Subject:
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Re: Another Legend dies....
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Mon, 16 Jul 2001 20:47:08 GMT
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Viewed:
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480 times
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In lugnet.trains, Reinhard "Ben" Beneke writes:
> As a matter of fact I have to declare: Lego® ist not only a toy, but also a
> collectors item. Many people collect sets (and pay lots of money for it).
> Others just need the parts for playing. Most of us do both: collect things and
> play with the stuff. I think TLC should take care of both groups:
> the "players" want to have stuff for MOCs easily available, the "collectors"
> want to have rare sets.
A few thoughts.
Originally, I kinda had this reaction, even from a marketing standpoint of
TLC. I'll give an example.
Charming Tails is a series of small, ceramic collectables, whose value has
been steadily increasing over the past few years. They're obviously doing
something right, albeit it's no fad like Beanie Babies or anything.
When I learned that my friend started collecting them, I gave her some that
I thought were cute, to which her response was something like "Oh yeah, this
one's great! It's their most popular current piece! They're discontinuing it
really soon, too!".
Now, why would they discontinue something that was their best seller?
Marketing. By making it in short supply, the value quickly goes up. And
sure, they won't make more money on *that* particular piece-- BUT, people
are more likely to think that *OTHER* pieces are likely to do the same
thing. So people actually anticipate that certain pieces will do well and
buy them. In some cases, they buy them *ALL* so they can be assured of
something that will increase dramatically in value. So in turn, the company
is making money off the *good* pieces *AND* the "bad" pieces.
But note. Lego is not marketed like a collectable. Never has been, never
will be. Why? Well one reason is that set quality has been decreasing for
quite some time. Hence, nobody expects that current sets will become
"collectors items" like the wonderful sets of the past. I mean, do you
seriously think people in 10 years will be killing for UFO's? I don't. So
I'm not going to buy them for fear that they might become valueable. It's
not a collector's market.
The other issue I have is with what you said. It's rather appauling to me:
> the "players" want to have stuff for MOCs easily available, the "collectors"
> want to have rare sets.
Why does it appauling? Because in some manner, *I'm* a collector. But I
don't want to have rare sets. I want to have a *collection* of sets. Saying
that you want *rare* sets (and that you don't think the set should be
re-offered) means you actually want other people NOT to have the sets. To me
that's insulting. I want to collect so I can be complete, or get the sets I
like-- not so I can gloat about all the rare things I have, the struggles
I've gone through to get them, and the outrageous prices I could charge for
reselling them. Collecting Lego (to me) should not be about competition, but
about achieving your own goals. For you to say that is, in short, to say
that you don't want me to have a set I really wanted, but YOU still want it.
And *that's* what I don't like about your argument.
But if that *IS* what you want-- if you really *DO* want rare sets-- there
will always be hope for you. Collect *REALLY* rare stuff. Collect things
that TLC *won't* re-release. Collect promotional sets. Collect 60's sets.
Try and hunt down the McDonald's promos sets from the early 80's. Find
yourself some USS Constitutions, some Kabaya sets, and Chess King's. And
take comfort in the fact that your collection is worth far more than mine,
contains more rare things than mine, and that you're more devoted to the
brick than I am by going to such great lengths to get them. I won't mind.
I'll go enjoy having my own collection and building wonderful MOCs from the
pieces contained therein.
But I think (ok, hope) one of the reasons that TLC is re-releasing these
sets is for collectors like *ME*. I have a list of sets I *want*. Not
because they're rare, not because they're hard to find, but because I *like*
them. I couldn't care less if other people have them or not. And I think
it's wonderful that TLC is making sets more widely and easily available for
people who want those sets. And if they modify the sets at all, it defeats
that purpose. I still wouldn't have the sets I wanted-- I'd just want more
sets. And so while it may make equal business sense to TLC insofar as they'd
theoretically make as much money (I honestly don't think they would), it
wouldn't help people to become complete, or to re-collect their
long-lusted-after sets.
The one thing I *DO* agree with you on is that TLC should make sets *like*
the legends line in *addition* to it, not instead of. But hopefully, since
TLC admitted that it was *KIDS* and not AFOLs buying up the majority of
Guarded Inn's, maybe they'll realize the value of stepping away from
juniorization. Anyway, here's hoping.
DaveE
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Another Legend dies....
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| Dear all! I'm really glad with most of the latest news we have heared from TLC. Bulk order becomes better and better, (in Germany you can buy at S@H even without credit card!), the "My Own Trains" and the new waggons are nice as models and (...) (23 years ago, 16-Jul-01, to lugnet.trains) !!
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