Sets with sorted bags; worth the extra expense?

[Siegfried]

TLG seem to be reducing the number of sets that have numbered and sorted bags. I find that for sets with over 500 pieces, unsorted sets can be frustrating to build. My last two large Technic sets (the Tow Truck and the Off Roader) were unsorted so it took a while to assemble them, but the 8421 Crane was nicely bagged. Even the recent AT-TE and the RGS weren't. However, at the moment I am assembling 8635 Agents Mobile Command Center and to my surprise it was sorted. Thus I'm almost finished building it. (It's a great set too!)

On the assumption that this is a cost cutting measure, I'm wondering what people would be prepared to pay for a set that was sorted. I'd pay around 5% extra without too much annoyance, but beyond that would seem excessive to me.

To save people the maths, in USD the price increases for the 7675 AT-TE would be;

0% $89.99

5% $94.49

10% $98.99

15% $103.49

20% $107.99

Anyone have any idea what it does cost TLG to pre-sort sets?

[hewkii9]

I wouldn't pay any extra at all for pre-sorted - I'm cheap, less cost means more Lego overall, and most of the time I dump it all together anyway.

[Wilhelm screamer]

I feel that unsortedbags add an unnecicary level of frustation to a build. I strongly prefer any set to be set with sorted bags than without and makes any extra $5 more than worth it.

[Athos]

I don't think any price increase is worth it. Unless its a UCS type set. The sets never used to be sorted.

Steve

[Siegfried]

The sets never used to be sorted.

True, but there are more pieces in modern sets, and the older sets were presented differently too. When I was a boy; this set...

...seemed off the scale huge, but it was only 572 pieces. That's an average set these days. The 8285 Tow Truck with 1877 pieces all tossed in random bags was a nightmare to assemble.

But thanks for your opinion.

[Shtick]

For me, part of the fun of building a new set for the first time is sorting through a giant brick pile like searching out puzzle pieces. That only works once. It takes the joy out of it to be told which bags to build first. I open all the bags, and pour them all out (on carpet! Take that, instructions!). Once all the pieces are nicely combined, only then do I open the building manual.

Why take away the initial challenge?

[JimBee]

Yes, looking for a single Lego piece in a huge jumble is quite annoying. I voted 5%, because I agree with you, Sinner, more than that is way too much. For a few more dollars, I would do it to have sorted bags, but a few minutes of my time won't hurt, not for more than that.

[Matthieu]

I wouldn't like to see any price increase just for something tempory like sorted bags. It doesn't affect the final model in any way.

I guess I can't afford to be buying and building large models often enough to be worried about spending a tiny bit of extra time finding the pieces along the way.

Also the sets that i've got with numbered bags i've always just opened all from the bags from the beginning anyway!

All sets have small pieces and large pieces broadly seperated anyway and i usually get a couple of containers out for each type of piece and thus finding a pieces isn't a problem.

What does get difficult is if you dismantle sets and mix pieces from different sets in together for storage.

I recently had 4504, 7675 and 7676 (millennium falcon, at te and rgs) mixed together in one box and then decided i wanted to rebuild the gunship!

Took me literally three times as long as it took to build the first time. Won't be making that mistake again...

[CP5670]

It would be nice if they already came sorted but I probably would not pay extra for it. I have always pre-sorted the pieces in my own way before starting large builds, and am used to it by now. This is what I did with the 8275 bulldozer, for example:

When I was a boy; this set...

...seemed off the scale huge, but it was only 572 pieces. That's an average set these days. The 8285 Tow Truck with 1877 pieces all tossed in random bags was a nightmare to assemble.

I think with Technic, this has a lot to do with the move towards studless models in the last 9 years. The studless sets all use huge numbers of pins and small axle connectors, which quickly bumps the piece count up.

Edited September 24, 2008 by CP5670

[legotrainfan]

I don't think any price increase is worth it. Unless its a UCS type set. The sets never used to be sorted.

Steve

I agree to you. I wouldn't want to spend any extra money for presorted bags if I could choose. Of course, presorted bags is nice; you save a lot of time assembling with them, but I don't want to pay extra money for that service. Instead of paying for presorted bags, I'd sort them myself before assembling.

[brickzone]

I can't make up my mind whether I prefer sorted or unsorted. I both enjoy hunting for parts in a vast array of unsorted bags, but I also like the simplicity of sorted bags. I'm against the whole "dumbing down" trend that seems so prevalent in Western society today, and so sorted bags kinda seems yet another example. But on the other hand it perhaps is just being sensible, and actually things like sorted bags, modularity, more building steps in instructions - they do mean that Lego sets have been able to increase in complexity again (yet still presumably not too much a challenge for some of the seemingly less skilled newer generation).

I can draw this conclusion though - I certainly wouldn't be interested in paying extra!

[Yloquen]

Up to around 1000 (the most I've ever had in a set) I don't see a problem if they are unsorted. I can see however how some of the huge sets would be a nightmare without being sorted (are they?).

[Bill VonDoom]

I hate to have my bricks sorted for me, even when I have had numbered and sorted sets I have always dumped them all together before starting the build. The frustrated ten minute search for a transparent 1x1 plate is part of what I love about LEGO! So to answer your question, no, I would not be willing to pay extra.

[Eilif]

I said 5%. I'm pretty budget concious, so usually I'd vote for 0%, but sorted bags are really nice for larger sets because it enables me to quickly split up set sections. That makes it easier for my wife and I to build sets together. She doesn't MOC much, and I really enjoy building with her, so anything that facilitates this is worth my money. We've had a great time building CafeCorner, Market Street and Green Grocer among others.

We still build un-numbered-bag-sets together, and I usually sort pieces myself for those kind of sets, but numbered sets make everything much easier.

[Erdbeereis]

I wouldn't pay more for it, but I definitely prefer when sets have sorted bags.

It was a big pain in the behind to build some sets such as the AT-TE, the old Roaring Roadsters set and really any other large set with unsorted bags.

For me, I think a set can have unsorted bags up until 500 pieces or so, then it gets a bit tedious without them. It certainly isn't necessary for smaller sets.

Another reason I like them, is that I like to have a good break point in the build. For example I can say, "I'll just build one bag right now and save the rest for later."

I voted 0%.

[Norro]

Ideologically I'm for unsorted (traditional, not dumbed down, I am generally trying to get a feel for the pieces included rather than the set itself) though I'm willing to admit when I'm breaking down sets for parts it is a big time saver.

As to cost. I am more limited in funds for lego than time at the moment (especially since I often build a set to relax) so I would definitely not pay for sorting... Superior quality again on the other hand

God Bless,

Nathan

[Cameron_Talley]

If it's under 1000 pieces or so, unsorted is fine. I enjoy looking for that one exclusive piece (and can I just add that I also build on carpet and don't see what the problem is with it?) in the huge pile when I'm building a set. The bags are usually sorted by piece size anyway (large pieces together, small greeblies together, etc).

Now, if it's a large set, I'd much rather have modular construction/presorted bags. Then it's like building three or four different sets, instead of dumping them all in one piece. But within those modules it's fine with me if it's unsorted.

I do understand the unsorted frustration, though. When I was younger and didn't have my loose lego sorted in tackle boxes, it was all in one big huge bin. Let me just say that it's a pain in the butt looking for that rare-colored 1x2 plate when you need it....re-building some sets used to take hours...

[Captain Green Hair]

Unsorted is fine by me!

[Yeow]

Nothing like the good old days of spending 20 minutes trying to find one particular brick when it's buried under something.

[Zorro]

It would be nice if they already came sorted but I probably would not pay extra for it. I have always pre-sorted the pieces in my own way before starting large builds, and am used to it by now. This is what I did with the 8275 bulldozer, for example:

I always presort mine... and i think most of us do,

I love Lego and I like them presorted but i would NEVER pay more for it.

And the larger the sets, the more the extra percentage would cost you!

[paul_delahaye]

Regardless of piece count, i always open all the bags and mix up the pieces to make the build more fun and challenging, part of the fun is finding the brick!

Paul

[Ralph_S]

This unsorted vs. sorted question is confusing, because all of them are sorted. Different sets are just sorted in a different manner. Paying for one or the other makes no sense.

There are sets in which the parts in each bag are intended for a particular part of the model that you are building. City sets tend to be organised like this.

Then there are sets in which each bag simply contains multiples of just a small number of parts. Creator sets tend to be organised like this, and so are the cafe-corner type buildings. Sometimes, in larger sets, you'll have several bags with identical contents.

I suppose that whether or not you prefer the former or the latter depends on what you do with the set. I can imagine that if you want to build the actual set, the former is preferable. I look at sets as little more than parts packs and prefer the latter. It makes my own sorting a lot easier, because I know that, say, all the dark bley 1x2 plates that are in the set will be in just one of the bags.

Cheers,

Ralph

Edited September 25, 2008 by Ralph_S

[Siegfried]

Thanks everyone for your responses. It does seem that even the people that like numbered and sorted bags generally don't want to pay extra for it. I suspect TLG did some surveys of their own and found the same conclusion!

This unsorted vs. sorted question is confusing, because all of them are sorted. Different sets are just sorted in a different manner. Paying for one or the other makes no sense.

I probably should have been clearer. I said...

TLG seem to be reducing the number of sets that have numbered and sorted bags.

...but I should have clarified that I meant numbered and sorted for each module of a set. I think the sets that come with, for example, a bag of pins are not sorted as such, they are just bagged straight after being counted. No research needs to be done if this would make buiding easier and thus while they are grouped, I don't really see them as being sorted as such. Sorry though for being unclear.

I'm not one of those people who like searching for pieces. I used to be, and I was quite proud of it. But over time and for various reasons (including piece damage and time) I became a sorter. Like wise I enjoy building sets, but not looking for pieces. But LEGO is one of those hobbies where different people find their own aspects of enjoyment.

[Shadows]

I don't care if they're sorted or not, and I might even be the type to mix the sorted bags together for the nostalgic searching effect.

There is, however, one thing I would pay more for, literally 10%-15% more, I think...

Flap boxes with trays.

I loved those.

It takes me back to the classics, the first Pirates, for example.

There she was, the Black Seas Barricuda. Open the flap, read the story, look through the window at the minifigs and map and special parts in their own little tray.

A little tape cutting and flip up the inside top and sit the big clear plastic tray aside and what do you find? For one thing, undamaged instructions, flat under the bags of parts (and no stickers, but I digress).

Dump the parts into the divided box, hulls here, bricks there, everything in it's place.

Those were sets you could build in the box, on your bed, on the floor, on the coffee table, in the car if you had room, wherever. If you were interrupted, you closed the box and moved it and whatever you had done could stay assembled unless it was huge.

No dummy pics of carpet or grass, who would do that? You had a brilliant box to work in!

When I came out of my dark ages, those boxes still existed to a small degree for the largest sets like the Egyptian Adventurer's temple. Then the clear tray disappeared. The largest Rock Raiders set had a decent enough box of this sort. Eventually all of the cardboard trays were gone as well. Now, we're lucky to get the flap. Heck, I even appreciated the cardboard tray in some smaller sets.

I spend good money on a large set these days and get rolled up instructions, half-empty boxes and sticker sheets. Stickers aren't new, of course, but they used to arrive in much better condition in those old boxes, just like the instructions. I found fewer minor scratches on parts as well, probably because they had less room to be slung around in.

The light-up-lightsabers were a disaster, but at least they had a little tray and in a set like the clone tank, you got a divided box underneath. That's about the last really good box I can remember. Well, the largest UCS sets are fine, and yes, I'd take sorted bags in those, just for my sanity.

So, what would I pay more for? Prime packaging. Flat instructions. Neat little preview windows. Those truly were the days.

[wulf]

Nothing like the good old days of spending 20 minutes trying to find one particular brick when it's buried under something.

Well I think sorted bags would be nice I just built one of the new castles it didn't have sorted bags so it took me longer than usual, but I can live with it.