Discussion
Stig said:
Add to that the threat of the likes of Lepin in the Far East (whos sets are actually pretty darn good) and they will only milk the Lego cow for so long.
No. 1 toy they may be, but time and time again we've seen the mighty fall.
I've been very brand loyal, but seeing prices of the GT3 (of which I bought 2 in the group buy!) plummet to £169 does not exactly engender further 'investment' desire from me.
My son bought a decool GT3 in white - it's actually better looking than the Lego version and he paid about £60 for it! People will vote with their feet - and wallets.
Although I feel they have quite a loyal fan base that are willing to spend big money despite the feeling of being ripped off or the fact that they’re driving out the small retailer from stocking them. No. 1 toy they may be, but time and time again we've seen the mighty fall.
I've been very brand loyal, but seeing prices of the GT3 (of which I bought 2 in the group buy!) plummet to £169 does not exactly engender further 'investment' desire from me.
My son bought a decool GT3 in white - it's actually better looking than the Lego version and he paid about £60 for it! People will vote with their feet - and wallets.
As an adult I am aware that all the lego sets I buy are a luxury that I can easily do without, I judge each new set and can quickly decide which ones I just fancy and which ones I am going to buy.
The prices on the big sets are not too bad if done through the group buy sort of thing, I did my first group buy recently for the Mack Anthem and found Jadlam to be very good.
I know the local Lego shop had the same set but at a much higher price, that is the fault of Lego for not letting the little shop buy one or two sets to sell at the same price Jadlam got for them.
Lego have upped their creative game a lot over the last few years and have put out some great stuff, I am a big collector of the Architecture range but that can be disproportionately expensive.
Im not bothered by reselling values but its nice to know its got a value if I ever decide to sell any sets.
The prices on the big sets are not too bad if done through the group buy sort of thing, I did my first group buy recently for the Mack Anthem and found Jadlam to be very good.
I know the local Lego shop had the same set but at a much higher price, that is the fault of Lego for not letting the little shop buy one or two sets to sell at the same price Jadlam got for them.
Lego have upped their creative game a lot over the last few years and have put out some great stuff, I am a big collector of the Architecture range but that can be disproportionately expensive.
Im not bothered by reselling values but its nice to know its got a value if I ever decide to sell any sets.
Getragdogleg said:
I know the local Lego shop had the same set but at a much higher price, that is the fault of Lego for not letting the little shop buy one or two sets to sell at the same price Jadlam got for them.
Sorry - but I will always bite on these comments as its a struggle I face daily as an online only retailer! It always makes me laugh as the problem is actually the other way round!! This local Toy shop you speak off will most likely (I would be very confident) buy this item considerably cheaper than me as an online only retailer. Whilst I am not searching for brownie points the discount offered to PH'ers comes entirely out of my own pocket. I.e I choose to make significantly less on these units in order to give PH'ers a better deal because I really like PH and a lot of the members within. FYI I generally aim to get as close to 20% discount at launch as I can, on a large set (£150ish) this allows me to cover cost and if I am lucky have enough leftover to grab myself a burger & pint at my local spoons! On smaller sets (<£100), after a 20% discount and costs Id struggle to get a pint with the change.
So, dont be fooled by the High street. Whilst the growth of online has been pretty crazy over the last decade, manufacturers (in my industry at least) have tried massively to suppress this growth to protect and encourage people to buy from the High Street. They have tried to do this by increasing prices for online retailers to give the High Street an advantage... The savvy ones have used this opportunity, built great communities instore, with Social Media and possibly branched out online. However there are many who choose to sit as they have been for 40yrs, despite the world changing around them. They will continue to pocket extra £££ whilst getting the violin out at every opportunity until the next rule change. There is absolutely no reason why said shop can not do the same for you and actually offer you an even better price...
Also FYI I actually love the High Street and we are actively looking to open our own "megastore", as I personally believe a well executed combination is the best way forward.
e.g One time LEGO cocked up and sent me paperwork for the toy shop in town. At the time the big launch was 75105 (Millenium Falcon £120), their cost was £10 cheaper! Scale that up to the 42056 and thats an extra £20 to play with...
russy01 said:
Getragdogleg said:
I know the local Lego shop had the same set but at a much higher price, that is the fault of Lego for not letting the little shop buy one or two sets to sell at the same price Jadlam got for them.
Sorry - but I will always bite on these comments as its a struggle I face daily as an online only retailer! It always makes me laugh as the problem is actually the other way round!! This local Toy shop you speak off will most likely (I would be very confident) buy this item considerably cheaper than me as an online only retailer. Whilst I am not searching for brownie points the discount offered to PH'ers comes entirely out of my own pocket. I.e I choose to make significantly less on these units in order to give PH'ers a better deal because I really like PH and a lot of the members within. FYI I generally aim to get as close to 20% discount at launch as I can, on a large set (£150ish) this allows me to cover cost and if I am lucky have enough leftover to grab myself a burger & pint at my local spoons! On smaller sets (<£100), after a 20% discount and costs Id struggle to get a pint with the change.
So, dont be fooled by the High street. Whilst the growth of online has been pretty crazy over the last decade, manufacturers (in my industry at least) have tried massively to suppress this growth to protect and encourage people to buy from the High Street. They have tried to do this by increasing prices for online retailers to give the High Street an advantage... The savvy ones have used this opportunity, built great communities instore, with Social Media and possibly branched out online. However there are many who choose to sit as they have been for 40yrs, despite the world changing around them. They will continue to pocket extra £££ whilst getting the violin out at every opportunity until the next rule change. There is absolutely no reason why said shop can not do the same for you and actually offer you an even better price...
Also FYI I actually love the High Street and we are actively looking to open our own "megastore", as I personally believe a well executed combination is the best way forward.
e.g One time LEGO cocked up and sent me paperwork for the toy shop in town. At the time the big launch was 75105 (Millenium Falcon £120), their cost was £10 cheaper! Scale that up to the 42056 and thats an extra £20 to play with...
Its interesting to read your post and learn a little about the background ! Thanks.
Not all High street shops will be getting super prices, as LEGO grade all accounts based on how well they represent the brand. However the criteria was largely based on how well the brand was represented in store - therefore without a physical store you struggle to tick many criteria.
So, in most cases a shop with a decent LEGO area showcasing a range of LEGO products and using their posters etc - would most likely get considerably better terms than any online only retailer...
Example. LEGO 75105 Millennium Falcon was a big release September 2014 with the RRP at £129. Talking with a local toy shop (corner shop size) it was apparent they were buying at about £10 less per item! Double this up to the 42056 at £250 and you are talking a £20 difference...
Either way, whilst Im happy to share my insights, I'll leave it there. Ultimately all you need to know is that I (along with Podie) am more than happy to continue offering Group Buys for members providing the interest exists, it remains good value to you all and PH are happy with what we are doing.
Cheers.
So, in most cases a shop with a decent LEGO area showcasing a range of LEGO products and using their posters etc - would most likely get considerably better terms than any online only retailer...
Example. LEGO 75105 Millennium Falcon was a big release September 2014 with the RRP at £129. Talking with a local toy shop (corner shop size) it was apparent they were buying at about £10 less per item! Double this up to the 42056 at £250 and you are talking a £20 difference...
Either way, whilst Im happy to share my insights, I'll leave it there. Ultimately all you need to know is that I (along with Podie) am more than happy to continue offering Group Buys for members providing the interest exists, it remains good value to you all and PH are happy with what we are doing.
Cheers.
fatboy69 said:
Claas it will be then. Guess the rally car can wait along with the bucket excavator, the Unimog & quite a few more.
The BMW bike is great build. Enjoyed building mine. Same as the Caterham. Another good build.
So. I started the Claas Tractor.The BMW bike is great build. Enjoyed building mine. Same as the Caterham. Another good build.
Rarely have I been as underwhelmed with a Technic build as with this one.
Currently got an order in for 5, yes five, missing pieces!!
Also managed to get one piece stuck & I can’t remove it so all in all I am unimpressed.
fatboy69 said:
So. I started the Claas Tractor.
Rarely have I been as underwhelmed with a Technic build as with this one.
Currently got an order in for 5, yes five, missing pieces!!
Also managed to get one piece stuck & I can’t remove it so all in all I am unimpressed.
That's disappointing, I've got one sat unbuilt ready to go at some point. Rarely have I been as underwhelmed with a Technic build as with this one.
Currently got an order in for 5, yes five, missing pieces!!
Also managed to get one piece stuck & I can’t remove it so all in all I am unimpressed.
fatboy69 said:
fatboy69 said:
Claas it will be then. Guess the rally car can wait along with the bucket excavator, the Unimog & quite a few more.
The BMW bike is great build. Enjoyed building mine. Same as the Caterham. Another good build.
So. I started the Claas Tractor.The BMW bike is great build. Enjoyed building mine. Same as the Caterham. Another good build.
Rarely have I been as underwhelmed with a Technic build as with this one.
Currently got an order in for 5, yes five, missing pieces!!
Also managed to get one piece stuck & I can’t remove it so all in all I am unimpressed.
Very very unhappy. Snotty email fired off to Lego although I am not sure what good it will do.
Really odd. The only possible reason I can think of, bearing in mind the automated qc processes, is that someone was under a tonne of pressure to get a shipment completed and tweaked the tolerance thresholds. That should have been picked up by plant management as these machines are all tied into centralised reporting systems.
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