Lego David

Is LEGO getting to inaffordable for kids?

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When I was a kid, my parents would almost never buy me any sets that were more than 15$, and getting sets more expansive than that happened very rarely to me. Nowdays, in pretty much every LEGO theme, most of the smallest sets are 20$ or 30$, and the 10$ sets are starting to get pretty uncommon (outside of lines like City and Creator). The sets are getting more and more expansive, and the number of large D2C sets has grown drastically. I know that AFOLs have their own jobs and money and they can spend as much money on LEGO as they want, but what about the kids? Can their parents even buy all those sets that start to get more and more inafforadble? 

What are your thoughts?

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The average American parent can afford $20-$30 sets for their child for Christmas. They can also be bought at yard sales.

I've always considered Lego to be a high quality toy worthy of it's price when you consider what the child's brain is learning while playing.

They are also durable (with a little bit of care). For instance, my children played with the sets I had as a kid.

Also, certain Lego themes are highly valuable once retired, which makes them a good investment.

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Good question.  The most expensive set I ever bought with chore money as a kid cost $55 in today's money, and the most expensive set my parents ever gave me for Christmas cost $140 in today's money.  That's about in line with the flagship sets for most play themes today, but $55 is less than the retail price of a modern X-wing unless you get it on sale.  My childhood chore money came from mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, and picking up pine cones, and I never had a job as a teenager, so I know I couldn't buy as many things for myself as some of my peers who had jobs or who got more chore money.

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2 minutes ago, 1963maniac said:

The average American parent can afford $20-$30 sets for their child for Christmas.

It depends on the number of children. If the family has more children, then they are probably going to buy cheaper sets.

 

3 minutes ago, 1963maniac said:

Also, certain Lego themes are highly valuable once retired, which makes them a good investment.

Yeah, but how many parents out there are even aware of that?

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1 hour ago, 1963maniac said:

Also, certain Lego themes are highly valuable once retired, which makes them a good investment. 

... if you have an AFOL parent that hides packaging and instructions and doesn't let you play with the bricks. Otherwise it's just used LEGO, unsorted, with badly handled instructions and no packaging, worth maybe 10 bucks a kilogram. I have bought my fair share of "leftovers" and most sets with playware are in this condition or even worse. If you buy LEGO for your children, then PRETTY PLEASE don't see it as an investment. Have fun with your children and be happy that THEY have fun, whatever they do with their bricks.

 

@Lego David I don't think that normal sets are much more expensive than back in my childhood. But what did happen meanwhile was a shift in the focus of target groups. We do have an active AFOL community as well as adult collectors today. And today we even have themes like Overwatch, Harry Potter, Star Wars and the likes, which cater for a specific fan audience. This hadn't been the case back then. So it is quite understandable that there are lots of sets today which are not meant for children to play with but seen more as a piece of art, something to display or maybe even buy as investment.

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Not really in the UK, the prices about match the past, adjusted for inflation. While there are a lot fewer small sets  like Paravane or Droid Scout, there are still polybags and sets under £10. In fact, it can be cheaper as there are deals quite often that were never available in the 90s. Also the competition between stores that stock LEGO, the likes of supermarkets that in the 90s only carried toys for Christmas (if at all) are now trying to attract customers into the shop with sales and deals on toys (The toys are sold at a loss, as they want to get you buying their groceries and other goods). 

Then again, things might be coloured by the fact that when I was growing up my family really didn't have much money, so everything was pretty expensive to us. But LEGO was a great treat and well worth the price, when I could get it. 

I am not sure what it is like where you are though.

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I think they haven't outpaced inflation by too much, so as icm noted I think they're inline with pricing from when I was a kid for the most part.  For instance, the most expensive set I got as a present when I was a kid was the Black Seas Barracuda in 1989 (and I know that was a big purchase for them).  If my parents found it on sale for 10% off it would have cost about $100 then, which adjusted for inflation is a little over $200 now and that's inline with most of the flagship sets, excluding the really big D2Cs.

Same with the "pocket-money" sets - $5 then would be $10 now, and $10 would be $20, so not too much has changed there.  I think the biggest thing, at least in the US, is that salaries in some segments haven't kept up with general inflation, so for some people those number may indeed "feel" more expensive than they would have 30 years ago.  If you look at the whole lineup for that year, I think it's comparable to today with some good values and some things that seem out of whack with the size of the set.

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LEGO products still come in a wide range of prices.  I think like everything else in life, you buy within your budget.

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No. There are still plenty of smaller sets that can be bought for kids. Kids get more Lego these days than when I was a kid.

 

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As far as I can tell, the price per part ratio for sets has always stayed the same at on average ten cents per part. So a twenty dollar set will probably have around two hundred parts, but I think this changes based on certain circumstances such as licences (Star Wars lol), excessive expensive minifigures (crazy printing and dual molded parts), etc. 

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Lego is producing more sets then ever, which means more sets than ever will be hitting garage sales.

I feel like I had a maybe a 60% 40% split between new and garage sales and enjoyed them both the same. I would have been totally happy at 40% 60%.

Of course there was no licensed when I was a kid, so nothing I either stuck my nose up at or couldn't get because it was "rare".

 

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I am in the United States. 

I remember receiving the Blacktron II Spectral Starguider from my parents at Christmas 1991.  I don't know how much they paid for it, but the RRP according to Brickset is $25.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics inflation calculator, that is equivalent in purchasing power to $46.55 today.  I also remember that they bought me a Stardefender 200 in late 1989, which I vaguely recall as costing around $30, but was on sale for $25.  That would be $51.07 today.  

Most of the sets I bought with money I earned from chores and odd jobs cost between $4 and $10.  The most I ever paid by myself was $12 for the Spyrius Recon Robot and $15 for the Ice Planet Ice Sat V.  $21 and $27 in today's dollars, respectively.

The most expensive Lego set I ever received as a gift was from relatives who were not my parents.  That was a Blacktron II Alpha Centauri Outpost, also at Christmas 1991, with an RRP of $80, or about $149 today.  I felt absurdly lucky to have gotten this, as it was several times larger in price and piece count than any other set I'd received during that era.  

In this context, sets I've purchased recently do not seem that expensive.  $56 for the Harry Potter Whomping Willow.  $48 for Emmet's Rescue Rocket.  

Smaller kits that kids might buy, like a Lego A-Wing 75247, typically cost $12 at retail, equivalent to about $6 in money from 30 years ago.  Anakin's Starfighter 75214 lists for $16 at Amazon, or roughly $8 in 1989 money.  When I look at the smaller Star Wars sets, they still seem reasonably affordable. 

My belief is that Lego has not become unaffordable.  What's changed in the United States is that many jobs do not pay well anymore, and the earning power of many families has therefore declined in recent decades.  Low pay has resulted in unaffordability, not Lego raising its prices.

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1 hour ago, hagridshut said:

Smaller kits that kids might buy, like a Lego A-Wing 75247, typically cost $12 at retail, equivalent to about $6 in money from 30 years ago.  Anakin's Starfighter 75214 lists for $16 at Amazon, or roughly $8 in 1989 money.  When I look at the smaller Star Wars sets, they still seem reasonably affordable. 

Well yeah, but can you expect a child to buy online? Those are deals you tipically get online, not at retail (although that is still possible).

 

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4 hours ago, Lego David said:

can you expect a child to buy online?

Kids are very internet able! They know how to use the web to find what they want and ask an adult to make the purchase, just the same as a parent having to take the child to a store to buy something, they can see the better pricing online and make the order (Who doesn't use at least one online retailer these days?).  My friend's children are on the internet to show me the latest LEGO set they want, or a movie trailer they are excited for and they know where to look. 

About the only thing they are not well versed in is finding the Leaks of upcoming sets:wink:

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8 hours ago, Lego David said:

Well yeah, but can you expect a child to buy online? Those are deals you tipically get online, not at retail (although that is still possible).

 

In 1989, I couldn't drive myself to the local Toys R' Us store either.  My parents had to drive me there.

A child needing the assistance of an adult to pay for something on the Internet, is fundamentally no different than a child needing the assistance of an adult to get to a physical store.

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16 hours ago, Lego David said:

Well yeah, but can you expect a child to buy online? Those are deals you tipically get online, not at retail (although that is still possible).

 

If their parents have auto-login setup for paypal, ebay, and other online shopping accounts and children has access to their devices... You don't have children?    :pir-classic:

 

 

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56 minutes ago, dr_spock said:

If their parents have auto-login setup for paypal, ebay, and other online shopping accounts and children has access to their devices... You don't have children?    :pir-classic:

 

 

"Alexa? Buy me some Legos."

"Okay. purchasing USC Millennium Falcon."

*UCS* lol

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When I was a child all sets that I got were $15 RRP tops in the 90s prices. However they were not sold at RRP but much higher. On top of that, my childhood was spent in Russia exactly when USSR collapsed and the roubles were falling every week for years(!). And even those small sets were a huge deal for my folks.

Now talking about the US today, I really can't see how Lego is unfordable. MacDonald's meal is $7-9. Unless a person is extremely poor, who is ever going to have trouble finding $20-30 for a child's birthday or Christmas? We buy silly smartphones for ourselves for hundreds of dollars... So the affordability of Lego is all about the priorities. 

Saying that my personal view on buying expensive Lego sets for a child is negative, like any other expensive toys. It's very easy to spoil a child. And very easy to make the child not appreciate their toys. And for me being an AFOL, it is a very hard decision, because I do buy expensive sets for myself.

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My wife is always telling me that kids don't want physical toys any more. While I don't think that is totally true, there is definitely an effect of all the video games and virtual content. 

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On 9/14/2019 at 3:07 PM, Capparezza said:

 If you buy LEGO for your children, then PRETTY PLEASE don't see it as an investment. Have fun with your children and be happy that THEY have fun, whatever they do with their bricks.

When I buy for investment, I buy 2. Always, one becomes used immediately. 

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23 hours ago, meliander said:

When I was a child all sets that I got were $15 RRP tops in the 90s prices. However they were not sold at RRP but much higher. On top of that, my childhood was spent in Russia exactly when USSR collapsed and the roubles were falling every week for years(!). And even those small sets were a huge deal for my folks.

Now talking about the US today, I really can't see how Lego is unfordable. MacDonald's meal is $7-9. Unless a person is extremely poor, who is ever going to have trouble finding $20-30 for a child's birthday or Christmas? We buy silly smartphones for ourselves for hundreds of dollars... So the affordability of Lego is all about the priorities. 

Saying that my personal view on buying expensive Lego sets for a child is negative, like any other expensive toys. It's very easy to spoil a child. And very easy to make the child not appreciate their toys. And for me being an AFOL, it is a very hard decision, because I do buy expensive sets for myself.

Exactly, it's all priorities. People, like you say, buy smartphones for hundreds of dollars. People buy them for their kids. Some parents spend loads on their kids and spoil them because they might not parent well (this is another discussion not for here). I had a friend who somehow convinced his parents to buy him a second $100 set because he lost the instructions to the first one.

When I was a kid, I bought quite a few sets I saved up for that were anywhere from $10 to $100. My parents bought me and my brother sets like that too for birthdays and Christmas, some (the expensive ones) were to both my brother and me. Now as an adult I buy expensive sets and inexpensivbe sets and have passed on new phones, eating out (too much), and other things people might spend money on (that being said I am biting the bullet and getting a new phone this year for myself).

8 minutes ago, Gomek said:

My wife is always telling me that kids don't want physical toys any more. While I don't think that is totally true, there is definitely an effect of all the video games and virtual content. 

I think kids want to do whatever is cool and their friends are doing. While video games and virtual content is here to stay and something physical toy companies should take note of, physical toys won't go away. Smart ones (like TLG) will blend the play like Hidden Side.

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The most expensive set I own is the 60197 Passenger Train. However the way I obtained it was through an eBay bid of $64.00. Truthfully speaking, I do have to admit that brick tax has been going up and up throughout the years. While it does seem like some sets are overpriced, they are durable at the same time and have higher quality than they did before. For example, City! The buildings may be differ in size, but the one thing that they all have in common is that they are really detailed. Heck! Even the 60125 Fire Station was simple, yet detailed. Same with the buildings from 60233 Doughnut Shop Opening. However, I do have to admit that brick tax should be lowered a little. That way, we can have bigger buildings for less. 

I can agree with TLG's actions, but not at the same time. I'm more in a grey area than black or white on this one. 

Edited by pooda

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Yes, a lot of the sets TLG is currently offering are beyond what a typical child could save up for.  The fact that TLG is offering these shows others are purchasing these sets for these kids.  This is working for TLG so I don't expect anything to change.

In short, have a beer and don't worry about this.  Things seam to always work out in the end and feel confident should the market place change TLG will adjust accordingly.  

 

 

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5 hours ago, LegoDW said:

Yes, a lot of the sets TLG is currently offering are beyond what a typical child could save up for.  The fact that TLG is offering these shows others are purchasing these sets for these kids.  This is working for TLG so I don't expect anything to change.

In short, have a beer and don't worry about this.  Things seam to always work out in the end and feel confident should the market place change TLG will adjust accordingly.  

 

When I think back to being a kid in the target age range for many LEGO sets , so 7-14, how many of my toys did I actually save up for and buy? I reckon under 5%. I'm fairly sure almost all of my toys were bought for me. Of course I would have had some input in them, but for the most part I was not saving up to buy them.

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