DUPLO Price per Brick

[SorinO]

Over the years, I've seen several discussions about what a good price/piece ratio is for LEGO, and $0.10 (US) per brick/piece seems to be what most people consider the general rule for standard system LEGO. I haven't had any luck finding similar discussions or a general rule for DUPLO, though. I was wondering what the general consensus is, then. What do you consider a good price per brick ratio to be for DUPLO? Are there any resources to find sets that are a good value? Thanks for your help!

[rollermonkey]

There probably isn't much consensus, because even the $0.10/piece is debated ad nauseum.

Duplo are even less appropriate to this discussion, because as the average piece size is so much larger, the difference in size between different pieces is also magnified. How does one reduce bricks of such disparate size, shape and complexity (yes, even in Duplo) to a single number?

Particularly as AFOLs are extremely unlikely to be buying individual Duplo for their latest MOC.

I have a 4-year-old, and many Duplo sets in my house, and I wouldn't even be able to hazard a guess what constitutes an "average" sized brick in that line. Plates run from 2X4 through @ 12x18 and bricks are 2x2 through 2x12 IIRC. Special pieces like slopes, columns and doors are all odd sizes, then there's slides, towers, and more. Then there's the printing... So many unique printed pieces... And now with licensed sets popping up in Duplo? Yikes.

I'd guess individual bricks, new from BnP probably range from $0.75 to $5 or even more. That would actually be a great way to figure this out, now that I think about it.

[deraven]

That is an interesting question. As rollermonkey noted, there is such a huge variation with the types of pieces in Duplo sets it's a bit hard to really determine an average. This is probably another instance, as with the $0.10PPB in System sets, where price per unit weight would give the best indicator of value for a particular set (all other things being equal, like if you actually wanted the type of parts in said set!)... but I don't know that a weight database exists for Duplo elements.

So, as unscientific as it is, I just hit the Lego online shop and grabbed 20 Duplo sets, trying to get a decent balance of vehicles, animals, buildings, "general" sets, and including about 20% licensed sets. When I add up the price and divide by the number of pieces, I get $0.64/piece.

Value? i'd say if you're at $0.50/piece it's probably good value, but the average for every set individually probably varies between about $0.50 to $0.85/piece, soo...

[rollermonkey]

As an update, the large plate I was thinking, (and the biggest Duplo piece I know of) is 8X16, not 12X18. That's still a pretty darned big brick.

[Andy D]

If you look at the weigh of a standard 2 x 4 it is 2.32 grams, a Duplo 2 x 4 is 12.2 grams, just about 5 times the weight of a standard 2 x 4, so the cost for Duplo you should expect is about 5 times the cost of standard LEGO. deraven calculated about $0.50 per brick by examining sets, I got essentially the same calculation by weight. This method only works for estimating PPP in sets. When purchasing individual bricks, as with standard bricks some will cost more, some less depending on rarity.

Andy D

Edited October 8, 2014 by Andy D

[SorinO]

Thanks for all of the responses! I don't have any kids yet, but plan to in the near future. The one thing I've definitely heard people say about DUPLO often is how pricy it is (which is saying something among people who are in to LEGO, which can already be a pricy hobby). That being the case, I thought I'd start keeping an eye out for DUPLO sets that were a good value and/or on sale, but then I realized I had no idea what constituted a "good value" where DUPLO was concerned. When I looked at the LEGO store site, it seemed like the first few sets I checked were around $1 per piece, which was disheartening. Then I came across "My First Garden (10517)" which is just $13 for 38 pieces (about $0.34/piece!). As far as I can tell, though, there's no easy way to find those kinds of sets other than clicking on each set and doing the math. I wish there was a way to search by price/piece.

[Lyichir]

Thanks for all of the responses! I don't have any kids yet, but plan to in the near future. The one thing I've definitely heard people say about DUPLO often is how pricy it is (which is saying something among people who are in to LEGO, which can already be a pricy hobby). That being the case, I thought I'd start keeping an eye out for DUPLO sets that were a good value and/or on sale, but then I realized I had no idea what constituted a "good value" where DUPLO was concerned. When I looked at the LEGO store site, it seemed like the first few sets I checked were around $1 per piece, which was disheartening. Then I came across "My First Garden (10517)" which is just $13 for 38 pieces (about $0.34/piece!). As far as I can tell, though, there's no easy way to find those kinds of sets other than clicking on each set and doing the math. I wish there was a way to search by price/piece.

Usually it's good to just trust your gut. A lot of the same sorts of rules about which Lego parts are more expensive apply to Duplo as well, so you'll generally get a better value out of a set with mostly small, basic bricks than one with specially designed parts or characters. Bigger sets with more parts generally have more value relative to their size than smaller ones with fewer parts. And finally, the non-brick content of the set factors into the price too, so a set which features a board book or comes in special packaging will typically get you fewer bricks for your buck, although the non-brick contents have their own value—it's nice to have a book that can inspire your kid or a nice sturdy box to put everything away in when playtime is over.

[Sarah]

Thanks for all of the responses! I don't have any kids yet, but plan to in the near future. The one thing I've definitely heard people say about DUPLO often is how pricy it is (which is saying something among people who are in to LEGO, which can already be a pricy hobby). That being the case, I thought I'd start keeping an eye out for DUPLO sets that were a good value and/or on sale, but then I realized I had no idea what constituted a "good value" where DUPLO was concerned. When I looked at the LEGO store site, it seemed like the first few sets I checked were around $1 per piece, which was disheartening. Then I came across "My First Garden (10517)" which is just $13 for 38 pieces (about $0.34/piece!). As far as I can tell, though, there's no easy way to find those kinds of sets other than clicking on each set and doing the math. I wish there was a way to search by price/piece.

You can find MUCH better bargains for Duplo on Craigslist and such places because the demand is less.

[deraven]

You can find MUCH better bargains for Duplo on Craigslist and such places because the demand is less.

This. Craigslist, Goodwill/other thrift stores, and even eBay can help with good value on Duplo sets. One thing that's great is that Duplo is much easier to clean than standard Lego since there aren't really and small crevices and such. If you get a batch that's dirty, a tub of warm soapy water will do the trick just fine.

When my kids were littler I bought a few specific Duplo sets that looked cool, but then really filled out the collection with a lot of second hand stuff. They were both really into Thomas the Train, about a year or so after Lego was winding down that license, but I ended up getting pretty much all the characters and whatnot we wanted for about 1/2 retail, all in nice shape. I also got a ton of track and random bricks for far less than I was expecting. We still play with that 4 years later since Duplo is great as the foundations of large constructions since it's System-compatible, and it's also excellent for quickly putting together larger, basic MOCs (like a garage or obstacle course for Hot Wheels cars, or a house for my wife's vintage My Little Ponies that the kids also get a kick out of!).

[Legogal]

I buy a ton of used or almost new Duplo off eBay and BL and second most of what was said above. Sometimes Craigslist has good bargains or rare finds because so many Duplo sets (like 4966 and 7225) were produced in low numbers many years ago and/or not sold in the US. New Duplo parts tend to be very pricy anywhere, but sometimes the used ones can be badly chewed up. If you cannot tell from the pictures in the listing, ask for more photos. And avoid most parts that have had daycare use.

I build with the ones in decent condition and put the others in a container of damaged Duplo for my granddaughter to play with next year when she turns one. It is sad to waste new Duplo on a toddler if they like to chew on things, which most do. If she wants to play with my good bricks when she is older and can take care of them, that is fine. When buying anything on BL, i tend to scour the seller's Duplo listing for reasonably priced bricks because those in good condition can be quite rare; white bricks are a good example. Few are sold, and most are faded or damaged.

Others have noted that many Duplo pieces are huge and expensive. Sometimes I pay as much as 8US for 4966 type playhouse roof pieces or large plates 8 x 16 in good condition. Often these are only available from sellers abroad, so the shipping costs can be enormous. If you really need some Duplo pieces, begin looking early for them as it can take a year to find some of the rarer ones. The supply in Europe tends to me much larger as much more Duplo has been sold there over a long period of time.

Licensed set pieces can be especially expensive; I tend to avoid the figs from those sets because my builds resemble real neighborhoods and Batman looks out of place there. But they can be a good source of basic bricks on BL. Good luck collecting Duplo; feel free to message me if you are having problems finding a specific piece or set. I only buy Duplo, but spend a lot of time looking at what is available. Be aware that many "Duplo" listings on eBay and Craigslist may consist mostly of clone brands because sellers often don't know the differences in brands. I try to get partial refunds when this happens and donate the non-LEGO to charity.