Maersk Ship Selling better than Parisian Restaurant?

[kinggregus]

I had the chance to talk with one Lego employee today when going to the Bluewater Lego shop. We were discussing about the sales of some set and he was telling me that he was surprised to see that the Maersk ship was selling better than the Parisian restaurant.

I have to admit that I am equally surprised as I was under the impression that the modular house can appeal a much broader audience and is essential for a lot of people to complete their collections. On the opposite, the Maersk container is too similar to its predecessor issued 4 years ago and its audience would be much more targeted (at least I thought).

I am wondering whether this is just a local thing or whether you think the Maersk container ship is selling better on a worldwide basis, if so what would be the reasons for it selling better?

[jodawill]

That sounds really weird to me. IMO, the Parisian Restaurant is one of the best sets they've ever released. The Maersk container ship doesn't look very interesting at all. Isn't it too small of a scale for minifigures? It just looks like a display piece to me.

[dr_spock]

The ship could be appealing to non-AFOL ship collectors. It was featured on a maritime blog.

[tomdobs55]

I saw it for the first time today and the ship does look amazing. In fact I was at the Lego store with my son and he said he wanted the "big boat" instead of the restaurant, which he had been asking for. My opinion is many non AFOLs with kids may go for the vehicles over the buildings. I know my boys would rather a vehicle over a building lately.

Edited January 12, 2014 by tomdobs55

[Faefrost]

It may have some crossover hobbiest appeal. It may also be a regional thing. Doing better in areas that have more a more nautical tradition. I haven't specifically asked but just from eyeballing it I think the PR has done better at my local store.

With that said I can kind of see the draw. The Modular buildings just lost their, for lack of a better term, "gateway drug". The Fire Brigade was that perfect intersection of AFOL cool detailed real model, and kid magnet, that the others just aren't. The modular line will need to add something with a more active play component or interest to really make up for it being retired. Maybe a mechanic shop or a post office? The PR is almost pure AFOL. It doesn't have that built in active draw that kids focus on. I could easily see older teenaged Lego fans gravitating towards the Maersk ship instead.

(BTW, signs that you probably have a diseased mind. If on looking at the Maersk ship your first thought was to wonder when someone will post a CuuSoo project of a matching Somali Pirate ship? YoHo?)

[jodawill]

I can't imagine a lot of kids wanting that Maersk ship. You guys are probably right about the hobbyist buying it. But are there really that many who would buy Lego? I'm not sure about ship collectors, but I know a lot of train collectors won't go anywhere near Lego trains.

[Hewman]

I think there's a simpler reason than those offered. AFOLs know that the Parisian Restaurant will be available for years while the Maersk ship could disappear very quickly as has happened before with the previous Maersk ship(s) (10152 and 10155).

[Sir_Basil_Ashton]

I think there's a simpler reason than those offered. AFOLs know that the Parisian Restaurant will be available for years while the Maersk ship could disappear very quickly as has happened before with the previous Maersk ship(s) (10152 and 10155).

^ You hit it on the head. The modular buildings will have a way longer shelf life. Put off purchasing a Maersk ship and you'll miss out and regret it.

[AFOLguy1970]

The ship went out of stock online just days after January 1 and remains so as of today. Lego.com states it will not be back in stock until the 23rd. I agree that Parisian Restaurant is more attractive, and yes, it will likely be around longer than the ship. Many of us ordered the PR right at midnight in fear of the situation that did happen with the Triple-E. For now, the PR remains in stock. The ship looks somewhat interesting, but I will pass in favor of other things. I am no fan of stickers, and this seems full of them, even the dreaded STAMP-stickers across multiple pieces.

[brickbuilder711]

The only way I see this ship lasting long is the fact LEGO switched the blue over to their new Medium Azure... which is a good thing since it's a brighter color... rather than the more rare Maersk "Pastel" Blue.

I personally would prefer the boat... guess that is due to the fact I live in South Florida and in a city with such a port as PortMiami which is having its "largest expansion" yet.

But the PR is awesome too, and I will be looking to get both sets.

[kinggregus]

Wow, I did not see it coming. On the UK website of Lego, the Maersk container ship is out of stock and will be available only in March. I guess TLG did not foresee the set to be so popular either.

This is a big surprise to me.

[jonwil]

The other fact with the ship is the recent Captain Phillips movie which may have made some people interested in ships.

[elleana]

With more and more people getting on the bandwagon to purchase and keep large exclusive / rare sets for investment appreciation, I wonder if we will ever again see such large CAGRs as in previous years e.g. Grand Carousel, Taj Mahal and even the first three modulars. The Triple E may be out of stock now, but since Lego has already advised on a restock date unless you are 16 and must have everything RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW all you have to do to avoid paying inflated prices is to wait.

Edited January 13, 2014 by elleana

[tomdobs55]

CAGRs?

[LEGO Historian]

I know that there are many new people that start collecting LEGO every day... and currently sustain the exuberant market for relatively recent, and certainly NOT rare LEGO sets. But I wonder just how long this can last, and how long the market can absorb this collecting mania.

I am reminded of the Tulip craze of the 1630s, the Hummel figurine craze of the 1980s, the Beanie Babies mania of the late 20th century, and most famous of all, the Baseball Card bubble of the mid 1990s.

Here's an interesting and sobering article on baseball cards... and how even Wall Street investors were extolling the virtues of Baseball Card investment...

http://www.slate.com...ard_bubble.html

What is happening today is that you see sales prices on Bricklink, and suddenly everyone things that this is a great investment. Perhaps over the short haul... but long haul... I would not place all my investment dollars into modern, unlimited set releases...

Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen is worth $7.3 billion dollars for a reason.... he's making a LOT of money off of a lot of LEGO sales... and folks are jumping on the CMF and Modular band wagon in ever growing numbers....

Edited January 13, 2014 by LEGO Historian

[TheLazyChicken]

This is interesting. I would like the ship but it has too many stickers. It is interesting though that the triple-e is selling better than the PR.

[elleana]

CAGRs?

Compound Annual Growth Rate. Its an investment measure of how much prices have changed over the years. In Lego terms it would be the RRP of a set at release measured against current average prices on the secondary market.

[BimmerBoy]

The online pictures do not do the Maersk ship justice, IMO. Saw it on display at the Lego Store, and it looks much better than the online pictures led me to believe. Except for the stickers... Its a set designed to hook the dad/grandfather who took their kid/grandkid to the Lego Store to buy a Ninjago or Friends set for their birthday. Those parents/grandparents have no interest in a minifigure world, but a nice looking display set might get their attention.

My brother-in-law does contract work in the shipping and logistics industry. He collects models of UPS/FedEx/DHL/Freight Companies/etc planes and trucks. He has no interest in Lego as hobby/toy, but he saw this ship and had to have it. He says you would be surprised at how many people in his line of work collect models of shipping/logistics industry vehicles.

As mentioned above, the timing of the "Captain Phillips" movie probably helps this ship sell.

Also mentioned above, the Maersk themed sets don't stay around that long. The previous train, ships, truck, were relatively short run IRC.

[tomdobs55]

The online pictures do not do the Maersk ship justice, IMO. Saw it on display at the Lego Store, and it looks much better than the online pictures led me to believe. Except for the stickers... Its a set designed to hook the dad/grandfather who took their kid/grandkid to the Lego Store to buy a Ninjago or Friends set for their birthday. Those parents/grandparents have no interest in a minifigure world, but a nice looking display set might get their attention.

That's my point exactly, even my 5 year old son said he doesn't want the restaurant anymore just the big ship...great now I have to get both. Damn this is an expensive hobby!

[Faefrost]

I am reminded of the Tulip craze of the 1630s, the Hummel figurine craze of the 1980s, the Beanie Babies mania of the late 20th century, and most famous of all, the Baseball Card bubble of the mid 1990s.

Here's an interesting and sobering article on baseball cards... and how even Wall Street investors were extolling the virtues of Baseball Card investment...

http://www.slate.com...ard_bubble.html

What is happening today is that you see sales prices on Bricklink, and suddenly everyone things that this is a great investment. Perhaps over the short haul... but long haul... I would not place all my investment dollars into modern, unlimited set releases...

Let us not forget the comic boom of the 1990's, where the crazed collectors market drove print runs from a few hundred thousand up to millions each month, and how devastating it was on the industry when the bottom fell out.

If Lego has any brains they, while appreciating overall business growth, especially among the high end and AFOL markets, are quietly seeking to disarm the ticking bomb that can be the "investor market".

[Paul B Technic]

I am not a fan of the ship but I guess a lot of people must be buying it.

[antp]

The online pictures do not do the Maersk ship justice, IMO. Saw it on display at the Lego Store, and it looks much better than the online pictures led me to believe.

That's annoying. I was already hesitating to get it, I may then not be able to resist And in my case it would not replace the Parisian Restaurant : I would just end up buying both.

[Vee]

Based on the pictures, I simply don't like that ship. But I have not seen it live although I doubt it would change my mind.

The Imperial Flagship is an awesome ship, but this Maersk looks dull.

PR is nice, really nice, and I will buy it, I just don't know when.

[Herky]

Having seen both, the ship is more "adult" looking and the PR is more "kiddie" looking. The PR has a lot of extra pieces that most other buildings do not have, I think at least 500 "accessories" like bread and such, or maybe it just seems that way, plus in person, was more impressed with the ship than PR just due to size. PR as a building is about half the size of the other modulars...it is just as wide, but the depth is about half. It's not a big building.

The ship though, nice looking ship, and if it wasn't for the stickers I would have bought that one, but you are right, I am in St Louis, they had 2 ships on the shelf and about 15 PR's in stock. The mgr told me the boat was outselling PR 2 to 1 right now.

I wonder if TLG would rerelease the CC and GG, I am guessing those runs of production were much less than the later modulars.

[kinggregus]

Most feedbacks received make a lot of sense.

As per the feedbacks received, I am under the impression that the AFOL community prefers the Parisian restaurant by far. However, it looks like the Maersk ship is outselling the Parisian restaurant for two reasons:

1. People know that its run will be much shorter and buy it as a mean of investment

2. The Maersk ship can actually tempt a lot of non-AFOL who simply like big ships

I have to admit that I am somewhat disappointed that a set I truly like is not outselling a set targeted to the same audience. I hope it will not lead to an increasing trend in creating sets full of stickers that are too specialized.

As the Lego Historian pointed out, I do not like the idea of people buying high quantity of a set in view to sell them later at an inflated price. This can probably mislead the sales of sets. I am also wondering how long this parallel market can sustain, looking at the increasing offer from Lego.

Possibly, a member of the staff include a poll asking which set the community prefers?

Also, if a member of the staff deems it necessary, it could be worth adding an additional poll asking members if they foresee the acquisition of the Maersk ship as a good investment? Same question for the Parisian Restaurant?