The Clone Trooper Command Station (set 40558) problem.

[Something_Awesome]

I look online all the time and the set is out of stock. I have two physical stores near me (I am in Los Angeles), and they never have this pack in stock. My speculation is that the set will retire by the end of the year and that LEGO has silently ended production of this pack some time ago. I do not think that at $14.99 (USD) that LEGO considers this pack a viable source of income for them given the current economic situation with inflation. This is a pack that there is almost an insatiable desire for. There is almost no amount of this pack that they can manufacture that will completely appease fans. It makes ZERO sense for them to allocate so much plastic and production to this pack when they can spread it around to other sets that have much higher margins and that they have been able to provide a market adjustment (price hike) for. If no amount of production will make fans happy, then they might as well halt production now (if they have not already).

One solution to this problem would be to hike the price on the pack to maybe 17.99 (USD). However, this would piss a lot of people off to be sure. The juice just isn't worth the squeeze. It appears to me that the best option for LEGO, money-wise, is to silently sunset the pack.

This is all speculation. But for any of you wondering if you should try overpaying for these in the aftermarket, know that they may get more expensive. Another option that have is to release a phase 1 battle pack and charge $20, or perhaps a $30 variant of sorts. But I do not think this will happen because of the backlash, so a silent retirement is what we will get. This is the problem with excessively grilling companies; you ending up with situations like this where you get nothing. It's like they have developed a type of PTSD or feel like they have to walk on egg shells with fans. 

Edited June 27, 2022 by Something_Awesome

[Mandalorianknight]

I don't think you're quite correct, for a few reasons.

Firstly, It's not that the phase 1 battle pack alone is difficult to get. From what I've heard, the Hoth pack and the Batman blister pack are in similar situations. 

Second, this contains one less figure and fewer parts than the $15 battle packs we had as recently as 2020, so my assumption is that this was a method of shrinkflation already. Even if it wasn't meant for that, they would likely do what they're doing with all the other sets they're worried about inflation of plastic cost on and just increase the price.

Finally, sort of tying into that second element, if there is an "insatiable desire" for this set, it would be extremely stupid to retire it early, instead of, y'know, making more of it since it's selling so well. If they're worried about inflation for this one, they could just increase the price. After all, if there's an "insatiable desire", people would pay for it.

[Something_Awesome]

55 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said:

I don't think you're quite correct, for a few reasons.

Firstly, It's not that the phase 1 battle pack alone is difficult to get. From what I've heard, the Hoth pack and the Batman blister pack are in similar situations. 

Second, this contains one less figure and fewer parts than the $15 battle packs we had as recently as 2020, so my assumption is that this was a method of shrinkflation already. Even if it wasn't meant for that, they would likely do what they're doing with all the other sets they're worried about inflation of plastic cost on and just increase the price.

Finally, sort of tying into that second element, if there is an "insatiable desire" for this set, it would be extremely stupid to retire it early, instead of, y'know, making more of it since it's selling so well. If they're worried about inflation for this one, they could just increase the price. After all, if there's an "insatiable desire", people would pay for it.

I do not agree because margins are clearly higher for other sets. When supply chains are strained, you go for the greatest amount of yield, not volume. And your argument regarding the other blister packs I do not feel are a counter argument but an argument in favor of what I am claiming. If this was 2019, then a lot of what you're saying would be true. But it's not 2019.

The point about the insatiable desire for some of these packs is that it makes manufacturing them for even goodwill, futile. 

[Kage Goomba]

2 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

I don't think you're quite correct, for a few reasons.

Firstly, It's not that the phase 1 battle pack alone is difficult to get. From what I've heard, the Hoth pack and the Batman blister pack are in similar situations. 

Second, this contains one less figure and fewer parts than the $15 battle packs we had as recently as 2020, so my assumption is that this was a method of shrinkflation already. Even if it wasn't meant for that, they would likely do what they're doing with all the other sets they're worried about inflation of plastic cost on and just increase the price.

Finally, sort of tying into that second element, if there is an "insatiable desire" for this set, it would be extremely stupid to retire it early, instead of, y'know, making more of it since it's selling so well. If they're worried about inflation for this one, they could just increase the price. After all, if there's an "insatiable desire", people would pay for it.

^This

 

Its just a popular set that is out of stock.

No more - no less.

Not seen this at my local Lego shop however - must be very popular. Would have grabbed a few of these for my UCS Republic Gunship set but alas - it wasn't on my radar all that much.

 

Pricing is what I'd expect as well. (As I bought a couple of battle packs myself for my AT AT)

All I see here is wild speculation.

[Mandalorianknight]

1 hour ago, Something_Awesome said:

I do not agree because margins are clearly higher for other sets. When supply chains are strained, you go for the greatest amount of yield, not volume. And your argument regarding the other blister packs I do not feel are a counter argument but an argument in favor of what I am claiming. If this was 2019, then a lot of what you're saying would be true. But it's not 2019.

The point about the insatiable desire for some of these packs is that it makes manufacturing them for even goodwill, futile. 

I do not know what you mean in the first part. What margins? The margin of profit? There's pretty clearly a lot less in these accessory packs than in a battle pack, so the margin of profit is assumably higher for accessory packs. And regarding the other blister packs, how is that an argument in favor of what you're claiming? If other sets of this type are also experiencing shortages, it means that it isn't specific to this set like you say in your original post. Now, this set does run out a bit faster than the other blister packs, because people want the clones, but that's nothing but incentive for lego to keep producing it.

And no, it's not "futile" to produce a pack if there's great desire for it. It's actually a very clear reason to produce more of the pack. If there's so many people wanting it that there's no way they could produce enough, as you imply, then the obvious response is to produce a ton, since you'd have pretty much guaranteed sales. If there's a lot of demand, then it's econ 101 to produce more of the product. So long as lego is making a profit off it, there'd be no reason to retire it early. (Though it probably will retire by the end of the year, as most blister packs retire earlier than system sets anyway). The idea that a set being really popular would lead lego to retire it early makes absolutely no sense. 

Let me explain what I believe to be the actual story for why this set's out of stock:

People like clones. 

Accessory packs frequently run out of stock

Therefore, this accessory pack with clones runs out of stock very frequently.

The fact that it is being restocked (which it is, I just saw a post in another threat about it) is proof enough that they haven't "silently ended production". Which again, if the set is selling well, ending production early would be really stupid. Lego's not that stupid.

23 minutes ago, Kage Goomba said:

It's just a popular set that is out of stock.

All I see here is wild speculation.

Exactly. Popular sets sell out fast.

[Something_Awesome]

2 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

I do not know what you mean in the first part. What margins? The margin of profit? There's pretty clearly a lot less in these accessory packs than in a battle pack, so the margin of profit is assumably higher for accessory packs. And regarding the other blister packs, how is that an argument in favor of what you're claiming? If other sets of this type are also experiencing shortages, it means that it isn't specific to this set like you say in your original post. Now, this set does run out a bit faster than the other blister packs, because people want the clones, but that's nothing but incentive for lego to keep producing it.

And no, it's not "futile" to produce a pack if there's great desire for it. It's actually a very clear reason to produce more of the pack. If there's so many people wanting it that there's no way they could produce enough, as you imply, then the obvious response is to produce a ton, since you'd have pretty much guaranteed sales. If there's a lot of demand, then it's econ 101 to produce more of the product. So long as lego is making a profit off it, there'd be no reason to retire it early. (Though it probably will retire by the end of the year, as most blister packs retire earlier than system sets anyway). The idea that a set being really popular would lead lego to retire it early makes absolutely no sense. 

Let me explain what I believe to be the actual story for why this set's out of stock:

People like clones. 

Accessory packs frequently run out of stock

Therefore, this accessory pack with clones runs out of stock very frequently.

The fact that it is being restocked (which it is, I just saw a post in another threat about it) is proof enough that they haven't "silently ended production". Which again, if the set is selling well, ending production early would be really stupid. Lego's not that stupid.

Exactly. Popular sets sell out fast.

I am saying that the other packs may be out of stock also because of halted production. Regarding the clone packs, my two LEGO stores said they have not gotten any in in a while. I also know to call them Thursday evening because they can see the inventory they get in on Fridays the evening before. 

Lastly, I highly doubt that LEGO's margin on the Medieval Blacksmith is $15. Imagine the 90th Anniversary set; should be higher. There is no way the $15 pack would provide better margins. And then there are licensing/royalties to consider. The cost per ounce of plastic to produce the $15 pack is probably much higher than it is for a $200 set. Keep in mind, the extent of the cost is not just the plastic. This is a phenomenon I also observe with all of my clients that manufacture in the United States.

With all this said, I am only speculating that the clone pack's production was silently halted. We still don't know what went on with the 501st pack in Australia.

Edited June 27, 2022 by Something_Awesome

[Kage Goomba]

You're making wild speculation with little to nothing but subjective observations that do not make sense at all.

I recently acquired some Lego Orchids - the moment they show up - they fly off the shelves so fast my head spins.

Landspeeders going out the doors in a hell of a hurry.

The list goes on.

Can't even get my hands on a Delorian (Back to the Future) - they are very rare.

As myself and Mandolrian pointed out - its just simply out of stock and exceedingly popular.

 

They are not halting production (yet) - they are not in trouble - they are printing money - literally.

 

If anything they are playing a game of demand driving - produce enough to entice - but make people come back for more - no different than a narcotic.

Common tactic in industry. Is it nice? No - Is it a shortage on supply (due to literal supply)? Don't make me laugh - its driving up profits.

 

You're reading too much into this - your just going to stress yourself out unnecessarily.

Edited June 27, 2022 by Kage Goomba

[Gontron]

6 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Firstly, It's not that the phase 1 battle pack alone is difficult to get. From what I've heard, the Hoth pack and the Batman blister pack are in similar situations. 

I have been to my local Lego store 4 times this year and have seen the Clone pack once. They get bought almost immediately according to the few employees I talked to along with the new Fighter tank. Meanwhile, there is almost always 2-3 large bins filled with Rebel trooper packs (I cannot speak on the Batman pack though). I know its anecdotal evidence but the Clone pack is in a MUCH higher demand than the Hoth pack imo, which doesn't ever look to be low in stock. 

[muhkuh]

Just ordered 4

[Per_SW]

I don't know about the US situation regarding this set, nor about any possibility of a silent retirement/halted production, but on this side of the Atlantic it seems to be in stock in most of the countries.
Then of course there's Italy, where it has been out of stock since March 3rd and I've been uselessly checking daily since then both for an email notification and on s@h for it to come back, so I'm still a bit bitter :D

[MBricks]

Currently in-stock at UK Lego website. A customer service rep said to expect it to be in stock mid July in the USA.

[Artizan]

In the Czech Republic, I had no luck finding this set anywhere, online or in store, I got back to Turkey now to find out that it has not even entered the country borders. Luckily the next advent calendar will include the clone commander so that will be a way to grab him.

[Ravenclaw62442]

17 hours ago, muhkuh said:

Just ordered 4

I thought there was a limit of 2 on them?

[Mandalorianknight]

4 hours ago, MBricks said:

Currently in-stock at UK Lego website. A customer service rep said to expect it to be in stock mid July in the USA.

And I rest my case. This is proof enough that they haven't secretly retired the set.

[Paul11283652]

On 6/28/2022 at 12:54 AM, Something_Awesome said:

I do not agree because margins are clearly higher for other sets. When supply chains are strained, you go for the greatest amount of yield, not volume. And your argument regarding the other blister packs I do not feel are a counter argument but an argument in favor of what I am claiming. If this was 2019, then a lot of what you're saying would be true. But it's not 2019.

The point about the insatiable desire for some of these packs is that it makes manufacturing them for even goodwill, futile. 

Your ideas about cost accounting are wrong. Eliminating low margin high volume products usually leads to a death spiral. This is where fixed costs that would have been spread out on low margin products are assigned to high margin products. This basically reduces the margin on low volume products, making them low margin and low volume, which can be very detrimental to the whole business. There is no way Lego has or will retire 40558 because it’s a low margin product. If anything the reverse would be true and Lego would flood the market with battlepacks.

You’re also forgetting that when supply chains are strained due to logistics from the pandemic or costs from inflation, the volume and weight transported becomes more important relative to the cost of production. So it’s not clear that a pallet of 40558 sets is actually a lower margin product than for example a pallet of 75323 for a given size.

40558 was only available for on Lego.com in Australia for less than an hour back in January and now sells for ~$50 on the secondary market, so for all intents and purposes the set is already retired here. It’s a problem of Lego underestimating demand or simply not caring that battlepacks like this will always sell out quickly because army building is in a bubble right now.

[Kage Goomba]

12 minutes ago, Paul11283652 said:

Your ideas about cost accounting are wrong. Eliminating low margin high volume products usually leads to a death spiral. This is where fixed costs that would have been spread out on low margin products are assigned to high margin products. This basically reduces the margin on low volume products, making them low margin and low volume, which can be very detrimental to the whole business. There is no way Lego has or will retire 40558 because it’s a low margin product. If anything the reverse would be true and Lego would flood the market with battlepacks.

You’re also forgetting that when supply chains are strained due to logistics from the pandemic or costs from inflation, the volume and weight transported becomes more important relative to the cost of production. So it’s not clear that a pallet of 40558 sets is actually a lower margin product than for example a pallet of 75323 for a given size.

40558 was only available for on Lego.com in Australia for less than an hour back in January and now sells for ~$50 on the secondary market, so for all intents and purposes the set is already retired here. It’s a problem of Lego underestimating demand or simply not caring that battlepacks like this will always sell out quickly because army building is in a bubble right now.

Not to give the OP any credit - but ALL lego products get retired eventually - point being - this is not one of them - yet - nor will it be for a good long while.

Case and point - the UCS A-Wing just retired - and it was around for a good while.

[muhkuh]

14 hours ago, Ravenclaw62442 said:

I thought there was a limit of 2 on them?

2accs

[mcphatty]

17 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

And I rest my case. This is proof enough that they haven't secretly retired the set.

It’s out of stock on the UK site, maybe briefly available overnight.

the problem in the UK is that Lego of all themes is inconsistently stocked, my local independent toy store get what they can but regularly aren’t able to get Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel sets on release.

Demand is also very high, our online retailers like Zavvi and Amazon sell out of preorders quickly so if you aren’t putting some effort in it’s easy to miss out. Our supermarkets and other big name high street stores have some stock but are more likely to be selling discounted old sets than recently released ones.

We’re also experiencing high inflation and poor supply chain for all sorts of things, not sure if Lego gets caught up in that but recently heavily discounted May releases show that could be the case.

Lastly, there is very good availability for all sets if you’re willing to buy from a scalper and pay double or more. The Clone Trooper Command Station has been available on eBay for £17-30 (plus postage) since release. Whatever the problem is with stock, shipping and supply from Lego the scalpers are making it worse.

I played their game, set up stock alerts from several sources and bought my friend and I a Clone Trooper Command Station each at 4:30am on the 12th June from the Lego website, they were out of stock when I checked again at 10am. Did the same for the Ahsoka Brickhead a while ago, so it’s possible to get these sets but only if you put in effort and patience.

[Csaba]

I ordered two via the UK site last night. I expected the order to be cancelled as I ordered two a couple of months ago but, it's showing as 'In warehouse' so fingers crossed.

It's an obvious army builder set so hopefully everyone gets what they want before EOL.

Edited June 29, 2022 by Csaba