Heavy Loader (7900) - why so cheap when new?

[MrZ]

I recently had to fork out over $180 for this set brand-new. Being a relatively large set I thought it was worth the spend, but then I discovered that when new in 2006, it cost only US$24.99?! This seems ridiculously low - that's a price of 7c per piece (for most sets, the cost is usually 10c-15c a piece). Why would Lego sell such a good set for so little? Looking at it, without knowing the price, I thought it must have cost about $70 when new. For a set to increase in value over 7 fold in a period of 5 years is truly amazing.

Edited October 5, 2011 by MrZ

[lightningtiger]

I recently had to fork out over $180 for this set brand-new. Being a relatively large set I thought it was worth the spend, but then I discovered that when new in 2006, it cost only US$24.99?! This seems ridiculously low - that's a price of 7c per piece (for most sets, the cost is usually 10c-15c a piece). Why would Lego sell such a good set for so little? Looking at it, without knowing the price, I thought it must have cost about $70 when new. For a set to increase in value over 7 fold in a period of 5 years is truly amazing.

You are new to this right 'MrZ', 180 bucks would be for MISB, an untouched set and it was 5 years ago.....you think that's back check out the prices on Star Wars sets eh ?

[MrZ]

You are new to this right 'MrZ', 180 bucks would be for MISB, an untouched set and it was 5 years ago.....you think that's back check out the prices on Star Wars sets eh ?

Yes it was MISB, but you're missing my point. Why was the set so cheap to start with? It had 347 pieces, so it should have been alot more than $24.99. Makes no sense.

Another set released that year with a ridiculously low price was the ambulance, which had 118 pieces and cost only $7.99! That's less than 7c a piece. Why can't we get those kinds of prices today?? The repair truck released in 2009 also had 118 pieces but was $12.99. Both sets contained only 1 minifig, so that's an increase of 63% in just 3 years. Today you would probably be paying $14.99 or more for a similar sized set.

Edited October 5, 2011 by MrZ

[lightningtiger]

Why so high, demand out stripping supply and when that happens....BANG....up goes the price !

Just look what happen to the Batman theme after it was discontinued....BANG.....20 buck sets jumped to over 80 bucks with in a year or so.

And I wish I had the Heavy Loader, it would be perfer semi for my town.....ah, that's what downloading the instructions and building from spare parts is for !

[Peabo]

Lightning tigers points are good and true, but don't answer you question. The cost of the raw materials has gone up dramatically since then, it used to be alot cheaper to inject ABS

[Freddie]

Well, first of all it was a "limited" set, meant to only be sold for roughly half a year, and priced aggressively to promote sales. Secondly, most of the bricks, with the possible exception being the girders (which are of a different type of plastic), were possibly in a low-price bracket internally at LEGO. I bought the set when it was released, and it was neither a complicated build, nor very exciting parts-wise.

Besides, take away the bridge, and you end up with a tractor unit and a tiny six-wheeled trailer. Most of the set's size is in the bridge, itself built of relatively few parts.