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In lugnet.trains, John Eric Voltin writes:
> I periodically notice currently available LEGO sets on eBay for prices above
> suggested retail. I assume these items sell to individuals that are not
> familiar with LEGO Shop-At-Home or www.lego.com. For example, today I
> noticed one of LEGO's new sets (Super Chief) that is currently selling for
> $40 (actually $39.95) with an opening bid of $55. I suspect a few people
> will not know they can buy this set directly from LEGO. I particularly like
> the comment in the eBay ad "Not available in any store."
The crime here is not that the seller has used these words, but that the
words themselves originate from LEGO. The only three words (used in LEGO
advertising) that are worse than these 5 are the words "Hard to Find". The
company is in some respects making itself so exclusive as to confuse and
frustrate would-be customers. There is nothing at all wrong with 'Shop at
Home' but where it begins to falter is when it's 'Only through Shop at
Home'. This eliminates a wide cross section of customers who:
a) Don't know this service exists
b) Wouldn't order by mail even if they did
c) Miss out on some products because they still shop in real stores
> The ad fails to
> mention that the same set is available through LEGO's online and mail order
> stores. I guess these don't qualify as "stores".
No, I don't think they do qualify. They are 'direct to consumer' or 'direct
from the manufacturer' situations. Not what many people might call a store.
I think of a store as something I can walk into and shop in. Despite years
of being online and having even shopped online, I still draw a thick line
between e-shopping and cruising the shelves of a store.
> I wonder if there is any way to make potential eBay buyers aware of the
> alternatives for buying LEGO. It seems that a few people are taking
> advantage of other people's ignorance.
Not without violating certain eBay policies.
> Of course, I should probably be
> offering to sell new, MISB LEGO sets above suggested retail and be glad when
> someone takes me up on my offer.
Why not? You have to make the rationalization that if this is the amount
that the person is willing to spend on that item, then they are probably
happy doing so.
Quick example (and why I moved this follow-up to .market.theory):
A couple years back I found a copy of "The Making of Jaws", a little
paperback book about the famous Spielberg movie from 1975. I bought this
used, worn book at a thrift shop for 50 cents (Canadian) and turned around
and sold it on Ebay for $51 (U.S. or more than $75 Canadian). I felt some
guilt at first, but then my wife pointed out that maybe the buyer was a rich
doctor or lawyer who wanted this book and maybe couldn't take the time to
find it in a thrift shop. To him, the $51 was nothing and he was happy to
finally own the book.
> Any thoughts? Does this seem exploitive to anyone?
Yes, but for the reasons above, I'm not sure you can fault the seller in
these cases. Want someone to blame? Blame the LEGO company. If they would
relearn how to market their products then this type of situation would be
less common.
Regards,
Allan B.
- Expert Builder website
- http://www.apotome.com/builder
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Current LEGO Sets on eBay
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| I periodically notice currently available LEGO sets on eBay for prices above suggested retail. I assume these items sell to individuals that are not familiar with LEGO Shop-At-Home or www.lego.com. For example, today I noticed one of LEGO's new sets (...) (22 years ago, 18-Feb-02, to lugnet.trains)
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