How has LEGO price increases impacted your buying habits?

ryjay

For me it has almost come to a complete stop.  Had you asked me a year ago, and said prices will go up, I would have said, "no big deal, it is what it is."  But today, I look, and don't buy.  

The Brick Bank I thought was a day one purchase for me, but just with a $10 increase I have been in no hurry to buy, and with each passing day, I miss having it less and less.  All new Star Wars stuff has had the same effect, too...I don't need those sets at those prices...and the best part is, I'm not missing them.

I have no idea if the GBH or Batcave are over priced or not for what they are but $300+ for a LEGO set????

monkey_roo

The price rises are inevitable and I doubt we have seen the end of them.

for me it has caused a certain amount of focus (which ultimately is a good thing), so less impulse purchasing, these random theme purchasing, it also means sets line the 1960's batcave will go unpurchased. But only so I can get the Hoth base.

Fauch

I think some old sets have risen in price on lego shop france. for example both simpson were 200 € and are now 220€. does that happen often?

monkeyhanger

I'm fussier with what I buy for a lack of space rather than prices, but everything has its price and there are some things I would definitely wait for a sale or other discount on before buying.

willobee498

I'm a bit pickier about what I buy, which is easy enough thanks to all the different websites out there. Still, for the most part, if there is a set I want, unless it is outrageously bad value, I will buy it.

madforLEGO

For me, the ban on discounts for 'exclusives' in the US about two years ago has impacted my buying more than increase in prices.
Mercifully while prices have gotten insane for sets like the trains and the new City square, they are regular City theme. Meaning stores can put them on discounts (and sometimes insane discounts) so I rely on those 'sales' to get themn down to an affordable level. The exclusives ban on sales and the recent trend of Mods, and sets like the new classic batman set, going up do really make me debate whether or not to get one. I will likely still buy Mods, as they are still 'OK' at 169.99 USD but it is getting hard for me to justify buying these sets if they keep rising.

Paperballpark

All prices increase, for almost everything. It's called inflation.

xwingpilot

^ I was going to say that myself. Are LEGO prices increasing faster than inflation? Does anyone have figures?

We need a graph!

Legoboy

madforLEGO said:

The exclusives ban on sales and the recent trend of Mods, and sets like the new classic batman set, going up do really make me debate whether or not to get one. I will likely still buy Mods, as they are still 'OK' at 169.99 USD but it is getting hard for me to justify buying these sets if they keep rising.

Exactly right.

Over the past year I have reduced the amount of 'tat' I buy meaning I only now look at the exclusives and seasonal sets and continue any theme I've already started, I haven't started anything new.

To date I have every Superheroes DC set released but having seen the new Batcave, it is highly unlikely I will buy it at the extortionate price they are asking in the UK and not only that and as a direct result, I am more than likely going to sell off all of my DC collection, it'll be incomplete.  For me to do that, things must be bad.  A true measure.

madforLEGO

Paperballpark said:

All prices increase, for almost everything. It's called inflation.

I think there is inflation, and then there is LEGO's 'inflation' though. I have a hard time believing a set like the #60097 City Square is really costing LEGO to the point of charging what they are charging for it (189.99 USD). So much so that Amazon and yoyo.com have had these for about 150 USD now for almost 3-4 weeks.
Same with Sets like SW Sith Infiltrator that seems to be the same size as its predecessor but yet costs another 20 USD over the last one.

chrisalddin

not been back into lego for long. how has the price jumped?
ignoring the batcave (it still around the 9.1p / 10.7c per part. and that looks to be the normal for a super hero set.)
the Ghostbusters HQ is 5.9p / 7.6c per part, and that looks to be is a good price.
are you saying the Price per part has jumped in the last years?
Or is it just the price of the super heros sets that are priced higher.

with the upcoming expansion to the molding plant lego have planed, one would hope that the price per part may drop a little in the coming years.

madforLEGO

chrisalddin said:

not been back into lego for long. how has the price jumped?
ignoring the batcave (it still around the 9.1p / 10.7c per part. and that looks to be the normal for a super hero set.)
the Ghostbusters HQ is 5.9p / 7.6c per part, and that looks to be is a good price.
are you saying the Price per part has jumped in the last years?
Or is it just the price of the super heros sets that are priced higher.

with the upcoming expansion to the molding plant lego have planed, one would hope that the price per part may drop a little in the coming years.

I never go by price per part, not anymore, not when cheese slopes, and other somewhat tiny parts, are more frequently used than 1x4 brick, for example. Tiny parts may make a set look like a good deal, but that does mean it is true. I think LEGO is using that as an excuse though, and Super Heroes and SW, and other licensed lines, tend to be a little more than other lines due to the fees.

drdavewatford

monkeyhanger said:

I'm fussier with what I buy for a lack of space rather than prices.....

Yep - as I think is the case for many AFOLs I speak with, space is more of an issue than price increases, which don't seem to be obviously greater for LEGO than they are for any other 'luxury' items. 

chrisalddin

drdavewatford said:

monkeyhanger said:

I'm fussier with what I buy for a lack of space rather than prices.....

Yep - as I think is the case for many AFOLs I speak with, space is more of an issue than price increases, which don't seem to be obviously greater for LEGO than they are for any other 'luxury' items. 

did you just call lego a 'luxury' item?!!!!!!!!!
no it is not! it is needed item! it is the key to a long life!. :p

TigerMoth

Paperballpark said:

All prices increase, for almost everything. It's called inflation.

Except that inflation, in the UK, US and EU, is pretty close to zero - even below, sometimes.

Oldfan

Since my personal LEGO budget hasn't changed in several years, price increases mean that it takes me a little longer to get all the sets that I want throughout the year.  It also means that my purchases of used older sets has dropped way down, and makes me very happy that there are no new 2016 themes that I absolutely must have (so far...we'll see what happens in the summer...).  And it makes me thankful that certain places offer LEGO for somewhat less than recommended retail prices!

LuLego

Funny how this topic has come up as I was thinking over this this weekend.

ive bought pretty much every superhero set...until now. When the new wave is released in March I will be selective and won't be able to buy every set anymore. Will be making some tough decisions.

my wife says I have to sell other sets if I want the new ones!

as for price rises: we bought the new Disney Frozen castle this week. Whilst my daughter loves it, I was utterly amazed by how little the build was for the £50 price tag. And just two mini dolls.

Fauch

if brickset database is any indication, I'm not under the impression prices have increased a lot compared to like 20 years ago. though models have become more and more complex and use more and more pieces (but mostly smaller pieces) and so are more expensive.
adjusted for inflation, older sets would be outrageously expensive.
the problem is more that while some themes maintain decent prices (or even decrease) some other themes (mostly licensed) sometimes have ridiculous prices, I guess, just because TLG knows people will buy them anyway.

TheLoneTensor

It's not always just about prices, and just price increases, it's a whole soup.  These are the factors that have negatively impacted my buying habits:

• Cracking bricks
• Loose clutch (CMF figs, ugh)
• Increased translucence in bricks
• Increased price (doubly bad when paired with the above quality issues)
  
• Stickers
• Rehashed sets
• Lack of "Expert" trains
• More stickers
  
• Draconian discount policies of both [email protected] & LBR stores

Yodalicious

I finally (after all these years) got into LEGO trains. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a new Expert train soon. 

chrisalddin

Yodalicious said:

I finally (after all these years) got into LEGO trains. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a new Expert train soon. 

i have been thinking about starting with Lego train.
i have a Hornby OO train set, but no room to set it up, if i did do a Lego train set it would be very small.

mathew

The strict exclusive discounts ban is the most frustrating one.  Lego has been expensive forever.  So that's nothing new.  But having to fish for a discount on a returned exclusive from Amazon Warehouse is pretty bad.  Certain sets that are probably slow sellers like Temple of Airjitzu would be better sellers if they could be had for 20% or more off.  

chrisalddin

mathew said:

The strict exclusive discounts ban is the most frustrating one.  Lego has been expensive forever.  So that's nothing new.  But having to fish for a discount on a returned exclusive from Amazon Warehouse is pretty bad.  Certain sets that are probably slow sellers like Temple of Airjitzu would be better sellers if they could be had for 20% or more off.  

i think the ones who buy cheep, then turn around and resale them at +10% RRP may play a role in why Lego did this.
if it was just the ones who buy to build. i think we would still see the big discounts.

SumoLego

Yodalicious said:

I finally (after all these years) got into LEGO trains. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a new Expert train soon. 

Please be a steam engine or something unusual.  It's time for another Santa Fe Diesel!

I will also start mourning for your pocketbook.

Yodalicious

^ Agreed. I want something with that Sante Fe feel to it. It's been a while. 

CircleK

TLG seems to have me in lock right now. They are getting increasingly better at offering products that directly appeal to me and they are producing more and more of those products each year. 

So yeah the price hikes hurt but it's more about the volume in my case. Not only am I paying increased prices, I'm doing so much more frequently than I did in the past. The 2016 lineup is continuing that trend. I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the sheer number of sets coming out that I really like.

xiahna

We only recently came out of our dark ages, so the price hike is sort of invisible to us at this point. But then again it has to be something really special to have us paying full price for a set.

dehnehsu

Stopped Collecting CMF's after Series 11. At $3.99 or more! They add up even without buying the entire set. They seemed harder to find as the popularity grew. I don't miss having to find them, Feeling the packs for the ones I want and standing in the store going thru packs 1 by 1. Lately I've only seen a few stray packs and gladly walk by them.

VorpalRyu

Like @Xiahna mentioned, we've only been out of our dark ages for a small time (late 2013), so prices haven't really shifted recently for us. For me, irritations such as constantly missing out on any chance for MARVEL polybags & sets not making to our shores like the last three Ultra Agents sets (thanks again @SumoLego for helping me out with that), are bigger reasons to curb our spending at this point.

On the CMF front, as I understand it, we've been paying AU$4.99 since day one. I dread the idea of any more price increases elsewhere, because I figure the moment TLG do, they'll jump them up to AU$5.99 here.

xiahna

Yeah if we start paying $6 for a CMF that will be a bone of contention in this house. I don't particularly like paying $5 for a fig, but 6 or 7 will cause arguments.  It'll go from 'Cool, we can get the set and maybe a couple of other ones' (for example we have 3 cheerleaders...etc) to 'hmmm, so which ones are you after? Why do we need more than one? Are you positive we need that?'

matticus_bricks

Unfortunately, the increasing prices have ultimately not proved enough to decrease my buying! I'm at a point where my budget is seriously strained and I'm running out of space, so it's time to purge some things I really don't need or want. Like @CircleK said, TLG is really producing a lot of things I'm interested in right now, so while I try to only limit my purchases to things I want most, this is becoming increasingly difficult. IMO, LEGO is better now than it ever was, and increased prices are reflecting its superb quality, in terms of minifigure and set design, and a great variety of licenses and collector's models. 

sklamb

It's not so much the high prices of sets like GBHQ as the number of $100+ sets that are being produced that has changed my buying habits. There are at least six of them (and two of them aren't just over $100, they're over $250) on my want list at the moment. Meanwhile, many of the smaller sets, ones that are "only" $80 or $90, are every bit as enticing. I prefer buildings to most vehicles, so the current trend in themes such as Elves and Friends (which ordinarily I can manage to ignore) is really being a problem. It's a sign of my budget worries that I still haven't bought either the Ferris Wheel or the Brick Bank, both of which would have been Day One purchases when I first came out of my Dark Ages.

Dedgecko

Lego partners / retailers are getting into price anchoring.  Rarely do sets stay at MSRP for more than a month or two.  Typically, they fall to 5-15% below MSRP and hold there for months.

dougts

Sets Owned by Year of Release:
2012  98
2013  95
2014  91
2015  55
2016  0 (and only have 25 on my want list)

Price is a big part of that change, although the fact that LEGO is producing very few things that interest me this year is likely a bigger part of it.

Fauch

and I thought wanting over a dozen 2015 sets was bad

TheLoneTensor

TheLoneTensor said:

It's not always just about prices, and just price increases, it's a whole soup.  These are the factors that have negatively impacted my buying habits:

• Cracking bricks
• Loose clutch (CMF figs, ugh)
• Increased translucence in bricks
• Increased price (doubly bad when paired with the above quality issues)
  
• Stickers
• Rehashed sets
• Lack of "Expert" trains
• More stickers
  
• Draconian discount policies of both [email protected] & LBR stores

Let me add to the list Lego's censorship of legitimate, rule-following reviews.  I've never been as disillusioned with this company as I am today.

Recce

Over here, Lego prices had always been high, especially for the big sets, e.g. Death Star is selling at the equivalent of US$630 and Temple of Airjitzu at US$280, yet many here still buy lots of them. 

Most of my Lego sets were bought within the past 4 years and many of them were from Amazon US & EU, savings can be as high as 30% to 50% off our local retail pricing when they're on discount, even with shipping fee included!

As TLG is operating a franchise model here for retail, we don't have a [email protected] nor can we access other countries' [email protected] Prices are tightly controlled, with only 10% member discounts for exclusive sets. Departmental stores can have up to 20% off, and stores like ToysRUs may have the *very* rare clearance sales once in a blue moon.

Right now, I've reached a point where I can't just grab all the new Lego sets I want due to space and budget constraint, so moving forward, most likely have to let go old sets in order to get new ones. And definitely drastically cutting down on the new purchases. 

At the same time TLG increases the set prices, clone manufacturers are improving on their brick quality so it could be a very cheap alternative for some. With the same clone model and Lego version side by side, take a few steps away and you'll be hard pressed to spot any difference. Same goes for the minifigures when placed just right in front of you. 

TLG knows that so they will have to find ways to remain competitive, they can't be no 1 forever if they keep increasing the pricing every year.

VorpalRyu

TheLoneTensor said:
Let me add to the list Lego's censorship of legitimate, rule-following reviews. I've never been as disillusioned with this company as I am today.

!?! Censorship of legitimate reviews? I am intrigued by that statement... But I'd guess by the vagueness of it, you probably can't go into details.

tallblocktoo

@VorpalRyu I believe TheLoneTensor was referring to the fact that Brickset did extensive coverage of the London Toy Fair only to have Lego ask them to remove all coverage. 

VorpalRyu

@tallblocktoo, seriously? What the frak is the point of TLG going to the London Toy Fair then?

cheshirecat

There is a sensible argument that theres no point in LEGO being at the toy fairs, but its got nothing to do with whether they allow brickset and others to report on their product lines. That said their heavy handedness does make no sense given photos were coming from Germany about 4 hours later.

Paperballpark

TigerMoth said:

Paperballpark said:

All prices increase, for almost everything. It's called inflation.

Except that inflation, in the UK, US and EU, is pretty close to zero - even below, sometimes.

Ok, so let's look at a Lego range - the modulars.

This year's set is £120. The Pet Shop set, from 2011, was £120. Looks like zero increase to me.

In fact, it's better than that, because a few years ago inflation was running at about 4 or 5%, so actually, taking those years into account, the price of the modulars has actually gone down (in the UK) when you account for inflation.

Paperballpark

madforLEGO said:

I think there is inflation, and then there is LEGO's 'inflation' though. I have a hard time believing a set like the #60097 City Square is really costing LEGO to the point of charging what they are charging for it (189.99 USD).

Of course LEGO will charge what they can for it. They'll price sets at a price-point that they believe it will sell for. They're trying to make as much profit as they can, after all.

So many people in the world today seem to treat 'profit' as a dirty word, and seem to think that companies should exist for the sole good of society.

Wrong. Companies exist to make money, and in doing so they keep people in jobs - not only in their own company but also in the supply chain. This benefits society, by giving people money in their pockets. Most companies also benefit society by making profucts which enhance peoples' lives. So the more profit they make, the more they can invest and create more jobs, as well as rewarding their investors (through dividends etc.).

Companies which don't make profit consistently will eventually go bust, and everyone who works for them will be out of a job. Moreover, they will usually owe money to suppliers when they go under, so those suppliers will be out of pocket too, potentially impacting on their own profit and jepardising jobs there.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to make a profit - even a big profit. It's all supply and demand. If you provide the consumer with a product that they want, at the right price, you'll sell it (and hopefully make a profit). If the product isn't right, or the price is too high, you'll not sell it, and you probably won't make a profit. Price it too low though, and you won't make a profit either.

Personally, I'd far rather have a very healthy LEGO company which keeps producing amazing sets, than have much cheaper sets and a sickly LEGO company, teetering on the verge of bankrupcy as it was in the early 2000s.

TigerMoth

cheshirecat said:

There is a sensible argument that theres no point in LEGO being at the toy fairs, but its got nothing to do with whether they allow brickset and others to report on their product lines. That said their heavy handedness does make no sense given photos were coming from Germany about 4 hours later.

The London Toy Fair has always been odd. It's been that way since at least the 60s. For one thing, it has restricted access, but it also has additional restrictions on the press, and what is allowed to be reported. Now, if that sounds counter-intuitive, ask the BTHA. However, it could well mean that TLG is only applying the rules, or the rules as it sees them.

The world may be shrinking, but the London event is still very important, even for the giants of the industry.

CapnRex101

@TigerMoth - Not as important as Nuremberg or New York though. Hasbro pulled out of London this year due to the overlap with Nuremberg and I would not be surprised to see other toy companies focus their attention on the larger fairs if this trend continues. 

dougts

TheLoneTensor said:

TheLoneTensor said:

It's not always just about prices, and just price increases, it's a whole soup.  These are the factors that have negatively impacted my buying habits:

• Cracking bricks
• Loose clutch (CMF figs, ugh)
• Increased translucence in bricks
• Increased price (doubly bad when paired with the above quality issues)
  
• Stickers
• Rehashed sets
• Lack of "Expert" trains
• More stickers
  
• Draconian discount policies of both [email protected] & LBR stores

Let me add to the list Lego's censorship of legitimate, rule-following reviews.  I've never been as disillusioned with this company as I am today.

I haven't heard about this. Can you elaborate?

binaryeye

Brickset posted detailed reports of new sets shown at the London Toy Fair. Shortly thereafter, LEGO requested they be removed because they were too detailed. Shortly thereafter, photos of the sets from the Nuremberg Toy Fair began appearing.

cheshirecat

@TigerMoth London isn't restricted, anyone other than those between 5 and 16 can register and go along. All of the stands are fully open apart from Lego's. I didn't notice any limitation on photography outside of Lego's stand (although I didn't try) which was the only one without product on public display. You had to be invited in order to look behind the curtains... there may well be rules on what the press can do though.

madforLEGO

Paperballpark said:

madforLEGO said:

I think there is inflation, and then there is LEGO's 'inflation' though. I have a hard time believing a set like the #60097 City Square is really costing LEGO to the point of charging what they are charging for it (189.99 USD).

Of course LEGO will charge what they can for it. They'll price sets at a price-point that they believe it will sell for. They're trying to make as much profit as they can, after all.

So many people in the world today seem to treat 'profit' as a dirty word, and seem to think that companies should exist for the sole good of society.

Wrong. Companies exist to make money, and in doing so they keep people in jobs - not only in their own company but also in the supply chain. This benefits society, by giving people money in their pockets. Most companies also benefit society by making profucts which enhance peoples' lives. So the more profit they make, the more they can invest and create more jobs, as well as rewarding their investors (through dividends etc.).

Companies which don't make profit consistently will eventually go bust, and everyone who works for them will be out of a job. Moreover, they will usually owe money to suppliers when they go under, so those suppliers will be out of pocket too, potentially impacting on their own profit and jepardising jobs there.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to make a profit - even a big profit. It's all supply and demand. If you provide the consumer with a product that they want, at the right price, you'll sell it (and hopefully make a profit). If the product isn't right, or the price is too high, you'll not sell it, and you probably won't make a profit. Price it too low though, and you won't make a profit either.

Personally, I'd far rather have a very healthy LEGO company which keeps producing amazing sets, than have much cheaper sets and a sickly LEGO company, teetering on the verge of bankrupcy as it was in the early 2000s.

To be clear, I understand the concept of they are a business to make money, I'm not asking for anything free here and never have. Nor do I need a lesson on how a company functions.

It just seems to me like LEGO is getting into a mindset of 'Charge whatever we can cause they will buy it' on some sets. A good example is 189.99 for the City Square set, but yet Amazon and yoyo.com are selling them for around 150 USD. I doubt they are selling at the price to lose money, so it stands to reason that maybe, maybe some sets are overpriced (and fairly certain the Classic TV batcave is really overpriced)
Again they can do that as it is their right, just turns me off (and I'm guessing others) from wanting to buy a lot of sets that I would have normally bought in the past, especially when many sets already cannot be discounted due to the LEGO US 'exclusive' ban on decreasing prices.

TigerMoth

cheshirecat said:

@TigerMoth London isn't restricted, anyone other than those between 5 and 16 can register and go along. All of the stands are fully open apart from Lego's. I didn't notice any limitation on photography outside of Lego's stand (although I didn't try) which was the only one without product on public display. You had to be invited in order to look behind the curtains... there may well be rules on what the press can do though.

London is supposed to be strictly trade only. Nuremburg claims to be the first event open to the public.

I wasn't referring to photography but reporting. Brickset didn't take any photographs. I suspect TLG's restrictions on photography have something to do with agreements in Germany.

CapnRex101 said:

@TigerMoth - Not as important as Nuremberg or New York though. Hasbro pulled out of London this year due to the overlap with Nuremberg and I would not be surprised to see other toy companies focus their attention on the larger fairs if this trend continues. 

I said the London Toy Fair has always been odd - even before it moved to London (it used to be in Brighton). There is something arcane about it that is out of proportion to its size.

GIR3691

Here's why I stopped buying LEGO.

1. I have too much already.
10 years of doing this leads to a gradual accumulation of brick. I'm out of space.

2. Narrow collecting focus.
I rarely care about unlicensed themes. OT Star Wars, some Marvel and DC stuff, and some other odds and ends. After collecting a lot of the core stuff, the new waves of remakes and slight design changes to the minifigs aren't doing it for me.

3. Fewer deep discounts.
There were a good couple of years where I was pretty consistently finding clearance sets in good condition for 50% off MSRP after major holidays. Now I'm lucky to find anything at 20-30% off. Harder to justify a purchase anymore.

4. Cost of living increase.
I don't have the budget for buying much LEGO anyway anymore.