a Brick Link store owner I DO see both sides of the coin. I DO feel that Lepin has had an impact on the ability to really make great profits off of flipping sets, but I don't know if that is necessarily a bad thing. Those that were making handfuls of cash flipping sets don't agree with me obviously, but you can still make money selling Lego, you just have to WORK harder. Which I feel that's the REAL issue here, BL store owners got spoiled, making great money for minimal work. Now you have to actually part out sets in order to make more money, as opposed to just flipping sets. Which anyone that has parted out a set can tell you how much work actually does go into that, it IS work. Flipping sets was easy, parting them out isn't, that's the difference. I have managed to make good profits parting out retired sets that we bought on BL (so we payed after market value), so you can't tell me parting out a current SW or SH set won't turn a profit. You just have to put in the work, imagine that.

As for Lepin, honestly I think you are foolish to pay $700 for the Imperial Flagship (for example). You can buy the Lepin one for $100, put another $50 into for proper sails and you still come out WAY a head. Even if you want proper Lego minifigs (like I do) that's another $50 or so (depending on the set) and you are still light years a head. I could not EVER recommend buying the Lego version for that price, it's ridiculous. If you can afford it, them more power to you, but for most of us, that money SHOULD be used to support your family or pay bills, not buying $700 Lego sets. If you want to BL the set, that's a great option. You will still spend more than the Lepin alternative I spoke of, but still less than the actual set. Most of us don't have that kind of time to invest in such a process (Brick Linking sets is NOT easy). But I don't knock ANYONE that does that, especially since I am a store owner. But again, I DO NOT buy current made Lego sets that Lepin has cloned, and never will. To be honest with everyone I am DONE with Lepin anyways, I bought the retired sets I wanted, so they have nothing more to offer me. 

I actually am OK with Lepin having an impact on the after market value of sets. I feel the greed that some resellers displayed has hurt the image of Lego to a certain degree. So if we can NEVER get a 300% profit off of flipping sets again, I am OK with that. As I said earlier, you can STILL make a nice little profit parting out sets which WILL pay for your Lego hobby, which is why I opened my store to begin with. So I have NOTHING to complain about there, but again I DO have to treat it like a job and do actual work. 

These are just MY personal views, I don't knock ANYONE that despise Lepin. Nor do I dislike people that live in poorer countries that fully support Lepin, because at the end of the day we all just enjoy bricks, and that's great. Although I do have some mixed feelings about Americans (or from similar countries) that fully support Lepin. Why? Because they are actively turning there backs on Lego just to save money. I bought the Lego Disney castle, NOT the Lepin one. Why? Because I am a Lego supporter that supplemented my collection with Lepin (and other brands). I am NOT a Lepin supporter that buys Lego to supplement there Lepin collection. Big difference in my opinion.

Couldn't have put it better myself. I know that this subject is always going to be subjective and divide people , but I think you have hit the nail on the head. 

My wife has bought Lepin products in the past ( retired modular buildings) because you can't get them except for crazy prices on ebay etc. So she bought them so she could actually build them and then when complete, she went and bought genuine replacement bricks for around 30% of the sets because she wanted superior parts where she thought the quality was lacking. So yes it was cheaper than the £xxxx ones but still cost a fair bit in the end. 

I personally bought one chinese brick set but that was because Lego themselves don't do it and it is the Lego Apple Store in 5th Avenue. It was fun building and looks good but boy you can tell it wasn't designed by TLG as the way it came together was a bit lacking.

LuLego

There has been many comments on here supporting knock-off brands, particularly when a set is retired. Does the linked article above prompt anyone to reconsider the ethics behind these companies?

I was appalled by the photos of SY terrorist sets. So these Chinese companies either rip off Lego sets or create disgusting sick-tasted sets when they produce their own designs. I am quite taken aback that these themes have been produced.

I will not be buying any sets from SY, Decool or Lepin or any other rogue company that believe that creating these sets is ok. They will not receive my money to put into the production of such disgusting sets.

CaptainPirateMan

The above article DOES raise some "flags" for me, pun intended. Do I think Lepin or other knockoff companies are some how related to Isis? No, at least I hope not. I would also need MORE evidence in order to believe in a connection. What do I think the above article implies? Really bad taste on an issue that they hear the Chinese perspective on. Doesn't China severely regulate the info their citizens receive? Or at least it is heavily "spun" compared to other places in the world. We must remember they ARE indeed Chinese companies, it's probably more of an issue of not properly understanding as opposed a support of Isis. At least I would hope so.

nkx1

LuLego said:

I will not be buying any sets from SY, Decool or Lepin or any other rogue company that believe that creating these sets is ok. They will not receive my money to put into the production of such disgusting sets.

I think that voting with your dollars is important- it's probably the single most important thing you can do to protest the actions of any company.

That said, while I think the ISIS-related brick sets are in extremely poor taste, I think there companies out there that are far worse in terms of adversely influencing society. For instance, companies that create realistic first-person shooting games are probably much more likely to encourage violent behavior than a company that produces ISIS-related plastic bricks. Then there are the many companies that lobby to increase spending on war, companies that engage in factory livestock farming, etc.

I don't mean to imply that because there are other problems in the world that ISIS-related brick sets should not be discussed/addressed, or that the sets are not a problem. However, I do think it's important to put things in perspective and not excessively demonize a company for producing sets that are in poor taste (but are much more socially benign than the practices of numerous other companies out there).

Taking the foregoing into consideration, boycotting companies such as Lepin because they are a threat to the overall Lego brand is a more worthy cause, but that's such me. 

I must admit, I'm guilty of buying a couple of out-of-production Lego-copied sets from Lepin and was fairly pleased. Don't panic too much, though- I've spent many thousands of dollars on Lego, and only around $100 (so far) on Lepin.

VorpalRyu

nkx1 said:

That said, while I think the ISIS-related brick sets are in extremely poor taste, I think there companies out there that are far worse in terms of adversely influencing society. For instance, companies that create realistic first-person shooting games are probably much more likely to encourage violent behavior than a company that produces ISIS-related plastic bricks. Then there are the many companies that lobby to increase spending on war, companies that engage in factory livestock farming, etc.

The violent video games make people more violent myth has been debunked so many times now it's just not funny, it's really quite sad. Practically every study conducted in the last twenty years points to the idea that playing violent video games can actually lower the chances of real world physical violence, as it gives some people that could be violent an outlet that means they don't do it in the real world.

nhyone

LuLego said:

I will not be buying any sets from SY, Decool or Lepin or any other rogue company that believe that creating these sets is ok. They will not receive my money to put into the production of such disgusting sets.

I think it is "business as usual" for these companies. Some of them have military themes, and some of them are far more realistic than you would expect of a children's toy. War is ugly.

Obviously, there is a group who wants realistic enemies. How about German, Japanese and USSR militaries from WW2? Are they okay or not?

Let me put it the other way. If there is no market for it, then there would be no product.

nkx1

VorpalRyu said:

The violent video games make people more violent myth has been debunked so many times now it's just not funny, it's really quite sad. Practically every study conducted in the last twenty years points to the idea that playing violent video games can actually lower the chances of real world physical violence, as it gives some people that could be violent an outlet that means they don't do it in the real world.

My original statement is not inherently inconsistent with your assertion. I was pointing out that a company producing plastic bricks depicting violence is probably not a big deal. It's in poor taste (in my opinion), but probably has little impact on anything.

CCC

Do people that buy "terrorist" bricks go on to be terrorists? Probably not.

I'm not a fan of them, so I won't buy them. It doesn't really bother me that they make them. Just like if Argos sell something I think is poor taste, I will still buy Lego from them. And I will buy age appropriate games from video game companies, even if they make 18+ violent games.

stet

This is why TLG doesn't do Army or modern warfare sets.  You end up representing both sides of a war so you end up with "bad guys" along with the heroes.

pharmjod

That's why you just stick with Nazis as the bad guys. Everybody hates Nazis. Especially Illinois Nazis.

nkx1

pharmjod said:

That's why you just stick with Nazis as the bad guys. Everybody hates Nazis. Especially Illinois Nazis.

What about the soup Nazi? On the one hand, he's not very likeable. But on the other, he makes great soup!

Bobflip

LuLego said:

There has been many comments on here supporting knock-off brands, particularly when a set is retired. Does the linked article above prompt anyone to reconsider the ethics behind these companies?

I was appalled by the photos of SY terrorist sets. So these Chinese companies either rip off Lego sets or create disgusting sick-tasted sets when they produce their own designs. I am quite taken aback that these themes have been produced.

I will not be buying any sets from SY, Decool or Lepin or any other rogue company that believe that creating these sets is ok. They will not receive my money to put into the production of such disgusting sets.

It's in very poor taste, yes, but it's only one company that are creating these, as far as I'm aware. There are plenty of reasons to not buy from Lepin, but a wholly separate company making inappropriate sets isn't one of them.

CCC

Rivals to brickheadz ... I have no idea whether these are lego size or duplo size. I might have to order some and find out.

iso3200

^They look like a very complex build ;-)

FowlerBricks

Golly. They really think that people will buy this crap???

CCC

Yes, and they are right. At about 50p each, inc delivery from China, I bought a Batman one for a look. I'll probably get Spiderman and Superman too.

datsunrobbie

Put them in "blind bags" for $1 and hang them in the check-out line and I'll buy them. My grandson loves watching YouTube videos of folks unwrapping Kinder eggs (which we cannot even get) and blind bags, and has a great time opening up whatever little surprise toys I bring home.

CCC

Shamone, now kids get to play with Michael Jackson...

Switchfoot55

^#j'mon!

SumoLego

^^ No silver glove?  It's rubbish!

EvilTwin

The printing on that Michael Jackson figure looks amazing

Bosstone100

^ sure does. No nose either. Very accurate.

Glacierfalls265

The only time I was ever almost tempted to look at ripoff sets was when they had parts that LEGO didn't produce in regards to doors and windows (But I didn't buy any). Like there were a couple cool designs that I wish existed in LEGO form. But I don't have to worry about actual sets anymore. My Gare de Lyon is the size of three modulars and more than enough for me! 

VorpalRyu

@Glacierfalls265, I'll admit there were a few unique elements in that Xingbao set that @Recce posted a few pages back, that were they available separately, I would almost be tempted to buy those parts.

Kevin_Hyatt

CCC said:

Rivals to brickheadz ... I have no idea whether these are lego size or duplo size. I might have to order some and find out.

These are copies of something Minifigs.me do

ACWWGal2011

VorpalRyu said:

If building & displaying it are the reason, why not track down all the parts even if you need to substitute colours to keep costs down, rather than give money to a company illegally profiteering off of TLG's trademarks, copyrights & design work.

B/c if i'd have to do that w/ the Minecraft Mountain cave set, it would be a nightmare where having to get the parts i need would probably cost nearly as much  as gett=.

Would i just love to get the real thing? You better believe it but the problem is after tax it would run me at least 275 bucks.

I don't know about you but i just don't have the patience for that nightmare. I would have to do a big ol clean up in my room since i have a bunch of parts that would need to be sorted out.  I'd have to start reading Bricklink Inventory lists to see what's in the set. Then trying to figure out what i need vs what i have vs what i have that can act as substitutes. Plus seeing what in my clone brand stuff can be used towards is. Then i'd have to start the oh so fun task of trying to figure out the BL process while staying in budget.

Just off hand what do i know i need? I know i'd need that long spiral thingy, a haul of bigger plates(At least the 6x6, safe bet 8x8, who knows what else), a haul for both 2x2 and 2x3 Bricks in what i call "Minecraft colors"(Grey and brown since those are the first 2 colors i think of when i think MC) plus would probably have to check my supplies of the 2x6, 8, and 10's. Pretty safe i'd also need some more of those 1x1 bricks with handles since the small amount in brown i have is supposed to be used on a different Minecraft project. Plus i see those macaroni tiles that i know i'll need some of and more jumpers in green, brown, and white. Plus i would want to create the Mod head mosiac so i woud have to get the Trans ice color bricks and if i want a proper waterfall color i'd need to add trans blue to the list. And those 1x6 and 1x8 gray track tiles since i know i have no where near enough for the project. Plus those new tile thingys for tracks.

Seriously its terrifying to think how much that would run me in the end since its not like i can go to a lego store and get bricks for cheaper since they are too LAZY to put a branch anywhere near us and trips there are extremely rare.

VorpalRyu

@ACWWGal2011?!? You're talking about a set that hasn't even been released yet....& you're basically saying "gonna get the Lepin," cause can't get it cheap enough, good job.

We haven't even picked up the Village yet, but if we miss out, we miss out. To put it in perspective, the Village is AU$350 & the Mountain Cave is going to retail at AU$400 for us, that's the better part of a grand, add in GBHQ at AU$500 & Assembly Square at AU$400 & we're just looking AU$1650 & that's just for the big ticket items. Will we manage all that, plus all the smaller sets we're wanting? Maybe, maybe not....especially since I'm going to probably want this year's SDCC Lego Marvel items too.

All I'm getting from those posting support for Lepin, LOZ, etc, is a strong sense of self entitlement... It's a children's toy, not medication, not a medical device, it's a luxury item you do not need to live. You have two real choices if you can't afford it; be a decent, moral human being & not buy Chinese rip-offs, or help contribute to IP theft, Trademark infringement, etc & buy that junk because you feel you deserve that set.

samiam391

ACWWGal2011 said:

VorpalRyu said:

If building & displaying it are the reason, why not track down all the parts even if you need to substitute colours to keep costs down, rather than give money to a company illegally profiteering off of TLG's trademarks, copyrights & design work.

Seriously its terrifying to think how much that would run me in the end since its not like i can go to a lego store and get bricks for cheaper since they are too LAZY to put a branch anywhere near us and trips there are extremely rare.

Pardon? I think we have a different definition of lazy.

VorpalRyu

^ I wasn't even going to get into that part of their "argument," but since you went there @samiam391....well... :)

We don't even have a genuine Lego Store in Australia, the two stores we have here are certified stores, that means that they aren't owned by TLG, so no VIP points use, no earning VIP points, we won't be guaranteed to get the promos that [email protected] has on offer (which, btw, we need a AU$200 spend for free shipping from [email protected]). Also, there is no guarantees that we will get everything that is available from [email protected], last I heard, neither certified store has the MC the Village set, so they're not likely to get the Mountain Cave either.

Add to that, the nearest one is at the Melbourne LDC, which for me is an eight hour drive, each way. The one on the Gold Coast isn't any better, that's a twenty two hour drive, each way. It's even worse for the people in Perth, they'd be driving thirty six hours to Melbourne & forty six hours to the Gold Coast.

Do I think it's lazy of TLG? No. Would I like a Lego Store in Australia? WTF, of course I want a genuine Lego Store here, preferably located closer to me than an eight hour drive. You should be grateful you have a Lego Store you can visit without having to jump on a plane & leave your country to visit, cause news flash, there are a number of countries around the world still waiting for their first Lego Store.

ACWWGal2011

VorpalRyu said:

@ACWWGal2011?!? You're talking about a set that hasn't even been released yet....& you're basically saying "gonna get the Lepin," cause can't get it cheap enough, good job.

We haven't even picked up the Village yet, but if we miss out, we miss out. To put it in perspective, the Village is AU$350 & the Mountain Cave is going to retail at AU$400 for us, that's the better part of a grand, add in GBHQ at AU$500 & Assembly Square at AU$400 & we're just looking AU$1650 & that's just for the big ticket items. Will we manage all that, plus all the smaller sets we're wanting? Maybe, maybe not....especially since I'm going to probably want this year's SDCC Lego Marvel items too.

All I'm getting from those posting support for Lepin, LOZ, etc, is a strong sense of self entitlement... It's a children's toy, not medication, not a medical device, it's a luxury item you do not need to live. You have two real choices if you can't afford it; be a decent, moral human being & not buy Chinese rip-offs, or help contribute to IP theft, Trademark infringement, etc & buy that junk because you feel you deserve that set.

Its not like i get bootlegs all the time so lego has gotten plenty of money from me plus the occasional set from mom as it is. I have a small collection of Bootleg figures and that's it as far as Bootlegs go in my collection at this time.

Honestly is it a moral thing to do to by Bootleg, or at least lets say in production stuff since its not like lego gets money from OOP stuff? No. However.... I just don't know anymore. It really doesn't feel right to me at times but the thing is Lego Minecraft is literally the only theme out there that's in production that i can actually say I haven't lost all/the bulk of interest it. This year the big buys for me was Minecraft sets and mom managed to catch some clearance on a few other things i have minor interest it(Seasonal and couple creator sets for the most part).

And trust me. Up until the realities of how much it'd run me hit me, i was going to be GLADLY ordering the real deal in a matter of days. But then the reality hit me. 275 would wipe me out completely on the hobby budget and then some.

Muftak1

VorpalRyu said:

Do I think it's lazy of TLG? No. Would I like a Lego Store in Australia? WTF, of course I want a genuine Lego Store here, preferably located closer to me than an eight hour drive. You should be grateful you have a Lego Store you can visit without having to jump on a plane & leave your country to visit, cause news flash, there are a number of countries around the world still waiting for their first Lego Store.

None in Ireland. And thats bloody annoying! First Lego store I was in was in Budapest in Hungary while there for work purposes. Then in the UK last summer.

stlux

Those Budapest stores are Lego Certified Stores, so @Muftak1 your first visit to an actual Lego store was the UK one ;) (Those certified stores are pretty close though!)

I have to cross a border and drive 1.5hrs to get to my closest Lego store, so that's not too bad compared to @VorpalRyu! Next closest is taking a flight to London City airport and take the DLR to the Stratford store.

VorpalRyu

Muftak1 said:
None in Ireland. And thats bloody annoying! First Lego store I was in was in Budapest in Hungary while there for work purposes. Then in the UK last summer.

How annoying do you find it when people bitch that the nearest Lego Store is too far away, like a hour or even half an hour is too much of a distance & they need one closer?

CCC

Kevin_Hyatt said:

CCC said:

Rivals to brickheadz ... I have no idea whether these are lego size or duplo size. I might have to order some and find out.

These are copies of something Minifigs.me do

Thanks, I wondered where they got the idea. I guess they don't have a license either, so these would be rip-offs of unlicensed copies. Lego collecting - such a murky world.

stlux

@VorpalRyu Can you blame TLG for not wanting to expose their staff to all those lovely critters you have in Australia? They probably listened to that Deadly Animals song, and said "Hell No!" :) 

But yes, "having" to drive 1.5hrs to my closest Lego Store is definitely a luxury problem. Just like not being able to afford every single set I'd like to have is a luxury problem, and my life will be just as complete with some gaps in my collection. No need to fill those gaps with knock-offs.

Muftak1

VorpalRyu said:

Muftak1 said:
None in Ireland. And thats bloody annoying! First Lego store I was in was in Budapest in Hungary while there for work purposes. Then in the UK last summer.

How annoying do you find it when people bitch that the nearest Lego Store is too far away, like a hour or even half an hour is too much of a distance & they need one closer?

I'd be happy if they opened one in Dublin - its a 2 hour drive but I'd happily do thatwithout complaining.

@stlux I knew the Budapest stores were certified after I tried to use my VIP card! :-) I will say though, they had great customer service - I was groping the Disney CMF bags and the manager came over to me and said if I didn't find everything to let him know and he'd bring out another box of them. He then got a staff member to help me find the remaining figs.

When I was in London, my kids were with me and had a ball in the Lego store building minifigs to take home.

VorpalRyu

@stlux, that's why TLG should open their first official store in Adelaide, we have lowest amount deadly critters that will happily live in urban areas.

MAGNINOMINISUMBRA

Concerned I might be REALLY lazy.
The Gold Coast store is a 20 minute drive and I've only bothered going once so far!
FWIW - They DO have a PAB wall (technically it's actually a 4m wide column in the centre of the store). Prices are close to double what our Northern Hemisphere friends pay (not unlike our set prices).

ACWWGal2011

VorpalRyu said:

Muftak1 said:
None in Ireland. And thats bloody annoying! First Lego store I was in was in Budapest in Hungary while there for work purposes. Then in the UK last summer.

How annoying do you find it when people bitch that the nearest Lego Store is too far away, like a hour or even half an hour is too much of a distance & they need one closer?

They are really moaning about a 30 to 60 minute drive as being "Too far away"? Seriously? I'd be THRILLED to have one that CLOSE to me? The closest one is over a 6 hour drive from us.

IceCreamClone

Wow, I guess I must be lucky. I have three lego stores within an hour of my house. Must suck to not have any nearby.

CaptainPirateMan

I actually got excited when they put a Legoland in at Great Lakes Crossing Mall in Michigan. They have a PAB wall, ao its awesome. There is a Lego store further south, but it's about an hour and a half drive for us. So this Legoland feels close at 45 minutes away. 

pharmjod

IceCreamClone said:

Wow, I guess I must be lucky. I have three lego stores within an hour of my house. Must suck to not have any nearby.

How does the clearance scene look in your neck of the woods? I'm willing to bet mine is exponentially better. I'll take regular super cheap LEGO over having a LEGO store close just about any day of the week. 

IceCreamClone

@pharmjod Yeah, clearance sucks around here. It's not that there aren't any deals, it's that I live near a large city, so scalpers are abundant here, and by the time I get to anything, it's all gone. I would actually be fine with giving up proximity to LEGO stores in favor of being able to get any deals, but oh well. 

pharmjod

Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a LEGO store closer than an hour away, but I have managed to accumulate a large amount of sets and pieces on the cheap so it all works out. The main reason I'd like to have one close is the building events. Those would be fun with my kiddos.

CCC

Google Translate will probably need to be your friend, but apparently there are some real fakes coming out now ... fakes actually claiming to be lego.

http://www.chinalug.com/portal.php?mod=view&aid=28

More pics on ChinaLug at the link above.

pharmjod

That could be a total game changer if they start showing up in the USA in any quantity.