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> And why would that hurt TLG? Remember, LD parts will most likely have a MUCH
> higher profit margin, as there are ZERO middlemen in the distribution path.
Absolutely. TLC makes money whether we buy bricks or sets, either
from retailers or directly from TLC. The question becomes the number
of middlemen involved in the transaction.
Tom, I agree with all the points you've just made..
I want to see The LEGO Company make more money from each sale, and at
the same time see consumers pay less than current retail.
I want consumers to pay way less than Ebay prices. We are all getting
hurt by the high price of LEGO because it in such short supply.
No, I am not talking about the currently available sets. I am talking
about all the specific pieces that are hard to acquire in quantity,
the very rare pieces, the larger more unusual pieces, pieces available
only in large expensive sets, and finally older sets themselves that
are in high demand.
Old castle, train, space and technic sets are in particular high
demand and command rediculous prices.
The LEGO Company makes no additional profit from the resale of these
sets. Therefore, the only people benefiting are those who acquire,
warehouse and later resell these sets. I have NO problems with these
people doing this. These sellers get the prices the market will bare.
It's buyer beware.
Unfortunately, this supply/demand situation affects many people where
it really hurts; the wallet.
Children collecting missing sets from older themes are the worst off,
as they have the most limited resources, relying on birthdays,
Christmas, parents, relatives and their small incomes or allowances.
Many adults don't have it much better, financial pressures and reality
affect all of us, no matter what our income level may be.
Therefore, it makes sense to improve this horrible situation by giving
the consumers what they so desperately want, and seeing TLC turn a
profit in return.
This is what Bulk Purchasing is all about.
The LEGO Company can give us what we want, profit handsomely from it,
and STILL sell us LEGO pieces at less than retail prices now being
paid.
I didn't start out being a consumer advocate, and I certainly didn't
expect so many questions, derision, scepticism, etc... I wonder if
Ralph Nader has similar problems... :-)
I think what I've been saying has merit, and I think The LEGO Company
owes it to themselves and us, to improve their bulk purchasing system,
manufacturing, and distribution abilities.
Both the company and all of us will benefit.
I've said all I wanted to say on this issue.
It is now time for The LEGO Company or a representative like Brad
Justice to respond or not.
The ball is in TLC's court now...
Thank you.
<ICS>
This can be done by eliminating all retail middlemen.
>
>
> > > To whit:
> > > > The above production line can also be used to churn out • transport bins
> > > > that are then bagged and boxed for LEGO's own sets as well.
> > >
> > >
> > > > You've had S@H for how long,
> > >
> > > And NZ had BETTER than an LD for years, yet noone let the secret out.
> >
> > And Australia, and probably other countries too, where we could order parts,
> > and they'd do their best to get them for us [I only found out just before it
> > ended here]. I believe that you can still do this in most countries, as the
> > lego distributer [at least in Aus] keeps several [unknown quantity] copies
> > of each set purely for the parts for people who's sets have come without
> > various parts [it does happen]. What I was referring to was that you have
> > access to a wide range of sets from the supplier, discounts on some of
> > these, ability to pre-order sets, and general better treatment by your
> > distributor.
>
> I wouldn't even know who to call as a distributor, unless you mean S@H/LD. And
> if you do mean them, they really don't have THAT large a list of sets, and if
> you are looking for a particular one, you have to ask - they don't have a S@H
> inventory accessible anywhere (BOY do I wish they did!).
>
>
> > > > you get more exclusive sets than any country,
> > >
> > > Want to back that up with details? The only real exclusives
> > > I currently know of
> > > are the 3438 and 3442. Yet the UK gets 8450 and other sets,
> > > Japan gets the
> > > Kabayas, Europe in general gets exclusives/promos all the time.
> >
> > I'm not referring to this year in particular, I'm going back over the past
> > few years in the S@H catalogues. To the best of my knowledge, the only
> > 'exclusive' set released in Australia may have been 6010 [petrol pumps], but
> > I think it was probably available in other countries too.
>
> Um SHELL sets - still not available in the US, except as a test marketing in
> SoCal (and they probably won't have a single set when I head down there next
> week!).
>
>
> > As to Kabaya, etc:
> > I was refering to exclusives, NOT promotionals. [promos being sets included
> > with other products/advertising other products, exclusives being sets
> > available from stores/S@H in that country/region only]
>
> I wouldn't separate them that much, they are both highly limited availability
> sets.
>
> But with today's networking, the limited availability is somewhat moot. I have
> sent TONS of US-exclusive sets all over the world, and received tons of non-US
> exclusives too. It WOULD be nice if it were TLG distributing them to us, rather
> than me asking someone to buy and ship them to me and vvs.
>
>
> > > > you've got your own lego factory and park,
> > >
> > > So? That factory doesn't do SQUAT for us, and other
> > > countries have parks.
> >
> > Where do you think most of your LD parts are coming from? How do you think
> > the cost of Lego there became so cheap compared to the rest of the world?
>
> Uh, I think the obvious reason is MEGABLOKS.
>
>
>
> > As to the park, I believe there's an officail lego store there where you can
> > purchase sets not available in other places [minifig packs, like in the UK's
> > park]
>
> I've never seen anything exclusive except the keychains, most of which you can
> get through S@H.
>
>
>
> > > > and you've even got LD.
> > >
> > > Yeah, and we're basically the Beta testers for the rest of
> > > the world, so what.
> >
> > Well, previously you mentioned something better in NZ [and which was
> > apparently in Aus, too] Why do they need Beta testers, when they already had
> > what you've stated was 'something even better' that was working?
>
> NZ/AU wasn't meant to BE a bulk ordering, from the details I've seen. It was
> quite clandestine.
>
>
> > > > Instead
> > > > of complaining about what you want and don't have, why • don't you spare a
> > > > thought for all the people who don't have these things, may • never have
> > > > access to these things, and who are getting sick of all the • 'we want this'
> > > > and 'we want that' attitude you seem to take. You'd be a • lot better off if
> > > > you'd just be content with what you've got, instead of • trying to force
> > > > others to cater to your every whim.
> > >
> > > No, I think you need to quit your whining. Lots of people
> > > have offered to get
> > > AUers sets/bulk packs, so it's not like you DON'T have access, you do.
> >
> > I'm not denying this...I'm just stating that until LD itself becomes
> > available to the rest of the world, those who it doesn't serve are stuck
> > with having to pay twice for postage, as well as currency exchange rates,
> > and in Australia, a large fee for this exchange. Added to this is the
> > further delay of getting payment to the US, and then getting the parcel to
> > Aus/wherever [2 weeks minimum, as opposed to 2-3 days]
> >
> > > If we keep our mouths shut, LD will think they pegged
> > > everything perfectly, and
> > > when they finally get around to serving AU, you'll get the
> > > same limited runs as
> > > we do. If we complain NOW, YOU get better parts later.
> >
> > As opposed to your requesting TLG to start this service, which resulted in
> > the service available in other countries to be halted? [ie order a part, and
> > they'd do their best to get it for you...]
>
> I don't follow - those aren't related. The shutdown of many supplies were part
> of their "fitness program", and now that they're in the black, they can
> experiment on something that has been asked for for YEARS.
>
>
>
> > > You should WANT us to bitch and complain as much as possible,
> > > as long as it is
> > > constructive criticism rather than ranting (your constant
> > > complaints about LD
> > > being US-only are completely counterproductive - LD WILL be
> > > in other countries,
> > > and whining won't speed it up, it will just sour LD's
> > > attitude towards you).
> >
> > It's not just LD's attitude, it's also LA...somehow our sets are priced
> > considerably higher than those in other countries. [we can often have a set
> > or several sets airmailed to us from the US at S@H prices, and even with the
> > cost of currency conversion it is still below the cheapest price here]
>
> Some of that is the INSANE Customs crap you have to deal with - an individual
> can fib a bit on the value of stuff being sent to AU and probably get away with
> it - a corporation cannot.
>
>
>
> > Anyway, I think had we still had our old parts service down here we wouldn't
> > be overly worried about LD. [and wasn't there a fair amount of complaints
> > when people in the US found about what used to be available in NZ and wasn't
> > there?]
> > >
> > > > Leave the complaining to those in
> > > > markets that TLG have been neglecting, or even help by • turning your emphasis
> > > > from 'we want ...' to 'why can't you let people in ... have • access to ...'.
> > > > Opening the LD and S@H areas to the rest of the world may • even help you to
> > > > get what you want after all, as there'd be a much larger • customer base than
> > > > just the USA/Canada.
> > >
> > > You can't rush the base structure they'll need to set up for
> > > each country, with
> > > the laws/customs hassle of each. Whining non-stop that "the
> > > US gets everything,
> > > we get nothing" simply won't help. You want to help LD get
> > > into AU faster? Do
> > > some research with your importation laws, talk to your
> > > lawmakers, and see what
> > > can be done to remove or lower some of the INSANE duties that
> > > AU imposes on
> > > items (over 100% value is not uncommon on car restoration parts).
> >
> > Well, this is the strange thing...LA was originally only going to get in the
> > soccer field from the football series and it was to be $119.95 [I saw the
> > price list from lego at more than 1 store]. Yet they were not only able to
> > get the entire range...they were also BELOW the cost of the sets in the US:
> > average prices, before GST [which lowered prices]:
> > busses:$18.99
> > portable goal game :11.99
> > field: $55.99
> > [I can't remember the prices on the others, but they were similar]
> > Now, if LA can afford to sell the sets for this price, where do you think
> > the money from the higher prices was going...to the government in taxes, etc
> > or to LA and on to TLG?
> >
> > As to setting up the warehousing for LD, when we had the 'better than LD'
> > service, parts would arrive within a week. [if they had them] So obviously
> > they already have a warehouse area here.
>
> HAD. I believe it was completely shut down.
>
>
> >
> >
> > Benjamin Whytcross
> > BWhytcro@PacificAccess.com.au
> > Ph: (03) 9856 5282
> > Directory Technology Pty Ltd
> > 1/436 Elgar Road,
> > Box Hill, 3128
> >
> > Growing older is compulsory..Growing up isn't :-)
> >
> >
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Message has 1 Reply:
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 | | Re: Bulk Sales in the 21st Century
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| (...) And why would that hurt TLG? Remember, LD parts will most likely have a MUCH higher profit margin, as there are ZERO middlemen in the distribution path. (...) I wouldn't even know who to call as a distributor, unless you mean S@H/LD. And if (...) (24 years ago, 7-Jul-00, to lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.general)
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