RichardGoring Posted January 29 Posted January 29 39 minutes ago, ShaydDeGrai said: From an economics standpoint, TLG should TOTALLY have larger production runs on GWPs, especially when it's a real exclusive tied to a high-end "flagship" set like Barad Dur or The Enterprise. I'd even go so far as to say that from a marketing perspective small production runs to capitalize on FOMO actually work _against_ the company. ...BUT if TLG offers an exclusive minifigure or cool shuttlepod (or both) and only makes enough to elate a handful of fans and disappoints (or pisses off) everyone else. like (several of) their Comic-Con exclusives strategies, it might create buzz, but it's lousy customer relations. Agreed. I rather liked the Stranger Things Creel House, but as a house, rather than something from the show (which I haven't seen, but would like to one day). I tried to order it on the evening of January 1, but the set was sold out. Curiously, the GWP was still showing as available, so I hoped that they would restock and I could get it. But then nothing. The sense of frustration has put me off the set completely. LEGO has lost $300 from me. I don't have a LEGO specific budget and buy the things I like, so it's not even going on another set. I suspect it will generate more bad feelings amongst more people if they keep doing this. Quote
Black Falcon Posted January 30 Posted January 30 7 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said: It is, because if a GWP is expected to sell out in half a day, some people will get the respective required set on day one, who otherwise probably would’ve waited for a sale. Of course you can argue that few people overall act like this, but it’s still a rather questionable tactic How many people would really do that? In the end only people that expect a high price for the GWP and are going to sell it off to reduce the price of the main set that way - and the buyers are mainly people who missed out on the GWP because it sold out fast. Compared to that, the amount of Sets they would have sold but didn´t because the GWP just wasn´t there anymore (or even the main Set) is far bigger than what they would be selling more to some people that don´t care about the GWP anyways. 7 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said: No, I didn’t mean they should continue producing the GWP sets, but rather create a large enough supply that lasts them longer Of course storage space is an obvious problem here. That would make even less sense because if you expect them to have the GWP avaiable for every Set sold, you would need to know how many of the Set you are ever going to produce, which is just not possible. Quote
Lordhelmet Posted January 30 Posted January 30 19 hours ago, Altair1 said: I fully agree with your order of priority. I would just add the Argonath to the list. Oh good call, and seconded 13 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said: The artificial scarcity to induce FOMO is the issue in my book, not the idea of a GWP as such. I am for GWP, I think the production should be for a time period (if you order in first day you are locked in to receive a gwp - beyond that as supplies last). That way you don’t feel a crazy rush if you want one and they won’t sell out before the first day is over. I am also good with a limited amount but recognize how that enables scalpers (not resellers) this production discussion is interesting because barad dur had the fell beast which had the only prints show up in another set and on PAB. My complaint there was how the scalper crowd bought out PAB very quickly of the torso, a handful of bricklink stores had like 50 of them. So production was enough over time that anyone who wants it can get it relatively easily. I suppose the risk of over production is the PAB selling out. no good way to do it, I am for gwp though. It is really just a calculation of value. If you want a set do you want it at full price with a gwp or at 20% off before it retires. Gwp needs to be good enough to forgo the potential discount later on. Quote
Roebuck Posted January 30 Posted January 30 10 hours ago, ShaydDeGrai said: I'd make the GWP production run for the same number of units the initial run of sets is going to be and go on bundling them until the set is back-ordered. Yes, it is strange if the GWP sell out before the set in the first round. I know for sure I would not buy a set day one if the GWP was out of stock when I tried to order (not that I normally buy sets at day 1 ever) 3 hours ago, Lordhelmet said: Gwp needs to be good enough to forgo the potential discount later on. The bigger the set the better the GWP must be since the discount on the main set would increase also.. Quote
Artanis I Posted January 30 Posted January 30 12 hours ago, ShaydDeGrai said: From an economics standpoint, TLG should TOTALLY have larger production runs on GWPs, especially when it's a real exclusive tied to a high-end "flagship" set like Barad Dur or The Enterprise. I'd even go so far as to say that from a marketing perspective small production runs to capitalize on FOMO actually work _against_ the company. Any fan who's going to spend $500+ on some exclusive, near-to-their-heart-themed set is going to buy that set whether they get a GWP or not; some might hold off (or save up for it) , others might and wait pray for a lightening deal on Amazon, but everyone (including TLG) knows they are "destined" to get it eventually and typically have two years or more to follow through. BUT if TLG offers an exclusive minifigure or cool shuttlepod (or both) and only makes enough to elate a handful of fans and disappoints (or pisses off) everyone else. like (several of) their Comic-Con exclusives strategies, it might create buzz, but it's lousy customer relations. Let us not forget that LEGO wholesale distributors typically buy kits in bulk at somewhere around 60-65% of MSRP . They then take their cut and resell the items to retailers who honor (or even discount) the MSRP and make a profit for themselves. If I were TLG, and I had the option of selling a kit like Minas Tirith for sixty cents on the dollar so it could eventually end up on Barnes and Noble or Amazon versus selling it myself at full MSRP, I'd like more of the money to come to me rather than middle-men and competing retailers. Now the guaranteed bulk sale is really nice and TLG certainly doesn't want to walk away from this revenue stream, but the margin is low. Let's say the kit sells for 650USD, at sixty cents on the dollar that kit could be wholesaling for $390 ($240 less than MSRP) If TLG can convince people to buy directly from them, they make rake in two-thirds more money than they do on the wholesale market. Moreover, since "profitability" is already factored into the wholesale price, every dollar they bring in above the $390 threshold is (nearly - still have the overhead of running the website, shipping and handling) pure profit. Enter the GWP. If I can bundle a high priced item (or high enough priced collection of smaller items) with some sort of exclusive and convince a customer to buy direct (where I get, say $200 more per transaction than I would have if they shopped at Amazon) then a decent GWP (FOMO or not, from a marketing perspective) is totally worth their time and effort. I'd make the GWP production run for the same number of units the initial run of sets is going to be and go on bundling them until the set is back-ordered. If the set turns out not to be as popular as expected (or Amazon sales - without a GWP - are cannibalizing the supply chain) and they have extra GWP sets, put them on hold for a year or so then make them available as insider rewards once the scalpers on eBay have driven up demand. Quote
MAB Posted January 30 Posted January 30 (edited) 13 hours ago, ShaydDeGrai said: From an economics standpoint, TLG should TOTALLY have larger production runs on GWPs, especially when it's a real exclusive tied to a high-end "flagship" set like Barad Dur or The Enterprise. I'd even go so far as to say that from a marketing perspective small production runs to capitalize on FOMO actually work _against_ the company. This depends if you are thinking about individual sets or in the longer term. If a customer misses out on a GWP because they are too slow, then yes they will probably wait until they can get a better offer on that set such as double Insiders or some other more general GWP. For that set, they might wait or be annoyed they missed the GWP. But what are they going to do next time and the time after that? They know they must buy on the first day or in the first few hours, so they end up buying on day 1. It wouldn't surprise me if LEGO are slowly increasing the numbers of day 1 GWPs, slowly changing the behaviour of buyers as they are conditioned into purchasing on day 1 at full RRP. They need some to miss out to keep the hype or FOMO, while slowly getting more people to change behaviour. Edited January 30 by MAB Quote
Black Falcon Posted January 30 Posted January 30 5 hours ago, MAB said: If a customer misses out on a GWP because they are too slow, then yes they will probably wait until they can get a better offer on that set such as double Insiders or some other more general GWP. For that set, they might wait or be annoyed they missed the GWP. But what are they going to do next time and the time after that? They know they must buy on the first day or in the first few hours, so they end up buying on day 1. It wouldn't surprise me if LEGO are slowly increasing the numbers of day 1 GWPs, slowly changing the behaviour of buyers as they are conditioned into purchasing on day 1 at full RRP. They need some to miss out to keep the hype or FOMO, while slowly getting more people to change behaviour. That won´t generate more sales though because said person was already going to get the GWPs anyways and if he/she would buy on day one, two, or three won´t play a role for Lego. Quote
Yperio_Bricks Posted January 30 Posted January 30 6 hours ago, MAB said: It wouldn't surprise me if LEGO are slowly increasing the numbers of day 1 GWPs, slowly changing the behaviour of buyers as they are conditioned into purchasing on day 1 at full RRP. They need some to miss out to keep the hype or FOMO, while slowly getting more people to change behaviour. This strategy only works if customers let it work and act against what is best for them (purchase a good for the lowest possible price) and for the benefit of a multi-billion dollar company and the billionaires behind it. But it is already too late... The production cost of a small and simple* GWP must be, well, small. So throwing it after day-one buyers who pay the full RRP is like printing Danish krones But I understand I am in the minority. I love the LOTR minifigs but will never get one of them because I'd never buy a $500+ set and I am not interested in displaying sets anyways. Maybe I am lucky and one day in the future another torso shows up at PAB, like Pippin's from Rivendell I plan to binge The Rings of Power in preparation * For example, Fell Beast looked super simple to me. Like, they just took one old random table-scrap a designer built in minutes and made it a set. Quote
MAB Posted January 30 Posted January 30 42 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said: This strategy only works if customers let it work and act against what is best for them (purchase a good for the lowest possible price) and for the benefit of a multi-billion dollar company and the billionaires behind it. But it is already too late... Customers already let it work. People set alarms for internet shopping and take a day off work and queue for hours for in-store shopping. Just to get the precious. Quote
Vindicare Posted January 31 Posted January 31 I have backorder question, and since it’s Barad Dur I’ll ask here. When I ordered it yesterday it said ship Feb 12th. Now it’s saying 60 days. I’ve never ordered a backorder set, am I right to assume mine will still ship on the 12th & the now 60 day is because they got more orders? Quote
MKJoshA Posted January 31 Posted January 31 7 hours ago, Vindicare said: I have backorder question, and since it’s Barad Dur I’ll ask here. When I ordered it yesterday it said ship Feb 12th. Now it’s saying 60 days. I’ve never ordered a backorder set, am I right to assume mine will still ship on the 12th & the now 60 day is because they got more orders? They probably had more demand than sets in stock. It happens, especially when there's a promo running like x2 points. I had that happen to me for the Daily Bugle. Took forever to get the set shipped, but after 2 months it finally arrived. I "complained" after a month and they sent me some free points. Thankfully I didn't need it urgently for a present or anything. I bought it because it was on sale and too good to pass up. Hopefully the same will happen for you. Quote
Altair1 Posted January 31 Posted January 31 20 hours ago, MAB said: Customers already let it work. People set alarms for internet shopping and take a day off work and queue for hours for in-store shopping. Just to get the precious. I must say I do not understand those who go queue at physical stores. When I really want a set with its GWP I just order it on the online Lego store at the minute it is released. I did this many times and never missed a GWP I wanted. Quote
MAB Posted January 31 Posted January 31 (edited) 1 hour ago, Altair1 said: I must say I do not understand those who go queue at physical stores. When I really want a set with its GWP I just order it on the online Lego store at the minute it is released. I did this many times and never missed a GWP I wanted. There are various reasons to do it. It used to be quite a community type feeling on day 1 for a new big set in a store, and it also used to be that if you wanted it first then you had to get it from the store rather than wait for delivery. But I think that has diminished now since LEGO gives out so many copies way in advance of release day to people they know will give positive reviews that people that purchase to review cannot compete for the youtube review income. And there are so many big sets, it is not really a special event any more. Edited January 31 by MAB Quote
Vindicare Posted February 1 Posted February 1 15 hours ago, MKJoshA said: They probably had more demand than sets in stock. It happens, especially when there's a promo running like x2 points. I had that happen to me for the Daily Bugle. Took forever to get the set shipped, but after 2 months it finally arrived. I "complained" after a month and they sent me some free points. Thankfully I didn't need it urgently for a present or anything. I bought it because it was on sale and too good to pass up. Hopefully the same will happen for you. Well shoot…I’m not exactly in a hurry either, but I hope it ships on the 12th. Gives me more time to find a home for it I guess… LEGO seems to be drunk though, it keeps shifting from 60 days to the 14th, back to 60 days…now it says Feb 8th. At this point I’m just gonna check daily to see where it jumps to next. Quote
hikouki Posted February 1 Posted February 1 Unpopular opinion... make the GWP available for an extended period of time! Make it nice and exclusive and in and of itself collectible. Quote
Lordhelmet Posted February 2 Posted February 2 On 1/31/2026 at 9:05 AM, Altair1 said: I must say I do not understand those who go queue at physical stores. When I really want a set with its GWP I just order it on the online Lego store at the minute it is released. I did this many times and never missed a GWP I wanted. This can be fun, lots of Lego fans (normally for whatever big set is releasing) standing around talking about Lego. It’s normally a pretty good time. Now I mostly order online too but occasionally do enjoy waiting in line at the store. Store also are pretty good about having enough gwps for people in line. 16 hours ago, hikouki said: Unpopular opinion... make the GWP available for an extended period of time! Make it nice and exclusive and in and of itself collectible. I am good with this. GWP is just about value for the money to me. Having a gwp (and a decent one) makes me more likely to pay full price as it is better value. If there is no gwp or it’s not special/unique (looking at you Death Star) then I prefer to wait a few years to see if things go on sale (or get double vip points with a seasonal gwp). I think exclusivity helps increase value, and having it available for the first month or something like that would probably increase their sales at full price. Quote
Black Falcon Posted February 2 Posted February 2 On 1/31/2026 at 3:05 PM, Altair1 said: I must say I do not understand those who go queue at physical stores. When I really want a set with its GWP I just order it on the online Lego store at the minute it is released. I did this many times and never missed a GWP I wanted. I haven´t done it myself either, but from the lego community you can see several reasons for people to do it: they want to build it right away they want to make sure it doesn´t get dents, which often happens due to shipping the GWP was already gone when they tried to order so they went to the store to make sure not to miss it they actually have fun going to the Store instead of ordering online and are meeting other fans there and surely a lot more... In the end just as you can´t understand how others can wait at the stores, other people probably wouldn´t understand why thousands of people stay up to order right when the set releases. Quote
BitByBrick Posted February 2 Posted February 2 On 2/1/2026 at 3:46 PM, hikouki said: Unpopular opinion... make the GWP available for an extended period of time! Make it nice and exclusive and in and of itself collectible. I agree. However LEGO needs to make enough copies of it so it lasts several days, even better, several weeks after the release. None of this “GWP sold out in a couple minutes garbage” that has been going on lately. If they want us to pay full price for these whopper priced sets, at least have the decency to include a good quality GWP and have it available for an extended time. I’m also good, in addition to the above, if they want to release the GWP more than once. I believe that has happened before with some GWP. Quote
Vindicare Posted February 3 Posted February 3 On 1/31/2026 at 6:05 AM, Altair1 said: I must say I do not understand those who go queue at physical stores. When I really want a set with its GWP I just order it on the online Lego store at the minute it is released. I did this many times and never missed a GWP I wanted. A friend and I go a couple times a year, if not more, on release day. Best of all so we don’t have to wait for shipping. But then there’s the parts wall & minifig bins to look through and see if there’s anything good to find. Plus, it’s just fun going to LEGO stores. Quote
zoth33 Posted February 4 Posted February 4 2 hours ago, Vindicare said: A friend and I go a couple times a year, if not more, on release day. Best of all so we don’t have to wait for shipping. But then there’s the parts wall & minifig bins to look through and see if there’s anything good to find. Plus, it’s just fun going to LEGO stores. Totally agree I love going to the store I still have to sort through about 6-7 pab wall boxes and I like looking at the minifig bin parts too. Quote
ShaydDeGrai Posted February 4 Posted February 4 On 2/2/2026 at 12:48 PM, Black Falcon said: (snip...) they actually have fun going to the Store instead of ordering online and are meeting other fans there While not a GWP first day of release story, I can relate to this on one special occasion. I recall one year getting a physical invitation in the mail from my local Lego Store (with a postage paid RSVP card to reserve my spot if I was planning to attend). The invite was for a special "VIP Black Friday Preview Sale" (way back before there were "Insiders Rewards" and all that stuff on the website) to be held the Saturday before Thanksgiving at some crack of dawn hour of the morning. They were opening the store a few hours earlier than the mall's regular business hours, but they let us in even before the store itself opened and let us hang out in the mall outside the store for an hour or so. They served us coffee and donuts and the manager ran a Lego Trivia game with sets as prizes. They had Lego name tags made up for us. We also got gift bags with assorted Lego bling, including leftover GWP sets from earlier in the year. Between the swag bag and prizes I probably got about $75 worth of kits, minifigs, keyrings and parts before I even started shopping. When the store itself actually opened (again several hours before it was open to the general public), we each got assigned a "personal shopping assistant" who had a checklist of all the kits they had in inventory and all I had to say was, "I want one of these, I want two of those..." while pointing things out in the store and my assistant packaged the whole thing up from fresh inventory in the back room. He even got a hand cart and loaded my purchases into my car for me. Oh, and of course, we got first crack at that years' special holiday GWP set and a set that was supposed to be released on Black Friday itself. I can honestly say it was the best experience I've ever had "shopping" (Lego or otherwise). I met some great people, some of whom I kept in touch with for years afterwards and remained very loyal to that particular store (I live within reasonable driving distance to four Lego Shops) for the remainder of that manager's time there even when I might have saved a few bucks at Amazon. There were only a dozen or so of us (not counting kids and spouses) who'd attended the event (which I later learned was targeted at the top 25 VIP purchasers (in person and on-line combined) in the region) but we had a blast. The "privilege" of being one of the first people to click a link on a website just doesn't compare. Then again, the current insider's program kinda pales by comparison to a store that not only calls you a VIP but actually treats you like one (even if it was only for a few hours once a year). And speaking of partying at The Lego Shop, maybe the (theoretical) GWP given out shouldn't go to the first people to buy Minas Tirith, it should go to the first customers who buy at least one copy of the set while dressed as a character from the LOTR. Ridiculous, I know, but more festive and might keep the GWP in stock a little longer Quote
sahidko Posted February 4 Posted February 4 (edited) Can we get back to Lego LOTR pleeease? :D Always opening this thread hoping for some new info / leaks and last two+ pages is mostly just GWP discussion.... Edited February 4 by sahidko Quote
TheDoctor Posted February 4 Posted February 4 4 minutes ago, sahidko said: Can we get back to Lego LOTR pleeease? :D Always opening this thread hoping for some new info / leaks and last two+ pages is mostly just GWP discussion.... Haha, I agree., this thread seems to run on speculation and wishlists. Just setting yourselves up for disappointment. Quote
MAB Posted February 4 Posted February 4 2 hours ago, ShaydDeGrai said: And speaking of partying at The Lego Shop, maybe the (theoretical) GWP given out shouldn't go to the first people to buy Minas Tirith, it should go to the first customers who buy at least one copy of the set while dressed as a character from the LOTR. Ridiculous, I know, but more festive and might keep the GWP in stock a little longer That wouldn't be fair. I'd have to dress up to qualify, whereas my brother would easily pass as a hobbit without trying. :-) Quote
Lordhelmet Posted February 5 Posted February 5 Do we know if there is a rumor for a gwp yet? Obviously we had the big leak with the set but no rumors if there is a gwp at this point. if the rumored prices are correct this will be a rare day one buy without a gwp for me if there is not one. Been waiting too long for Gondor. Quote
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