Predictions on Discontinuing Sets and their Secondary Market Value

klatu003 · July 2015

Even lurkers missed @LegoFanTexas. We can not be entertained by pony sniffing alone.

Pitfall69 · July 2015

Pitfall69 · July 2015

^Ugh...This is why I do my own memes. NOT...NOT?

Tevans333 · July 2015

DS lives! [email protected] US says more coming...

Bumblepants · July 2015

Tevans333 said:

DS lives! [email protected] US says more coming...

Awesome hahahaha

BrickDancer · July 2015

The Horde is going to lose its collective minds! *Abort! Abort!*

leego76 · July 2015

Never seen the 'we are currently making more' tag before

SumoLego · July 2015

@juggles7 said:

It would be so much easier if the company were just to give their employees real bonuses, real benefits, real raises, rather than tempt them with discounted collectibles they are only allowed to fondle or display, but not to convert into much-needed cash, under penalty of termination.

I thought it was ridiculous that they didn't offer health care for many years to certain "part-time" employees. But, the bad or questionable often comes with the good.

I'm not going to assume there is some internal monitoring when it comes to reselling, but they have some sort of method.

SumoLego · July 2015

I am not not entertained, but I have a green Green Lantern lantern.

My post feels like a Double Chex commercial.

Wait, does that mean I am entertained? Then, yes.

luckyruss · July 2015

Rainstorm26 said:

Welcome back LFT

Seconded...

Add 21.7.15 to our list of key dates - the day LFT returned!!

SumoLego · July 2015

I'm waiting to buy 10 Haunted Houses and 10 Town Halls!!!

prevere · July 2015

BrickDancer said:

The Horde is going to lose its collective minds! *Abort! Abort!*

More like The Borg. Resistance To Buying DS is Futile!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5015319/uploads/editor/ai/n0akuru610wy.jpg

Final_Sign · July 2015

Predictions Thread says, "Bring out your dead!"

[email protected] says, "Look here's one, we'll put Death Star on sold out status . . . its dead."

Death star says, "I'm not dead yet . . . I'm feeling better . . ."

pharmjod · July 2015

Not gonna lie, it's making me laugh. I still think Death Star has to go at some point soon but I still maintain I'm glad I have two. One to keep and one to sell at some undisclosed time in the maybe not too distant but not near future.

madforLEGO · July 2015

Interesting, LFT returns and now LEGO has a tag saying they are making more DS.... ;)

prevere · July 2015

I blame Lord Business for the DS rebirth.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5015319/uploads/editor/cx/zm53fppa3q5q.jpg

samiam391 · July 2015

TheLoneTensor said:

You're in Kentucky, it appear

Final_Sign said:

^ hold your horses! The great debate over when the DS is/will be retired is not quite over yet . . .

Not many non-retired sets go for that kind of markup.

Apparently, they do ;) (KY strong)

Will be interesting to see if LEGO continues their use of the tag "We are currently making more, so please check back soon for availability". Would definitely provide more clarity as to which sets are actually retiring, and which are not.

BACbrix · July 2015

I was told by the store manager at Downtown Disney that Death Star is done and whatever production is being done was already planned and not because it suddenly is wanted. The manager continued to announce the store will not be receiving any more copies and that anything left will be only sold on [email protected]

BACbrix · July 2015

And to be fair Downtown Disney is probably one of the most popular Lego stores in the US so if they aren't receiving any additional shipments then I would think this is true for all stores.

SumoLego · July 2015

Until... three more come in....

Milne44 · July 2015

Farmer_John · July 2015

If [email protected] wasn't saying "We are currently making more...," then I wouldn't have believed it. I don't recall a message like this ever being used for a product by [email protected]; usually it's "Out of Stock," "Call to Check Availability," and so forth.

I almost have to wonder if the "Sold Out" that was originally there was just a litmus test to see what the demand would be, and apparently the demand is still there. I also wonder if the DS will be upgraded when it comes back, and the statement about making more is a way of telling people to save their money from purchasing at inflated prices in the aftermarket. After all, it's a $400 set and most people don't have that kind of money just lying around (i.e., if a person pays $500+ for an aftermarket copy of the old set, they probably won't pay $400 for a revised copy when it comes back). Keep in mind that the DS was as much a "character" in Star Wars as the Millennium Falcon, and I would bet some revised version of it will be used for the new series (just as the MF is).

At least that's the only thing I can think of...

TheLoneTensor · July 2015

BACbrix said:

I was told by the store manager at Downtown Disney that Death Star is done and whatever production is being done was already planned and not because it suddenly is wanted. The manager continued to announce the store will not be receiving any more copies and that anything left will be only sold on [email protected]

This certainly fits with their current MO of keeping most exclusives going for a very, very long time, but only at [email protected] VW Van, Orthanc, Tower Bridge, etc.

juggles7 · July 2015

Farmer_John said:

If [email protected] wasn't saying "We are currently making more...," then I wouldn't have believed it. I don't recall a message like this ever being used for a product by [email protected]; usually it's "Out of Stock," "Call to Check Availability," and so forth.

I seem to recall a "making more" message being used at [email protected] for the Research Institute. I could be mistaken.

I don't see how declaring it as "sold out" would be a way to gauge consumer interest. I can't imagine people calling the company, upset they didn't get around to buying one in at some point during the last SEVEN years.

juggles7 · July 2015

BACbrix said:

I was told by the store manager at Downtown Disney that Death Star is done and whatever production is being done was already planned and not because it suddenly is wanted. The manager continued to announce the store will not be receiving any more copies and that anything left will be only sold on [email protected]

Could well be, but remember everything they say, officially or otherwise, is subject to change. The very first Minecraft set (the Forest) was sold online only and they said it wouldn't even be sold in Lego retail stores, but only at [email protected] Then they changed their minds.

SumoLego · July 2015

They still have Tower Bridges, VWs and Orthancs at the Retail Stores.

SithLord196 · July 2015

TheLoneTensor said:

BACbrix said:

I was told by the store manager at Downtown Disney that Death Star is done and whatever production is being done was already planned and not because it suddenly is wanted. The manager continued to announce the store will not be receiving any more copies and that anything left will be only sold on [email protected]

This certainly fits with their current MO of keeping most exclusives going for a very, very long time, but only at [email protected] VW Van, Orthanc, Tower Bridge, etc.

My local Lego Store still has a bunch of VW Camper Vans available in store as of Tuesday evening.

As someone that does no investing, I'm finding this Death Star saga fairly entertaining.

An employee at the store told me that from what he understands, the production run for this year is supposed to be officially over, with no word on any future production runs but that it was still undecided. He was fairly certain it would be done after this year though.

SumoLego · July 2015

I am completely convinced that no one at any of the retail stores have any clue as to the actual production schedules, shipping times, and whether a particular set is retiring.

They probably want to sound as if they know something or have inside information.

We can probably all agree that Lego doesn't share any information unless completely necessary.

SithLord196 · July 2015

I agree with you completely @SumoLego but figured I'd still mention it.

They're getting paid to be salespeople as well, so a lot of what they say has to be geared at selling sets.

Saying "the Death Star is probably done after this year" will spur on sales should it come back in stock.

Sethro3 · July 2015

I wonder, does the employees saying things like this make them look smart or uninformed?

I went to a LEGO store a few years ago (my first trip, so imagine the excitement) and I chatted up one of the employees and they spouted off a few things, which I knew to be false. I filled out the survey and put a few negative marks where they belonged and was contacted by the manager. I looked them up on facebook (stalking at its finest) and lo and behold, it was the manager that I spoke with at the store. Disappointing to say the least.

Anyway, on to relevant discussions, DS coming back in stock makes sense. Why not have a few extras around for the holiday season in a few months. I'm sure double points will help take care of a lot of production for some of these exclusives though.

MugenPower · July 2015

SumoLego said:

I am completely convinced that no one at any of the retail stores have any clue as to the actual production schedules, shipping times, and whether a particular set is retiring.

They probably want to sound as if they know something or have inside information.

We can probably all agree that Lego doesn't share any information unless completely necessary.

Yep, over a year ago, when the SSD was close to finishing its run, a Lego store I went to said both the SSD and DS were discontinued since they didn't have any left. Lo and behold a month or two later, the SSD had its final batch on [email protected] and we all know what happened with the DS.

Farmer_John · July 2015

SumoLego said:

I am completely convinced that no one at any of the retail stores have any clue as to the actual production schedules, shipping times, and whether a particular set is retiring.

They probably want to sound as if they know something or have inside information.

We can probably all agree that Lego doesn't share any information unless completely necessary.

TLG manages its store inventories from their headquarters, and Billund knows what's selling and what is not. I doubt the store managers even know what sets are going to arrive in any given shipment. The store manager's job is to keep the shelves stocked, employees working, and customers happy. TLG does give the individual store managers freedom to respond to situations as they arise, such as tossing in an extra polybag here or there, adding a few extra VIP points as needed, or (at their discretion) providing additional passes to VIP events such as the BF sale.

I'm sure headquarters will listen to the feedback from store managers as they come in, but TLG is very tight-fisted when it comes to the holding the reins on their empire. And apparently it's paid off since they're growing by leaps and bounds.

SumoLego · July 2015

^ It's almost like they're running a billion dollar business!

juggles7 · July 2015

I submit to you that they are successful despite their "tight-fisted-ness", rather than because of it.

SumoLego · July 2015

^ Interesting proposition.

They did almost go bankrupt by trying to control everything outside of their core business, and by trying to reinvent the wheel in other industries.

And there are a number of their HR policies that I found personally questionable.

Bit, overall, the tight-fistedness has seemed to have panned out pretty well.

llanowarsoldier · July 2015

I know this has probably already been discussed but: What's the deal with the insane amount of money Town Hall is going for on secondary market? I'm seeing an average of $425 for an opened complete set. Didn't this thing just retire?

juggles7 · July 2015

It's supply and demand. Town Hall wasn't available for purchase for very long and it retired earlier than expected. Yes, it just retired. Very few resellers had accumulated any for resale. So, they're truly hard to find and lots of people want one. Supply and demand: the demand is higher than the supply so the price rises. If you think the asking price is "insane", (and I agree) then don't buy one. But if you absolutely must have it, I'd buy as soon as possible.

llanowarsoldier · July 2015

Actually I have all Modulars from GG to current and since I don't have room or time for Lego anymore(Life Happens) I am looking to start selling off my stuff. Thats why I was surprised on the price.

samiam391 · July 2015

So I was trying to clean up my drafts and noticed this old thread:

http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/5730/expired-marketplace-team-buy-ebay-ucs-job-lot/p1

With this offer:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lego-Star-wars-UCS-Millennium-Falcon-/160845325311?pt=UK_Construction_Toys_Kits&hash=item257320e3ff&nma=true&si=NfoIPpn%2FWaDkTPuhGi2yQHPkIUo%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

If I had a time machine...

ReesesPieces · July 2015

With the "We are making more" notice for the Death Star, anyone think that they might be updating the set a bit. Not something totally different but maybe making minor upgrades such as some of the figures. Since they have already made some changes from the original release, it is possible. Is it possible they were just clearing out their older units to replace with an upgraded set? Maybe the Death Star will really never die but will just get minor upgrades as it gets outdated? This idea also supports the rumors that there is a new death star (kind of). Just a thought....

SumoLego · July 2015

^ I doubt it. It takes a significant amount of effort to make even minor modifications to the production, sorting and packaging of sets.

Shib · July 2015

I could see it being a case of updating mini figures, with out of date prints it would mean continuing print runs for just this one set whereas if they update them a little they might be mini figures that are used for other sets too. If the next batch that arrive have mini figures printed similar to other more recent ones I'd say that LEGO probably aren't ending it's run, if all is still exactly the same it remains anyone's guess whether or not it's on the way out!

CapnRex101 · July 2015

^ I wish they would update the minifigures as my Tarkin is looking very sorry beside the new Vader at the moment!

VorpalRyu · July 2015

^ *TLG puts out DS with updated minifig prints, debate on its retirement continues for three more years in the predictions thread at Brickset* ARGH!!! :wink:

CCC · July 2015

If it is still selling reasonably well, it would be a great idea to update the prints of just the few figures that do not have modern versions and market it as coming with "all new minifigures". No new set design costs and it could easily run for another five years. If they can continually produce smallish batches and restock the online stores as and when needed (which seems to be how stock flows according to the stock chart), then it is one "flagship" set that could potentially live on forever.

SumoLego · July 2015

^ Lego DS Zombie Playset...

FatMatt · July 2015

Tower Of Orthanc showing "Sold Out"-US [email protected]

Vortex · July 2015

^ YES! ... We were so occupied with DS here that we completely forgot about the dark horse... Last night I was about to place an order for the TIE ... And then aborted at check out ..

. Had this this sudden feeling that TOwer of Orthanc may require some urgency , so even though it was to come back in stock on 4 August ..l felt I should press that button now ... I did

this morning that I checked , it's on " Sold out" ... I really am holding my breath for this one, I have one for myself but intended to double the build for a full on massive Orthanc ... I really hope I get the last one from the pipe line.

[IMAGE DELETED]

What do you guys think? Is "hope forsaken in these lands "?

pS: DS is no longer showing " more on the way"

Balloonist · July 2015

Wonderful,
You don't work for US Naval Intelligence do you??

FatMatt · July 2015

^You would probably wise to not post personal information, such as is shown in your screen shot. Just a friendly suggestion:)

Predictions on Discontinuing Sets and their Secondary Market Value

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