Subject:
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Re: New Product and Promotional Timing
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.market.theory
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Date:
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Fri, 14 May 1999 13:36:41 GMT
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Viewed:
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713 times
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On Fri, 14 May 1999 03:15:39 GMT, "Janet Zorn" <lighthouse@bonzai.net>
wrote:
> I HATE paying retail so I hope S@H improves. Wonder if Sw will push
> the other '99 sets to specials sooner. I suspect so.
Could be.
> HOW hard is it to get sets not in the US catalog.
The general answer is: work out a deal with someone in a country where
Larry P. can be your factor.
The specific answer is: most (all?) of the 1999 Euro train sets will be
available from S@H.
> (Digression: It was a torture not to bid on the Spectral Starguider on
> Ebay today. But I had to save for the SW sets that I want.)
I can understand that.
> AND why, o why, do they have sets that they won't sell across the
> ocean?!?!?!?! What kind of marketing scheme is that - or is it only a
> logistical issue?
My guess is the sets aren't perceived as having selling potential in a
specific market. In the US, they think trains won't sell big. Maybe they
have historical data to back this up.
> AGREED. The larger sets surprise me at how reasonably priced they are.
> I think that I would have advised TLG to raise the prices on the large
> sets.
I think the classic sets were positioned very specifically: no high-priced
sets, not too many sets (because they wanted to make a big splash with a
lot of EP1 sets). And my guess is the Y-wing/TIE fighter combo was
strictly a marketing move. There is no particular connection between these
ships, but they are in a single set. Why? I think it's because TLG wanted
a somewhat-larger set to round out the line, rather than two more $20-$25
sets.
> Am I wrong in thinking that the classic sets have lower cents
> per piece than the EP1 set?
I hadn't checked, but now I have. The classic sets are *slightly* cheaper
per piece, but not enough to be significant. The Mos Espa Podrace is a
particularly good deal, apparently.
Product Number & Name Pieces MSRP $ / Piece
7130 Snowspeeder™ 212 19.99 $0.094
7128 Speeder Bikes™ 90 9.99 $0.111
7140 X-wing Fighter™ 263 29.99 $0.114
7150 TIE Fighter™ & Y-wing™ 407 49.99 $0.123
7110 Landspeeder™ 47 5.99 $0.127
7111 Droid Fighter™ 62 5.99 $0.097
7171 Mos Espa Podrace™ 894 89.99 $0.101
7131 Anakin's Podracer™ 134 14.99 $0.112
7141 Naboo Fighter™ 174 19.99 $0.115
7101 Lightsaber™ Duel 50 5.99 $0.120
7121 Naboo™ Swamp 81 9.99 $0.123
7151 Sith Infiltrator™ 243 29.99 $0.123
7161 Gungan™ Sub 375 49.99 $0.133
(data courtesy www.lugnet.com/pause/)
> SINCE I just read how juniorized these are but given that they have
> similar colors and some similar type pieces (canopies), I'm thinking
> that Rock Raiders is a appeasement of those w/in TLG who think that
> children prefer the snap on the wheels and you're done approach who
> lost out in the battle for the SW sets.
Maybe. Maybe TLG felt like they needed *something* else out besides the SW
sets. Who knows? Maybe Town Center tanked (well, I can hope).
It's interesting that Rock Raiders is the most Jrized sub-theme so far, and
it features the first strong marketing tie-in to computer software (see
<http://www.legomedia.com/rockraiders/> or
<http://www.gamespot.com/strategy/legorock/index.html>). Maybe they think
the kids who buy the software won't be able to concentrate long enough to
have a real building experience?
> MAYBE I'm just a weenie, but the auction atmosphere is still
> intimidating to me. I am pretty sure I'd prefer to pay a premium for a
> fixed price sale than battle through an auction. Guess I'm just too
> risk averse (translate weenie).
I can understand that. There's also the factor of the amount of time
people have to put in to win items on auction. But for a lot of people on
eBay, getting there is half the fun, even if they don't realize it.
> After all what is keeping all of us
> from grabbing a shopping cart full of Landspeeders and slowly dumping
> them on ebay for a 100% premium?
Nothing. Go for it. That's what some people do for a living. Just be
honest (like: "you can get these in most parts of the US now" instead of
"super! hard! to find!!!!!!"), or be flamed.
> MAYBE, but if you thought that non-SW lego was a substitute to some
> degree for SW lego then you'd want to try to keep the price of the
> non-SW stuff from eating in to your SW revenues. It is the brand that
> canibalizes itself, not the separate product lines.
Ah. That makes sense.
> MAYBE it is just my market. Here in Northern VA there were only a few
> classic SW sets released early this year. The few went on the shelves
> and right off in hours and were not replaced at all. I can see what
> you're saying though. Build the expectation. I think that the classic
> sets are so much better than the EP1 sets. Though the EP1 sets seem to
> have more neat new pieces. (I'm not, as some are, one to lament the
> addition of new shapes and sizes.)
I think the scarcity of classic sets was a production snafu. TLG had to
devote their capacity to bulking up on the EP1 sets. Plus, a certain
number of retailers misunderstood the May 3 release date, and held back all
the SW sets, not just the EP1 sets.
> INTERESTING. I'm not a completist type on much of anything. Maybe most
> SW fans are. I do have to say that as a whole there are not many of
> the SW sets I want to pass on. I think they look great and offer lots
> of new possibilities with the new pieces.
I think most of the Star Wars toy market is driven by collectors. I don't
hang out in that aisle much, so I can't make a report on who I've seen.
But based on the number of different products, and trivial characters
offered up for sale (contrast that with TLG, which typically only scratches
the surface of possible products in any given area), and it smells like
collectables to me.
I agree with you on most of the SW sets, but maybe not all. Some of the
EP1 sets are weak. But buying multiple copies would allow a *great* setup.
Just think of what could be done with 20 Naboo Swamps! :)
> :All the theme sets have been juniorized, to a
> :greater or lesser extent. Ninjas lesser, Adventurers a bit more, sounds
> :like Rock Raiders is more, and Space Port is definitely greater.
Oops. I got those in the wrong order. Sorting by increasing levels of
Jrization:
- Ninjas
- Adventurers
+ Space Port
++ Rock Raiders
+++ Town Center
> AGREED. I was mainly talking about the volume of different SW sets.
Ah. I usually don't include SW when I think of the TLG 'line'. I my mind,
they are separate area.
> Has there ever been a theme with so many sets added in a single year?
I doubt it. When Divers came out, there were 10 sets available by various
means in the US (two non-US promotional sets were released later). That's
as many as I know of.
> I do admit to liking some of the juniorized sets for some of the parts
> they offer and though I think Ninja is very silly I almost bought
> Blaze Attack and I would love to pick up the Adventurer boat set at a
> discount because I like the boat.
The boat is cool. I want to replace the Jr pieces with regular pieces. :)
That would improve the boat a bit. It wants some redesigning, but in
general is a nice model. But the price/piece is not good.
> I DO hope that they continue with the SW theme for a few years. I'm no
> SW fan at all, but there are now some really great space sets, the
> first since I've come out of the dark ages.
>
> I am amazed that TLG doesn't milk themes more. I look at people's web
> pages and see the great stuff they do, and wonder why TLG doesn't do
> something similar. Lots of sets to go with a theme. They left so much
> undone with Castle. Rather than doing witches and ghosts they could
> have built more serious medieval stuff. I just don't understand why
> they leave product line concepts so under-developed.
A lot of what AFOL's make wouldn't be marketable. Too many pieces, or not
'exciting' enough.
I do wish TLG would make theme buckets, to provide more theme-oriented
pieces, but with fewer model-specific parts. The contents would be
equivalent to a couple of accessory packs, the related minifigs, some of
the pieces used in that theme, and a lot of basic bricks, plates, and
slopes in the theme's colors.
Steve
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Message has 3 Replies:
 | | Re: New Product and Promotional Timing
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| (...) I need more countries, but I have NO, NL, NZ, Australia, UK, and Germany covered. I'm looking for a Denmark node, a French node and an Austrian node in europe, and a Japanese node in asia, I think that will cover much of the market... do I (...) (25 years ago, 14-May-99, to lugnet.market.theory, lugnet.trains, lugnet.general)
| | | Re: New Product and Promotional Timing
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| Steve Bliss wrote in message <373c1b77.2566297@lu...et.com>... *** lots of great comments from Steve deleted- see above *** :I do wish TLG would make theme buckets, to provide more theme-oriented :pieces, but with fewer model-specific parts. The (...) (25 years ago, 15-May-99, to lugnet.market.theory)
| | | Re: New Product and Promotional Timing
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| (a bunch of commentary cut) (...) I think there was a very good reason for making the Y-Wing/TIE Figher combo the most expensive: Darth Vader. This minifig is not available in any other set (unlike Luke Skywalker in his many outfits, Qui-Gon Jinn in (...) (25 years ago, 20-Jun-99, to lugnet.market.theory)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: New Product and Promotional Timing
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| Steve Bliss wrote in message <373ae1f8.7135823@lu...et.com>... :On Thu, 13 May 1999 04:00:20 GMT, "Janet Zorn" <lighthouse@bonzai.net> :wrote: : :>Whereas, since the EP1 sets came out the S@H specials have been, uh, :>less than special. : :I think (...) (25 years ago, 14-May-99, to lugnet.market.theory)
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