Subject:
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Re: LEGO Factory / PaB Pricing Study
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.lego
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Date:
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Mon, 6 Apr 2009 18:31:11 GMT
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Viewed:
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25592 times
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In lugnet.lego, Jordan Schwarz wrote:
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You’ve probably noticed that the LEGO online Pick-A-Brick / LEGO Factory
palette has recently been updated with new parts - and new prices. As an avid
user of the LEGO Factory system, I was curious just how much the prices had
gone up by. I created three train models in order to evaluate the new prices
- a caboose in 6-wide, the same caboose as an 8-wide model, and an AAR-style
wheelset using some new wheels that were recently added to the Palette.
I’ve designed numerous LEGO Factory models over the years and have a feel for
what these models should cost based on previous pricing. In my experience,
models typically average about 15 cents per part. A 6-wide railcar typically
runs less than $70. My 6-wide caboose uses the train baseplate and minimal
SNOT, so it should cost about $50 or less. At 329 elements, my 15c/part
estimate gives $49.35 - almost in exact agreement. The 8-wide version is
SNOTtier and has 601 pieces, so $90 is a good estimate. The AAR truck has
only 43 pieces, but it uses an expensive magnetic buffer piece. To estimate
the price, take the 15c/part estimate of $6.45 and add on the (former) cost
for the buffer of $1.54. This brings the estimated cost to $7.99.
So, how did these estimates check with the new (USA) LEGO Factory prices? The
results aren’t encouraging. Let’s start with the AAR truck... this little
43-part gem is now a whopping $21.57 - 270% more than the estimate using the
previous Factory pricing. At this price, it would cost you over $40 just to
supply the wheels for a railcar using two of these AAR trucks.
8-wide railcars are always expensive. Just before the price increase, I
ordered an 8-wide, 1086-element locomotive, sans 9V motors and wheels, from
LEGO Factory for a cost of $107. This caboose has 601 elements, so we would
expect the cost to be less, given the same pricing. However, the pricing is
not the same anymore... and this caboose now costs $201.50 - averaging 33.5
cents per brick. That’s more than double the old prices.
The real shocker is the 6-wide caboose, which should have cost about $50 with
the old pricing. It comes in at an unbelievable $181.51, or 55 cents per
brick! Why so much more for the 6-wide model? The secret is in the wheels.
For this model, I used stock train wheelsets. There is a bug (if you can call
it that) in LEGO Digital Designer that includes one four-pack of train axles
for each wheelset ordered. That means that the caboose model will actually
ship with four axle packs, or 16 total. These axles are now priced at $13 per
4-pack, and a wheelset costs $16.10 as a result. Since the model includes
four wheelsets, these add more than $64 to the cost of the model. The AAR
trucks actually end up being cheaper, even at more than $20 each!
I’m really disappointed by this new pricing. LDD models and online
Pick-a-Brick have become unaffordable. If LEGO requires such high prices in
order for online PaB to be profitable, then it appears that the time has come
for LEGO Factory to close its doors.
As a LEGO Ambassador, I have voiced my concerns through the LEGO Ambassadors’
message board. I also contacted LEGO Customer Service by phone and was told
that several customers had voiced the same concerns over Factory pricing. I
was told, however, that these prices are set by LEGO in Denmark and that the
US Customer Service could not provide me with further information at the time
of my call.
LEGO is already aware that there are a number of fans upset over the new
prices. However, if you find these new online Pick-a-Brick / LEGO Factory
prices objectionable, I still encourage you to make your concerns known so
that LEGO can understand the impact of the new prices - which are more than
double the old and have made online PaB impossibly expensive. Their toll-free
number in the US is +1 (800) 835-4386. I will pass along more information as
I receive it.
--
I also posted this story - with pictures of the MOCs - on MOCpages. The link
for that is:
http://mocpages.com/moc.php/109368
-- Jordan Schwarz
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Hi Jordan,
Thanks for this information.
I noticed it today also after a message from one of the French FreeLUG people
about those ridiculous high prices. I found the previous (European) prices
already on the high side, but now its as you wrote, they can close the PAB shop.
At those prices I won’t buy at all. Lets hope there’s a believable explanation
for it, but I don’t need it anymore. I think I better put my new building
(aprox.100 x 60 studs) in the deepfreezer!
Regards,
Ludo
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: LEGO Factory / PaB Pricing Study
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| (...) I just received the following communication from Jan Beyer of the LEGO Community Team. He says that PaB prices should be adjusted soon, perhaps later today. Dear LEGO fans, Based on all the feedback over the past week regarding our new Pick A (...) (16 years ago, 8-Apr-09, to lugnet.lego, FTX)
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