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First of all, welcome!
It is always a positive sign when a company should choose
to engage in dialogue with its customers. It is futher encouraging
that TLG recognises that AFOLs are a significant part of their
customer base. Many of us, no doubt, prefer to give Lego as
gifts to our's and other's children, too.
One of my major concerns is pricing! I am aware that a number of
factors affect how a product is priced, but is a constant source
of disappointment that sets in Europe are always priced substantially
higher than the US. Although as a country, the US is your biggest
market, as a collective entity, Europe as a whole far outstrips the US
in terms of sales. It has been, in a number of cases, cheaper to
purchase sets, via an intermediary, in the US, and have them shipped
back to Europe!
Further to pricing, the Lego store, located in the UK at the Bluewater
Shopping Centre, charges more per set than a number of other shops
in the same centre!
Another major concern is restricted availability of sets! There are many
sets and ranges not available universally! (Take the World Cup promotional
sets as the perfect example, and one which you have now addressed!)
I am relieved to see that you are going to experiment with what we have
all been *begging* for, bulk-ordering. Though I have many concerns!
The main concern is your mention of "restricted format." I pray that
the "restrictions" will not be "Orders are to be restricted to US
addresses only!" That would be a grave disservice to your European
market!
If the restrictions are to be colour or type availability, I could live
with that. Personally, I am more interested in basic plates and bricks,
in few colours.
If your initial experiments in bulk ordering will permit international
orders, please do not discriminate, price-wise, based on geographical
location. It would seem from your post that you will be based in New
York, and presumably will distribute from somewhere in the US. If you
can afford to sell, presumably over the internet, to one market at
a given price, there is no *fair* justification for not being able
to offer that same product, at the same price, to all that should
wish to avail themselves of the service. (I can be quite certain
that you will not price individual components cheaply enough to
undercut the sets of which they would constitute anyway!)
The only price differential, I should hope, would be in shipping
costs! (And that should not be that great! If your research should
prove that bulk-ordering is viable enough to justify this experiment,
you should be able to negotiate decent rates with delivery companies
so as to not discriminate further in that regards!)
Should you decide to price-bias based on the geographical location of the
purchaser, I will not use the service as intended. I will use the US-based
pricing structure, have the goods delivered to intermediaries in
the States, and collect upon one of my half-dozen US-destined business trips.
(This is something I currently do with a wide range of products. There are a
large number of UK- and European-produced products that I can purchase in the
US, pay customs duty upon arrival in the UK, and still save up to 50%!)
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Introducing LEGO Direct
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| Brad, Well, this is interesting, but I have a hard time believing this. Maybe I am too skeptical. I think the majority of AFOL's here are frustrated with TLC's lack of attention to us and our needs / wants / desires. I was rather flabbergasted the (...) (25 years ago, 9-Dec-99, to lugnet.general, lugnet.dear-lego)
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