Why is Part 92222 (Hero Factory Shield with Handle for Clip) So Expensive?

[fieldbricks]

More specifically, in colors such as Black, Flat Silver, or Pearl Dark Gray. If you scout Bricklink for these parts, they sell for at least $5 a piece and go as high as $10. Sets that contain this part will sell for a significantly higher price than similar sets without (ex. Compare Bulk 3.0, which has 2 of those parts in Pearl Dark Gray, with all other 3.0 Heroes). This has always baffled me, and hope someone can clarify this. I was in my dark ages when Hero Factory came out, and am currently trying to recollect the sets, and this question just came up.

[NathanR]

Look at the sets this part appeared in... 

For Pearl Dark Grey, there were 6 inside the Bat-Pod, which as I recall was a very limited edition set and is highly sought after by Lego Batman fans.  So with people trying to bricklink this set, the part becomes important and commands a high price.  I suspect this is also why flat silver and black are more expensive - aside from only appearing in 1 or 2 sets, they could also be used as substitutes for pearl dark grey on the Bat-Pod (remember, Batman only ever builds in black... and sometimes very very dark grey)

[fieldbricks]

My only guess is that it's in high demand, but if you compare this part with, say 98592 (Hero Factory Shoulder / Knee Armor), which some colors have only appeared in 2-3 sets (purple only appeared in 1!), 98592 sells for around ~35 cents, rarely going over 50 cents. Parts like 98593 (Hero Factory Shoulder Armor, Sonic Speaker) only appeared in one set, and sells for under $2. Is 92222 really that heavily used? I feel like I've never seen any MOCs that make heavy use for that part.

[Aanchir]

Like most Hero Factory parts, resellers didn't really care enough about it to stockpile it in great numbers. Then in 2015, the super-limited-release Bat-Pod set was revealed. At that point there were few sets still available that contained the part, and all of a sudden there was a surge in demand for that part on BrickLink that couldn't be satisfied due to the number of people trying to build the Bat-Pod for themselves. Although the Bat-Pod used Titanium Metallic (Pearl Dark Grey), the demand for Black and Silver Metallic (Flat Silver) also spiked due to the number of people who either didn't know or didn't care which color was correct for the set.

I'm grateful that I acquired so many of this part when I could, as it's a very valuable part for MOCing.

[fieldbricks]

That seems to explain it. Who knew one limited edition set would set off such a high demand for this part.