MAB

It is very rare that resellers purchase the entire stock of a set. Most sets are available at retail for regular consumers for a reasonable amount of time. If you aren't going to sell , it is better if prices drop. That way, you can buy more of what you enjoy for the same money.

I'd go for black RIT dye, dip the stalks for 15 seconds and see if the green is dark enough.

They are selling very well. I cannot see this series topping a worst set / series league.

There are some very nice demonic parts in Nexo Knights. They are like Chima without the great big Chi thing on the front, so much more usable.

.

That is a reseller. Don't mention that you are buyng for investment in store.

Lego gives (sells) exclusive distribution rights to different stores in different countries.

I think you've made the classic mistake that many people make. You'll probably find that in a year's time a lot of what you've bought you don't really want, but bought it in the excitement of rediscovering lego. Most sets don't disappear quickly. Make a list but buy items slowly. That way, if you build and don't like something, then don't go buying similar sets in the future. My budget now is just about zero. Not because I cannot afford it, but because I have too much. It's good to reassess what you have and clear out what you no longer want, and use that to fund new purchases. You might be in that position in a year or two. Also plan purchases around promotions, especially for exclusives from S@H / Lego store.

They need the air bags for when they are chucked over a gate / fence.

You're welcome. I have been almost caught out a few times. They have known about this for over a year now and still advertise them for 5p / 5c.

I don't think customer services (the people you talk to) can actually do much about the database of parts you can select from. I have cancelled orders and let them know about parts that appear to be 5c / 5p but then you get charged much more for a replacement, first time was over a year ago. Yet they still continue to advertise the parts for 5p and still continue to switch them to a more expensive part if you order it.

Now you need to buy Orthanc ...

There have been a few examples where left and right handed wedges have been different prices too.

You only kill them if you believe they are alive.

Make sure you check what you are charged. The legs and torsos that appear to be 5c / 5p often get charged at significantly more. They switch from the 88585 for the 76382 part number. I've had to phone to cancel parts because of that.

Minifigures don't age. They look exactly the same for all time. If you pull off a part and replace it (such as a head or hair) then it is a different minifig. It may be an updated representation of the same character / person, but it is a different minifig.

So the most unethical part of this equation is lego itself. They take something cheap and charge massive markups after processing it into their product. Define what massive is. Is it OK to charge 2x RRP, 5x, 10x? Where is the tipping point?What about time? If 2x RRP is OK after a year, then 4x after two years is OK, as otherwise the seller could sell out after one year and reinvest. Resellers play a significant role in allowing people to purchase items that otherwise Lego would not allow them to buy. Lego's business model works on retiring products relatively quickly to get new stock out. If they stop selling a set or part, anyone wanting that set / part cannot have it, unless someone has invested in it. It may be that one part goes out of production and can rise 10x its original value, but for every part like that there will be many more that stay in production or not rise in value at all. So while a seller may make what appears to be obscene profits to some on a part, they are probably making very little on others. If they didn't get the opportunity to make the larger markups, then they'd probably stop doing it. That affects both the reseller and the potential buyers. The buyers would no longer have the ability to buy the parts / sets that Lego will not let them buy direct. Imagine a world without sites like bricklink, where the only way you could buy is from Lego direct, and only then you could only buy what they say you can buy. As soon as you have sites like bricklink, price enforcement /fixing cannot be done (and would be illegal in many countries). Why should a seller be stopped from selling an item at a price that he is happy with and a buyer is happy with?

Lego knows what sells. Batman is a big seller, Ninjago is a big seller. There is perfect sense to release them both to attract kids to spend their pocket money, as well as getting adults to buy them bigger sets in the range.

Capitalism and ethical behaviour are not mutually exclusive. If A buys something to sell at a profit and B decides to buy it as they cannot get it either at all or any cheaper elsewhere, the A is not unethical selling it to B, if both agree on the price. If they don't agree, they can both go without, one without the sale and one without the item. It is no more unethical for A to expect to make a profit than it is for B to expect to buy it without any profit for A. Also some apparently licensed parts are cross license, such as Finn's hair appearing in GB. Hopefully it will appear in unlicensed sets in other colours too.

Really? Give me a list of sets that were sold at stores (that is, non Lego exclusives) that regular buyers were stopped from buying by resellers.

BAP doesn't count for promos or VIP points. You must spend the threshold on regular shop purchases, which include PAB but not BAP. Glad it helps!

The L is already there - aLtered EGO.

^ while that may seem reasonable, Lego doesn't care about secondary markets. So long as the product is selling at retail, why should they care about secondary prices? Or indeed, fakes. Some buyers might buy fakes as they are cheap and think Lego products are poor quality, but so what? If they weren't going to buy real Lego anyway it doesn't matter, especially when Lego seems to be at capacity anyway.

You're right, I shouldn't have just said soldiers. It's Eowyn and Witch King that I want more than them, then Faramir.

That is because it is the (printed parts of the) soldiers that we actually need. We can already make the locations out of existing bricks. People have been doing it for years, long before LEGO released any official sets. Of course, we can put together soldiers too but they look a little odd compared to other characters with movie realistic prints.