Limited Editions

[shunlabs]

*sad*

Some sets are considered as limited editions; sometimes it's clearly labelled so on the box (Republic Cruiser, Hoth Base, Skeleton ship to name a few) and sometimes not so clear-cut (for instance, EF Supernova was an exclusive in the US as I understand, but not in Europe, still it was never featured in a Belgian Lego catalog for instance and i don't remember seeing it in the belgian section of S@H.)

Same Story for EF Bridge Walker, not featured in catalogs, not marked as limited edition, but this time, available through S@H...

This raises the general questions of why such differences in sets production/distribution... What are they exactly : limited in time production, in numbers ? Would you have examples of sales figures for a limited set ? When did Lego start with limited editions ? What is your feeling about them ? A trendy marketing gimmick to boost sales or a regrettable policy ? About exclusives such as the ones for TRU ? About sets that are neither limited or exclusive but become unavailable way too early (Ninja line, Vikings line, Batman dragster:catwoman pursuit,...) if at all (no X-Pods from the 2nd wave in Europe ) ? Side effects of all of this : crazy prices and frustration.

I personnally think that every set produced should be available for at the very least 1y on S@H.

Otherwise it becomes playing with the rarity/shortage effect and I find this *wacko* !

Your reactions on the subject are eagerly awaited ! ;-)

Edited December 10, 2007 by shunlabs

[Stauder]

I fully Agree with you. And I think The ambassoadors should have a look at this. *y*

Stauder

Edited December 10, 2007 by Stauder

[Iron Moose]

It's not like Lego *wants* people to have a hard time buying their product.

In North America, it is often that stores want something exclusive to draw people in - and if Lego refuses the demand of, say, Wal-Mart, then Wal-Mart might not buy as much Lego, and no one would like that.

(The oldest one I can remember is the 1593 combo, but I'm sure there are older ones. )

What is your feeling about them ? A trendy marketing gimmick to boost sales or a regrettable policy ? About exclusives such as the ones for TRU ? About sets that are neither limited or exclusive but become unavailable way too early (Ninja line, Vikings line, Batman dragster:catwoman pursuit,...) if at all (no X-Pods from the 2nd wave in Europe ) ? Side effects of all of this : crazy prices and frustration.

1 - my feelings: sucks for me, but corporate machinations are what they are.

2 - neither trendy nor regrettable: a necessity.

3 - TRU Exclusives are the only ones I've ever seen at retail (plus the TIE Crawler and the Dwarves Mine, oddly). I'm in Canada. That being said, they're awesome. I heartily dig the Supernova and Republic Cruiser, and the Armored Drilling Unit is *hot*. That being said, I feel bad for them when the exclusives are just old sets wrapped together. Because less people buy them.

4 - Good! Shows that people want them. (and on a side note, I picked up *all* my Vikings in March of this year, at a 40% off discount, from TRU - so I doubt they're all that hard to find. Catwoman Pursuit, I think I *still see*. )

As for side effects - yep. That's what comes from an inherently materialistic hobby like this one. :-P

[shunlabs]

Thanks for your reactions :-)

Well I can understand the logic behind Exclusive items, as you said, to draw people in, but then Limited Editions (non-Exclusive ones) are still another story. In fact i'm wondering how they decide which set ought to be produced for 2+ years while others for only a few months.

Let's have an example with the SW Republic Cruiser. In my country it has just appeared recently and only on S@H and a few stores, at that. I'm sure they will be gone in a few weeks. (Skeleton ship appeared also recently and is already sold out on S@H).

Okay, the aim of this is to stimulate demand to be able to raise prices, but for such items (generally mid to big sets), the buying decision is not always straightforward, and they shrink the timeframe to take this decision to a few weeks, that just insane ! *wacko*

What I am wondering is : business-wise, wouldn't it be at least as profitable to give these sets more time to sell, even at a fractionnally lower price ? Less per item, but bigger volumes (which allow for amortization for new molds, btw).

Also, some people not living our passion for Lego on a daily basis would then be allowed to catch these sets as well. I'm sure many of them don't even know such limited sets have ever existed !

Below, another aspect of today's Lego distribution complexity you probably already know :

Dear LEGO