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The Haunted House

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  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Member Posts: 3,639
    @tvih Lego has a Day-After-Xmas sale, but it wasn't that good this past one. The sale I found best was the one for Black Friday. Good stuff went on sale and at good discount too, like 25% off Emerald Night or WV Toyshop. That's the sale you should aim for, because everyone also gets a scratcher for added discount starting at 10% all the way up to the lottery ticket of 50% off the whole purchase.
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    However, this is (mostly) a forum for reselling and collectors. Both of which are not interested in the entry barrier price as much as the potential for value/appreciation after purchase. Therefore, the audience in said forum is not as focused on that 'not insignificant' point as compared to how popular it will be in the afterlife. Which in fact is better served when there is a high entry price point to begin with. Hence the irony.
    Whoa. This Forum is indeed catered to Collecting. And Buying/Selling in the Aftermarket is indeed one aspect of Collecting but it is no way, shape or form the primary aspect. Additionally, your assertion that Collectors as a whole don't care about "entry" pricing is (no offense intended) absurd. We have thousands of members here yet only a handful of those would likely qualify as uber-sellers in the aftermarket.
    However, your point rings especially true for TLG Marketing and Sales dept. Unfortunately, they don't post or comment in these forums for us to have a sit-in and discuss our ill feelings for the price increase. Then they can reply as to why the 30 pounds in difference and expound on cost of molds, set design, marketing of new theme, lower total volume, blah blah...
    I think you'd be surprised how much interaction there actually is between LEGO and the AFOL community here. Not even counting the multiple LEGO Ambassadors that visit here, we've seen input from community coordinators, designers, etc.
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Member Posts: 3,639
    edited June 2012
    ^Apologies Officer Castle, I did not mean to commit the offense of speaking for others. I was painting with a broad stroke for sure (and mostly from my own personal POV), so I hope no persons took offense.

    As for the interaction history between TLG Designers, Ambassadors here at Brickset. I certainly do recall it happening quite a many times with designers and builders. But it's not often enough where we can regularly have a full-out public discussion about issues such as why the price difference on Haunted House announcement.
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    ^ I too would love for LEGO to reach out to the AFOL community with greater regularity but am certainly glad that we have some conduits.

    As for the Reselling point, Officer Yellow will let you off with just a warning this time. ;o)
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Member Posts: 3,639
    ^Same here, loved the explanation of why CC will never be re-released or Nabii explaining the chemical process of bricks under different conditions. Certainly would be nice to have more of that type of discussion and knowledge.

    Thanks officer, I'll make sure not trespass on your lawn again =)
  • MorkManMorkMan Member Posts: 913
    Does anyone know if 'Sand Green' actually costs more to make than the regular colors? Maybe TLG does not get as good bulk pricing per kg for the granules as opposed to the more common colors, which they may be purchasing 10x as much in volume. Might be same reason for high price/per part for Sopwith (dark green) and Townhall (dark orange). Anybody with knowledge on this point?
    I used to work with injection mold houses in the States, and no, color prices didn't affect the final prices enough to make a difference, especially at the volumes TLG is producing.

  • cheshirecatcheshirecat Member Posts: 5,331

    You are of course welcome to your opinion, but what is a "waste" to one person is not a waste to another.

    We all value things differently, which is why different companies cater to different markets and price points.

    To many people, I'm sure all Lego looks overpriced... A billion people in the world live on a dollar or so a day, none of them can afford any Lego.


    True, but only if you're focused on the individual. There is this thing called society, and as you point out there are people living on a dollar a day. With $3000 you could change lives or you could buy a few kgs of abs. Hmmm.
  • tk79tk79 Member Posts: 329
    edited June 2012
    ^You can change lives with much less than $3000 for 1/6 of the world. R2-D2 can be considered wasteful when the money could feed a family for 6 months. The cost of a battlepack can feed an individual for a few weeks.

    That's the point being made, to 1 billion people, we are all wasteful. There's no point in picking a number and saying that spending above that number is just a waste since you can always find someone less fortunate that can come up with a lower figure that they consider wasteful...all the way down to $1 or less, a day's worth of food.
  • LegoboyLegoboy Member Posts: 8,827
    Anyway, did anyone notice the price of Haunted House recently went up twenty quid?
  • princedravenprincedraven Member Posts: 3,764
    £30
  • SecretjediSecretjedi Member Posts: 175
    I'll buy at the first decent price drop.
  • LegoboyLegoboy Member Posts: 8,827
    ^^Free shipping if you wait and if you wait further you might get double points - £20! :o)
  • cheshirecatcheshirecat Member Posts: 5,331
    edited June 2012
    ...There's no point in picking a number and saying that spending above that number is just a waste...
    With respect that kind of argument is always COWPOO. Is it ok for a thirty year old to date a eighteen year old? How about 29 and 17 or maybe 25 and 13? At some point it becomes obscene, and you do have to draw a line. $3000 on a lego set is an obscene waste.

    Edited for Foul Language: YC 6-29-12
  • LegofanscottLegofanscott Member Posts: 622
    ...There's no point in picking a number and saying that spending above that number is just a waste...
    With respect that kind of argument is always COWPOO. Is it ok for a thirty year old to date a eighteen year old? How about 29 and 17 or maybe 25 and 13? At some point it becomes obscene, and you do have to draw a line. $3000 on a lego set is an obscene waste.

    Edited for Foul Language: YC 6-29-12
    Tell that to all the people out their still buying 10179's for close to that price :P
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    edited June 2012
    ^ I thought we had put this "Off Topic Tangent" behind us already? Additionally, migrating it to social dating standards makes it an "Off Topic Tangent Tangent." Lastly, I don't think any of us is in any position to be the moral arbiter on frivolity when it comes to discretionary income. Let's once again move on.
  • ACWWGal2011ACWWGal2011 Member Posts: 534
    There are a lot more toys on the shelves than Lego. If Lego takes it too far, a potential customer will just purchase something else (or maybe a few something elses for the same price as the single Lego set). While my kids like Lego products, they also like certain Mattel products about as much. Add in the fact that Lego competes with Apple, Nintendo, etc. for the limited funds in today's economy, and Lego can hurt themselves in an effort to increase their margins. JMO.
    Very true. Used to be a big lego fan but with prices going up and the QC depo having problems pass right on through(Superhero figures, the Monster fighter problems with the bricks, and overall set DESIGN quality), i am barely clinging to the lego side when it comes to plastic contruction brick brand choices. I'd say the ONLY reasons are due to the fact when it comes to super blox(best clone brand i've found) vs lego, Lego wins on the minifigure quality and chair design front but nothing more.

    It comes down to this: Either i can invest in a 3DS XL plus NSMB2(minus whatever i get for the 3DS i'm trading in) and possibly other games(waiting for reviews) that i know will last me for quite some time(plus games i have now) or i can continue getting lego stuff(GRAB BAGS AND BL BUYS EXCLUDED!) and wind up not getting my money worth.

    Recently i built a small plane via instructions from a free download app(unoffical lego app) plus a plane based of a combo of My own design, based off of the free app, and the lego super soarer video from the creator desk on lego. I wound up getting way more joy and building inspiration from those free instuctions and digging through parts in my angled plates bin finding matching wings then from pretty much any lego purchase in I don't know how long. I've bought a wide variety of sets lately and it has been pretty bad. It's been one case after the other of instuction issues(lost track of number of times i had to skip ahead to make sense of a part placement), poor designs of sets, "I PAID HOW MUCH FOR THIS????", and a case of "WHY IS THERE NO RON YET THERE"S HEREMOINE AND HARRY WITH THE CASTLE!!!!". The ron thing wouldn't be a problem if the figures were YELLOW toned since i have about 5 of yellow toned ron.
  • LegoFanTexasLegoFanTexas Member Posts: 8,404
    It comes down to this: Either i can invest in a 3DS XL plus NSMB2(minus whatever i get for the 3DS i'm trading in) and possibly other games(waiting for reviews) that i know will last me for quite some time(plus games i have now) or i can continue getting lego stuff(GRAB BAGS AND BL BUYS EXCLUDED!) and wind up not getting my money worth.
    Ahh, but those are interesting words you choose... :)

    You say you can "invest" in a 3DS XL... That isn't an investment, it is money spent and gone, since in a year or three, that 3DS XL will be nearly worthless, while the Lego will be worth the same, or more, than you paid for it.

    Making Lego an actual "investment".

    Just food for thought...
  • ACWWGal2011ACWWGal2011 Member Posts: 534
    It comes down to this: Either i can invest in a 3DS XL plus NSMB2(minus whatever i get for the 3DS i'm trading in) and possibly other games(waiting for reviews) that i know will last me for quite some time(plus games i have now) or i can continue getting lego stuff(GRAB BAGS AND BL BUYS EXCLUDED!) and wind up not getting my money worth.
    Ahh, but those are interesting words you choose... :)

    You say you can "invest" in a 3DS XL... That isn't an investment, it is money spent and gone, since in a year or three, that 3DS XL will be nearly worthless, while the Lego will be worth the same, or more, than you paid for it.

    Making Lego an actual "investment".

    Just food for thought...
    Depends from person to person. I can spend money on a system and game that i know i'll get a ton of enjoyment from and it'll be a good choice or on lego sets when the last several sets have been a major waste of funds for me.

    In the last half year, i've gotten sets ranging from polybags up to the large Hogwarts castle($90 on sale and i went in halves w/ mom) and honestly every one except the AC $5 impulse and the speedboat poly bag(both of the sets major saving point was the minifigure factor) has been a disappointment in one way or the other. Yea there's some really neat parts like the brick bricks in the ninjago snake thing, the sandgreen and tan in Hogwarts, and the golden scorpians of the rise of the sphinx set but since i'm not into reselling sets and i don't really have enough space to store broken down sets, the larger sets are just collecting dust. Never realized how fast legos can collect dust.
  • bluemoosebluemoose Member Posts: 1,716
    I used to work with injection mold houses in the States, and no, color prices didn't affect the final prices enough to make a difference, especially at the volumes TLG is producing.
    I've seen some of the figures that Lego charge for direct sale of bulk elements (e.g. LUGbulk prices) and there are differences between identical elements in different colours. The 'rare' coloured elements are typically more expensive than the 'common' coloured elements, but that may just come down to discounts they get from the original raw material providers ... Lego buy a load more 'red' than they do 'sand green' and the prices will reflect that (being aware that *some* colours are created on-site by mixing dye with a neutral coloured granulate, while others are molded directly from pre-coloured granulate)
  • MorkManMorkMan Member Posts: 913
    ^ Agreed. Also note that cost per brick uses setup/tear-down of the machines. One setup for the machine to be running for 6 hours to produce sand green vs. running it for 16 hours for red dilutes the cost per brick for the red. The run-out waste of the sand green is a larger fraction of the total granules vs. red waste, too.
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Member Posts: 3,639
    Great to know that, thanks @Bluemoose! I have the feeling TLG is answering our demand for more of the dark or earthy colors with a lot of recent sets released predominantly in that type of palette. But costly indeed, and it shows in the RRP.
  • BilkoBilko Member Posts: 19
    Sorry if this has been posted already, but the LEGO Store @ the Trafford Centre has a Haunted House apparently for sale @ £120. At first I thought it was a dummy box, but no, there it was. I'm not in a position to buy, but thought I'd mention it.
  • tom4086tom4086 Member Posts: 689
    I just called them and they've sold it :( wonder why it was in store so early?
  • BilkoBilko Member Posts: 19
    @tom4086 Not sure why it was there, and they only had one that I could see. I didn't take a pic, but the photos on the back of the box make the set look even better. It shows the house opened up in the middle, surrounded by smaller pics of the various features. Just a fantastic set. I wish I could have picked it up, but even at £120 instead of £150, it's a little out of my 'impulse buy' range.
  • tom4086tom4086 Member Posts: 689
    Completely agreed, its still a little steep. I can't wait to see it at the store in Liverpool, but looks like we'll have to wait until September the 1st now. Maybe Lego are planning to bring the release date forward? Just seems a little strange!
  • bmwlegobmwlego Member Posts: 819
    Wonder if the Trafford store sold their display set before building it and displaying it in September?
  • LegoFanTexasLegoFanTexas Member Posts: 8,404
    Depends from person to person. I can spend money on a system and game that i know i'll get a ton of enjoyment from and it'll be a good choice or on lego sets when the last several sets have been a major waste of funds for me.
    I understand what you're trying to say...

    I was more referring to what an "investment" is, in terms of where you put your money.

    That doesn't "depend from person to person", it is a fixed, known definition of the word investment. :)

    Of course people use it all the time, "I'm going to go invest in a new car", and such, which of course isn't an investment either unless it is a fully restored 1966 Mustang and will be kept in a collection, then it could be called an investment. :)

    You're just thinking of what to spend money on that is fine, which is fine. Based on the second paragraph that I cut from the quote, perhaps you're a casual AFOL that doesn't need or want to buy a lot of sets, you just play with a few small ones. Which is perfectly fine as well, whatever makes you happy. :)
  • BilkoBilko Member Posts: 19
    @bmwlego Perhaps it was the intended display model, but there was a price label on the shelf clearly stating 'Exclusives - Haunted House £120'. Hopefully this might mean there's been another rethink on the price.
  • bmwlegobmwlego Member Posts: 819
    @Bilko hopefully you are right and the price has been scaled back.
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Member Posts: 3,639
    I wonder if TLG read this thread and was worried about the 'Brickset Effect' kicking in over the price increase for HH's debut?
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    ^ I'm sure that's it.
  • mnbvcmnbvc Member Posts: 143
    Fingers crossed that they scale the price back. I thought the model looked excellent but with the price increase, it slips from the top of my list (I was intending to buy it for my birthday in September) to near the bottom - one to pick up if I get a good sale. £150 is a step too far for me, for a non-modular...especially with it having far fewer bricks than Town Hall.
  • tom4086tom4086 Member Posts: 689
    Okay, so I bit the bullet and went down to Trafford today on the off chance they had any more Haunted Houses in the back, lurking behind the counter etc.

    Guess what!

    image

    image
  • princedravenprincedraven Member Posts: 3,764
    What?
  • BilkoBilko Member Posts: 19
    edited July 2012
    @tom4086 You got one? Nice! Glad to hear it. You should tell Huw...
    Edit: also, was it £120?
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    I have found out :-) Can you tell us more, like how many in the shop, price etc., please?
  • tom4086tom4086 Member Posts: 689
    Yes it was £120. It was the last one apparently, they only had two delivered. I'm not sure it was meant for sale as it has the number of pieces on the front (and isn't this usually absent on European sets?)
  • BilkoBilko Member Posts: 19
    Well, I'm glad I saw it. If I had the means, I would have snapped one up. Still, does this mean we'll be seeing a review soon?
  • princedravenprincedraven Member Posts: 3,764
    @tom4086 can you please post a couple more photos?
    Would like to see some of the sides/barcode if possible, or if you are building some of the build.
    Details of how many bags, instruction manuals would also be nice if you have opened.

    Thanks,
  • mountebankmountebank Member Posts: 1,237
    Well this should be interesting.
  • BilkoBilko Member Posts: 19
    It's weird, but after seeing one 'in the flesh' as it were, I now really really want this set again! (I had decided it was just too pricey, and there were other sets I wanted more).
  • tom4086tom4086 Member Posts: 689
    @Bilko I'm really pleased you saw it and mentioned it on here, otherwise I wouldn't have tried my luck and gone to Trafford, so thanks :) Its a fantastic set, the box is nice and weighty (if slightly creased at the top) and went through the till as "Haunted House"

    I can post some more photos of the sides but still haven't opened it... is it important to everyone to know the contents and build process? I'm pretty new to Brickset so unsure as to whats expected :)

    Tom
  • BilkoBilko Member Posts: 19
    @tom4086 You're welcome! I thought it was worth mentioning as I know it's a highly anticipated set. As far as 'what's expected', I think people would be keen to see some photos of the contents, perhaps of the build as you go through, the minifigs and any interesting parts. I'm sure others on here could possibly advise you better on what they'd like to see, but don't forget to just enjoy the set :)
  • bluemoosebluemoose Member Posts: 1,716
    The odd thing for me is that it was bought from the Legoland Discovery Centre at the Trafford Centre, which isn't even a 'proper' Lego Brand store (i.e. not owned or operated by Lego themselves). That store has a track record of selling stuff before they were supposed to, but after the last time Lego said they would make sure it never happened again ... oh well :-)
  • tom4086tom4086 Member Posts: 689
    @bluemoose I wasn't aware until I checked out that the Lego shop at the Legoland Discovery Centre at the Trafford Centre wasn't actually a "proper" Lego store until I asked if they had any LEGO® Mini Sopwith Camel's left and they advised me they weren't a real Lego store, it all looked pretty convincing to me!
  • tom4086tom4086 Member Posts: 689
    Apologies in advance for my poor photography...

    image

    image

    image

    image

    image
  • SecretjediSecretjedi Member Posts: 175
    I'd be tempted to stick it on ebay for £250 :)
  • DiggydoesDiggydoes Member Posts: 1,079
    ^agree! Sell it now and buy two later with the money you've made out of it! Pretty sure people would pay a stupid price right now!
  • BilkoBilko Member Posts: 19
    Or you could, you know, open and enjoy building the set you just bought and enjoy the fact that you got one early. Crazy, I know...
  • princedravenprincedraven Member Posts: 3,764
    ^ madness!!! It's not about enjoyment, this hobby is about profit!!!!
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