Prices & "exclusives"

[Count Blacktron]

This is possibly more of a rant than anything, but I feel it must be said. I saw the Star Wars 7751 Ashoka's Starfighter & Vulture Droid set tonight at Wal Mart. It is apparently their retail exclusive at $38.88. $38.88???!! It's a variant of Anakin's Starfighter, looks like Obi-Wan's ep. 2 Starfighter, BUT it comes with a "rare" colored r2 unit, a pair of Buzz Droids, Ashoka (already in two other sets) and a Droid Fighter. Sure fancy right? 7669 Anakin's Fighter is $19.88 at the same store, so I'm supposed to believe that Ashoka's set is worth double the money for $8-10 worth of "extras"??? It seems to me that many of the Star Wars special "exclusive" sets are outrageously overpriced within the last year or so, but this one is just too much for me.

Sorry, but it is time to walk away from Star Wars LEGO when they are obviously trying to suck money from Dark Matter.

[Tower of Iron Will]

That's one reason for me to collect Castle sets over Star Wars. I feel like I'm getting more LEGO for my $$ (IMO). LEGO has to cover the license fees on each set and/or feel that people will pay the premium just because its "Star Wars."
-Tower

[Peppermint Pig]

Yes... I've felt the same way about exclusives. I'm not sure if that bothers me more than the fact that really good sets disappear very quickly in stores, but both are troubling.

TRU sales typically exclude Star Wars, so you have that working against you as well. If you have a TRU member card, they sometimes send you coupons, but they usually don't even make economic sense given taxes and the price hikes on their sets. Stone Goblin received a 15% off coupon good for all kinds of items, but the only item on his list that he could find was a Speed Racer set hiding behind some other big sets.

[puddleglum]

LEGO certianly has been very savvy with how it packages sets and minifigs to maximize profit, and they know people will pay marked up prices for rare figs. Now, those of us that aren't so interested in the figs are caught up in this.

But! One thing to keep in mind is that those minifigs fetch a pretty penny on BL, as highlighted at TBB recently. If you really like the parts in the set, you can always buy the set and sell the figs. That R2 unit is going for $17, and Ahsoka $13, which means you can have the bricks and the droids for $10 - not too shabby. Also, going by last 6 months average, that set has a complete part-out value of $75.

Part-out values are almost always higher than MSRP (nobody wants to lose money selling LEGO), but that is almost double. For reference, Anakin's starfighter has a part-out value of $30. As a final reference, the Pirates set "Shipwreck Hideout" has a similar price and peice count to Ahsoka's starfighter, ($39.99, 310), and has a part-out value of $65.

Anyways, the point I am trying to make here is that yeah, the mark-up stinks sometimes, but there's always BL if a set has stuff that you don't value, but other people want.

[Munchy]

Well, it is almost two complete sets. But you're right it is on the expensive side. I guess they figure people will pay for the set just to get the droid.

[RichardAM]

I guess they figure people will pay for the set just to get the droid.

That's the thing though, they absolutely will.

If people are stupid enough to pay those prices you can't blame TLG for setting them so high in the first place!

[nanuck95]

The Star Wars sets are what got me back into Lego, but I gave up on them when most of the newer sets coming out were over $50 each because I just couldn't afford to buy them anymore. I figured part of the price hike was because of the royalties Lego has to pay to George Lucas.

Slightly off-topic, but I did catch that article on TBB the other day about how to make a profit selling mini-figs. I thought it was great information, except what's going to happen when everybody and their mother starts doing it and the prices are all driven back down because the market is saturated? But, I guess not everybody is ambitious enough to start their own BL store so who knows. I often wondered why so many of the sets on S@H website had limits to how many you could buy, I figured people were just building massive armies. I suspect Lego is well aware of the fact that many of their sets are being bought only to be re-sold and I wonder if part of the price hike is to discourage that? I really don't know, just random speculation.

[puddleglum]

I suspect Lego is well aware of the fact that many of their sets are being bought only to be re-sold and I wonder if part of the price hike is to discourage that? I really don't know, just random speculation.

I think it's more just a function of LEGO increasing prices across the board. It's more noticable with SW because it was already the most expensive theme.

I guess they figure people will pay for the set just to get the droid.

Not just the droid - I believe Ahsoka is a big selling point here as well. She may have already appeared in two sets, but they were $90 and $100 sets.

[Athos]

I was thinking about getting it for the Ahoska figure, but $40 is too expensive for that...

Steve

[puddleglum]

Slightly off-topic, but I did catch that article on TBB the other day about how to make a profit selling mini-figs. I thought it was great information, except what's going to happen when everybody and their mother starts doing it and the prices are all driven back down because the market is saturated?

I don't think the TBB article will cause a massive increase in new BL stores or minifig resellers. There is an equilibrium between the prices minifigs are fetching on BL, and how many AFOLs find it worth their time to buy & part a set, and sell the minifigs. If prices are high, more people will buy sets to sell minifigs. If a bunch of people rush in at once, prices will drop like you say. At that point, some people would decide it wasn't worth the time and money, and get out of the "business". But I'm no economist.

[nanuck95]

I don't think the TBB article will cause a massive increase in new BL stores or minifig resellers. There is an equilibrium between the prices minifigs are fetching on BL, and how many AFOLs find it worth their time to buy & part a set, and sell the minifigs. If prices are high, more people will buy sets to sell minifigs. If a bunch of people rush in at once, prices will drop like you say. At that point, some people would decide it wasn't worth the time and money, and get out of the "business". But I'm no economist.

Yeah, good point. When I explained the mini-fig BL store idea to my wife, her response was: "that sounds like a lot of work." Oh well.

[natelite]

Yeah, good point. When I explained the mini-fig BL store idea to my wife, her response was: "that sounds like a lot of work." Oh well.

mfs? a lot of work? wow... i guess those parts traders must hire lots of cheap labor from china then.

[nanuck95]

mfs? a lot of work? wow... i guess those parts traders must hire lots of cheap labor from china then.

I'd consider opening up my own shop, but I think that was the polite way of her telling me there are plenty of other things I need to do around the house that have higher priority. She is probably right.

[Tower of Iron Will]

mfs? a lot of work? wow... i guess those parts traders must hire lots of cheap labor from china then.

I'd consider opening up my own shop, but I think that was the polite way of her telling me there are plenty of other things I need to do around the house that have higher priority. She is probably right.

Plus you may not want to give her the idea that your LEGO has more worth being sold to others than in your house.
-Tower

[siabur]

This is possibly more of a rant than anything, but I feel it must be said. I saw the Star Wars 7751 Ashoka's Starfighter & Vulture Droid set tonight at Wal Mart. It is apparently their retail exclusive at $38.88. $38.88???!! It's a variant of Anakin's Starfighter, looks like Obi-Wan's ep. 2 Starfighter, BUT it comes with a "rare" colored r2 unit, a pair of Buzz Droids, Ashoka (already in two other sets) and a Droid Fighter. Sure fancy right? 7669 Anakin's Fighter is $19.88 at the same store, so I'm supposed to believe that Ashoka's set is worth double the money for $8-10 worth of "extras"??? It seems to me that many of the Star Wars special "exclusive" sets are outrageously overpriced within the last year or so, but this one is just too much for me.

Sorry, but it is time to walk away from Star Wars LEGO when they are obviously trying to suck money from Dark Matter.

Double the piece count double the price.