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In lugnet.general, Lawrence Wilkes writes:
> So much for that old e-commerce dream of cutting out the middleman and >lowering prices. We should have known it was always going to be more a case >of cut out the middleman and make more profit.
Some of your comments about online deals are just about the dotcom bubble.
And end of line retail deals may have trickled off because retail stores may
finally have gotten a better sense of what they will actually sell; and they
may also have better methods of inventory control. Even so, I have seen
some great deals even in the last few months so I am not so sure about that
last point anyway...others routinely mention the new rounds of clearance
prices at WalMart and such. I generally do not benefit from these sales,
but I know that others do.
But let's assume for the moment that such bargains are indeed a thing of the
past. Why is that a bad thing? It would only mean that TLC and it's Lego
retailers have a handle on real demand -- hence no overstock, hence no lost
money or ill will towards TLC for product unsold, hence more profit for the
full value of sets (be it at retail price or wholesale). Where's the
problem? That would mean that TLC might actually stay in business.
Don't get me wrong though...I love the bargains too. I have loaded up on
the few items I have seen at deep discount and those items remain prized
elements in my collection. But, at the same time, I don't have a problem
paying TLC full retail if that full retail price is fair and they are
actually giving us what we want.
Take for example the re-release of the Guarded Inn: is it REALLY overpriced?
If I recall correctly, its price is down there around $0.10 USD an element.
I am willing to pay that price for such a thing. More stuff priced like
that would suit me fine.
Then again, I would still like to see REAL bulk offerings at REAL bulk
prices (i.e. Larry P's 1000 Cypress trees for $200 sounds good to me). So on
that end of things, you have my sympathy.
Overall, international economies are slowing down. The U.S. is on the brink
of recession, as is Germany. Japan and Korea are still recovering from
recent economic blows. Will TLC weather its own economic storms, only time
will tell.
Shrewder moves in their niche market would help a lot...!
-- Hop-Frog (green, but not with money)
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