Rising prices

[Zilcho]

Prices of star wars sets have been rising drastically in the recent years. Examples:

V-wing 2006 £10 - V-wing 2010 £25

ARC 2005 £30 - ARC 2010 £50

Jedi interceptor + vulture droid 2005 £15 - Interceptor 2012 £35

Surely the quality and minifigs can't account for the increase in prices. The credit crisis may be to blame, and if so can we expect prices to return to normal? Or is it Lucas upping the tax?

[Big Cam]

This is not a new problem.

I blame inflation, the increased popularity of SW LEGO and Lucas, chances are he's in on the milking of this cash cow.

[Brickadeer]

Prices of star wars sets have been rising drastically in the recent years. Examples:

V-wing 2006 £10 - V-wing 2010 £25

ARC 2005 £30 - ARC 2010 £50

Jedi interceptor + vulture droid 2005 £15 - Interceptor 2012 £35

Surely the quality and minifigs can't account for the increase in prices. The credit crisis may be to blame, and if so can we expect prices to return to normal? Or is it Lucas upping the tax?

The fact that prices may have been stable for a certain amount of time does in no way mean that it is the "normal" price. You may consider it as normal since apparently you've never experienced significant variations from this price though, but this concept of "normal" may result in false expectations of future developments.

I do not know the causes of the price increase: is it caused by increased costs of input factors? Is caused in an expected shortage of oil or an expected shortage of oil caused by certain developments in the Middle East (that means, if oil is the base material for Lego bricks, something I don't know)? Is it because the produced numbers of sets were reduced? Is it because customers are prepared to pay higher prices? Is it because of the lowered exchange rate of the Euro compared to the US Dollar?

Because of the current fundamental uncertainty about the economic and political future (and as a general rule) I would not suppose that the prices for Lego will ever fall again.

When I began to be interested in Lego SW, set 8014 (Clone Walker Battle Pack) was available for EUR 7,86. Thus, I expected the price of 7913 to sink as low, but it didn't sink below EUR 9,99. With 9488, the situation may be even worse. Currently, the lowest price (Germany) is EUR 11,99 plus shipping. This is a tremendous price increase. I would not be able to say, however, if 8014 was unsual cheap or if the increase of price was unusual high.

Edited February 2, 2012 by Brickadeer

[Jedi master Brick]

I think there are 3 reasons

-Inflation

-Lucas tax increase

-better set quality

[Mr Man]

Prices of star wars sets have been rising drastically in the recent years. Examples:

V-wing 2006 £10 - V-wing 2010 £25

ARC 2005 £30 - ARC 2010 £50

Jedi interceptor + vulture droid 2005 £15 - Interceptor 2012 £35

Surely the quality and minifigs can't account for the increase in prices. The credit crisis may be to blame, and if so can we expect prices to return to normal? Or is it Lucas upping the tax?

The examples you picked aren't really that great as examples other than been the same bases. The new versions of the first two are bigger, more complex and have new moulds, the third one is a better comparison, but my version of the JSF+droid was £25 when new, so a £10 increase over time is to be expected.

[JackJonespaw]

Prices of star wars sets have been rising drastically in the recent years. Examples:

V-wing 2006 £10 - V-wing 2010 £25

ARC 2005 £30 - ARC 2010 £50

Jedi interceptor + vulture droid 2005 £15 - Interceptor 2012 £35

Surely the quality and minifigs can't account for the increase in prices. The credit crisis may be to blame, and if so can we expect prices to return to normal? Or is it Lucas upping the tax?

Well, these sets you picked from later dates have more minifigures, which will most defiantly raise the price. The 2006 V-Wing had only 1 minifig, while the new one has 2, the ARC 2005 has 4, and even though the 2010 one does, three of the 2005 figs are the same, while all in the 2010 version are different.

The first JI only has one minifigure, Anakin. (I'm not counting R2's head.) The 2012 version has 5 minifigures, all new (except R2 and battle droid) and all good.

[Cpt. Dan]

My guess is a lot of it has to do with the new pieces coming out with every set. The old sets we used to get had a few new pieces but mostly consisted of recycled parts and creativity. Now, with each new mold comes a huge price increase.

A mold alone I heard can cost thousands of dollars. If they are making $.25/set for arguments sake, they have to sell a huge amount of sets to offset that cost. They are probably making more, but still...

As long as they keep cranking out a quality product, I will be more than happy to buy it, even if it means my dollar doesn't go as far.

As for inflation, that is an interesting argument but I hope that $15 in 2006 is not $25 today or we are in some serious trouble on the fiscal end, moreso than we are now

[Sir_Basil_Ashton]

A mold alone I heard can cost thousands of dollars. If they are making $.25/set for arguments sake, they have to sell a huge amount of sets to offset that cost.

If I remember correctly from the LEGO History Channel episode, they said it costs $300,000 to make a new mold.

[jamie75]

The prices, IMO, have more to do with oil prices than anything else! Production of 1 kg of ABS requires the equivalent of about 2 kg of petroleum for raw materials and energy. So, if you take 10179. Which weights a little more then 10kg, you just bought 20kg worth of oil, basically.

Now, when you include:

Global economic uncertainty

Global Inflation

Lucas tax increase, Star Wars Premiums, lisencing fees........

Better set quality

New molds in almost every set and more coming every year, it seems

Could the prices come down, yes! But, only if the oil prices come down and I don't see that happening any time soon, if at all. Or Lego switches to a non-petroleum plastic. Which I think is more likely. But, if that happens, will prices come down? I don't think so.

A lot of plastic is made from natural gas. PVC pipes for example. Have you used those plastic cups at fast food places that are made from corn? Plastics can be made from plants and such, it is just, so far it has been cheapest to make plastic from petroleum.

Jamie

[Fuppylodders]

The prices, IMO, have more to do with oil prices than anything else! Production of 1 kg of ABS requires the equivalent of about 2 kg of petroleum for raw materials and energy. So, if you take 10179. Which weights a little more then 10kg, you just bought 20kg worth of oil, basically.

That's where I have been going wrong, I should be running my car on lego!

Am I the first person to think of Lego pumps at Toys R Us?

I should really patent that idea before it hits the big time =O