Lego.com still lists discontinued sets - does it mean they might make more?

j_s

Many of the sets listed on Lego.com that are marked as "Sold Out" are 2014, in some cases even 2013 sets which I was under assumption were discontinued. Given that they are still listed on their site, does it mean there is hope they'll make more?

CCC

No.

TarDomo

With google search you can find over 5 years old set listings from [email protected] It doensn't mean anything. Sometimes the few weeks ago listed as sold out sets might do a come-back but only because they still had them in stock somewhere, not because they remade them.

TheLoneTensor

Yes.  Wait, no.

Or is it?

TXLegoguy

We can only wish it might happen.

mountebank

It's traditional at this point to suggest starting some sort of petition.

matticus_bricks

What if LEGO had a service for creating special orders of retired sets? Surely they still produce all of the parts for sets retired in, say, the past ten years or so, just maybe in different colors, and if not they could use the nearest substitution. Minifigures would probably just require printing an old design on a new fig. They could even charge a little more than the original price for these sets, or include a service fee, and people would probably use it. This could also be a way for them to defeat resellers, as they seem to want to do.

CCC

matticus_bricks said:

What if LEGO had a service for creating special orders of retired sets? Surely they still produce all of the parts for sets retired in, say, the past ten years or so, just maybe in different colors, and if not they could use the nearest substitution. Minifigures would probably just require printing an old design on a new fig. They could even charge a little more than the original price for these sets, or include a service fee, and people would probably use it. This could also be a way for them to defeat resellers, as they seem to want to do.

You can do it yourself through bricks and pieces. I wouldn't recommend it though.

The problem with the idea is that even though they probably have most of the parts sitting in bins, they still need to pick them, package them and box them. To do that for a few (hundred) sets is expensive. They have to divert machinery from producing large quantities of new sets to producing small numbers of old. Could they do it on the small scale? Their record at picking parts for BnP orders is not that great. There are often parts missing or wrong, even in small orders. If they make a mistake in even just 5% of orders, that is a huge cost to put right.

Minifigures don't just need printing of an old design, they need the right torso / arm / hand combination to still exist, plus a storage area for the newly printed parts.

SumoLego

Definitely, no.

Long story short, Lego makes sets in specific production runs. They don't generally produce individual parts exclusive of sets.

(Even the pick-a-brick production is on a specific run and treated like set production.)

Year-to-year, based on sales, they do occassionally add production runs for products that exceed sales projections, but they generally they make a fixed amount of sets per year.

If any of you remember the hub-bub about the 'limited' run on the Exo-Suit, this is usually what they're referencing. Additionally, the Mars Explorer set had a limited tun, but not enough anticipated demand for a full run, or a second run.

I think Lego added their old products to the site to catch all of those Google search and site hits that were going to third party sites. I think it's a bit confusing for consumers who may not immediately recognize that retired sets will not be reproduced.

SumoLego

I also don't see Lego trying to squash Lego secondary market resellers.

They're really focused in the clone manufacturers and Hasbro with the obvious mini-doll enfringement case.

goshe7

CCC said:

No.

I believe the more precise answer is that there are very few instances where an item listed as "Sold Out" on [email protected] has ever been made available again.  Assuming LEGO has not changed their practice, the common assumption is that "Sold Out" is equivalent to gone forever.

You can hope, but you will likely be disappointed.

(I believe Research Institute was "Sold Out" after first release.  But still periodically available at LEGO stores and other stores.  I don't know if it ever came back to [email protected]).

Pitfall69

Lego [email protected] is technically a different entity than Lego Brand Stores. They draw their inventory from different warehouses. When something is "Sold Out" at [email protected], there is a chance that LBS's still have it in their inventory. [email protected] and LBS's do not share inventory.

Farmer_John

j_s said:

Many of the sets listed on Lego.com that are marked as "Sold Out" are 2014, in some cases even 2013 sets which I was under assumption were discontinued. Given that they are still listed on their site, does it mean there is hope they'll make more?

You do bring up an interesting point though...Why does TLG leave sets on [email protected] marked as "Sold Out" for longer periods of time if they don't plan to produce more? They're generally quick to mark the sets as "Sold Out;" just not remove them.

The only reason I can think of is to reduce the number of phone calls and emails they get asking about the availability of certain sets that recently became unavailable and are no longer on their website. In short, it's probably just a transitional period to making them disappear completely.

TheLoneTensor

^ You are attributing order and consistency where there is little.

romanstar

Pitfall69 said:

Lego [email protected] is technically a different entity than Lego Brand Stores. They draw their inventory from different warehouses. When something is "Sold Out" at [email protected], there is a chance that LBS's still have it in their inventory. [email protected] and LBS's do not share inventory.

Interesting.Didnt know that. :)

goshe7

Pitfall69 said:

Lego [email protected] is technically a different entity than Lego Brand Stores. They draw their inventory from different warehouses. When something is "Sold Out" at [email protected], there is a chance that LBS's still have it in their inventory. [email protected] and LBS's do not share inventory.

[email protected] had a Sold Out status in Aug 2014.  RI became available again from [email protected] on Dec 12, 2014.  At least if you believe the FBTB information.  

That would be consistent with my observation.  None to be found at my LBS in Oct/Nov time frame.  I saw some on the shelf just before Christmas.  I guess it's possible that they were "lost" in the back for a couple months only to be found at just the same time.  It just seems improbable. 

CCC

A lot of the European orders are dealt with by Kuhne and Nagel.

catwrangler

goshe7 said:

Pitfall69 said:

Lego [email protected] is technically a different entity than Lego Brand Stores. They draw their inventory from different warehouses. When something is "Sold Out" at [email protected], there is a chance that LBS's still have it in their inventory. [email protected] and LBS's do not share inventory.

[email protected] had a Sold Out status in Aug 2014.  RI became available again from [email protected] on Dec 12, 2014.  At least if you believe the FBTB information.  

That would be consistent with my observation.  None to be found at my LBS in Oct/Nov time frame.  I saw some on the shelf just before Christmas.  I guess it's possible that they were "lost" in the back for a couple months only to be found at just the same time.  It just seems improbable. 

Frustratingly, RI was on the UK [email protected] site just a few weeks ago. I paused to consider buying it, and the next time I checked, it was marked sold out. Now it's no longer listed. It was a swift education in the ways of modern Lego-collecting...

monkyby87

Farmer_John said:

j_s said:

Many of the sets listed on Lego.com that are marked as "Sold Out" are 2014, in some cases even 2013 sets which I was under assumption were discontinued. Given that they are still listed on their site, does it mean there is hope they'll make more?

You do bring up an interesting point though...Why does TLG leave sets on [email protected] marked as "Sold Out" for longer periods of time if they don't plan to produce more? They're generally quick to mark the sets as "Sold Out;" just not remove them.

The only reason I can think of is to reduce the number of phone calls and emails they get asking about the availability of certain sets that recently became unavailable and are no longer on their website. In short, it's probably just a transitional period to making them disappear completely.

I figure sets might still be available in stores, so they leave them up on the website so people know they can't find them online anymore.

CCC

I figure its because they ([email protected]) don't have much idea about whether it is sold out for good or not. Leave it open in case, so they don't have to recreate entries, but so long as customers cannot buy it, it makes little difference whether it is sold out and removed or sold out and left there.

piratemania7

Ahhhh. I can't help it. To put it frankly. TLG and their [email protected] website, now, website, I am being very specific here, at least in the U.S. sucks.

I can't tell you how many technological blunders I have experienced over the years. Latest example for me was the delay of the January 1 releases this year...

I digress, whoever is in charge does a horrible job and this could be one of those things where they just are delayed in removing a product reference that's all.

madforLEGO

piratemania7 said:

Ahhhh. I can't help it. To put it frankly. TLG and their [email protected] website, now, website, I am being very specific here, at least in the U.S. sucks.

I can't tell you how many technological blunders I have experienced over the years. Latest example for me was the delay of the January 1 releases this year...

I digress, whoever is in charge does a horrible job and this could be one of those things where they just are delayed in removing a product reference that's all.

I really think LEGO looks at their commerce site as an afterthought instead of something that can make them a lot of money. Maybe it became this way after the LEGO stores opened up, but someone really needs to put priority into their site IMO

Farmer_John

TheLoneTensor said:

^ You are attributing order and consistency where there is little.

I just have to believe that TLG is more organized than the company I work for. If that isn't the case, then my whole perspective of what makes a profitable company just turned upside down.

TheLoneTensor

Yeah, but greatly profitable does not necessarily mean well run across the board.  Obviously they are doing plenty right, but when it comes to their online store architecture and processes, it's like it was designed as part of some college kid's online retail programming course, as opposed to being a key distribution channel of a multi-billion dollar company.

Farmer_John

^No arguments here. I have my own short list of how I would improve their website if I could. But I guess if I had to make a choice, I would take profitability...not that they have to choose.

CCC

I don't know how the website is done in the US or elsewhere. I don't really understand how it is done in Europe. But I know they have some behind the scenes deal with Kuhne Nagel that do a lot of the logistics for orders in Europe, which I guess must link KN warehouse stock to the front end of the Lego website. Having a different company running logistics, delivery and stock control is probably part of the reason that the [email protected] website stock or status is not always correct.

Diggydoes

Bricklink= more than outdated design/handling
[email protected]= outdated/not properly working stock control system/other annoyances

Two of the main Lego related webpages= Conspiracy anyone? ;)

sklamb

Bricklink's design may be more than outdated, but it works. As long as I can use it the way I've been using it, to find and get price/parts information on sets that interest me, I'll go on using it.

And as long as [email protected] offers VIP points and free shipping at a reasonable price point, I'll probably go on using it as well.

Why would either site feel much pressure to improve, when there are people like me in the world? Why postulate conspiracy when laziness (on all sides) can explain everything! ;)

SumoLego

At the end of the day, one can get the product they're looking for...

They're really both antiquated sites in their own ways, but it doesn't mean they are not functional.