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In lugnet.trains, Steve Barile writes:
> "Could these auctions make LEGO more profitable?" - Josh
>
> Great point Josh! No, certainly not. Even if they sell for $1000 each,
> that's $5k. Compared to their bottom line that's far below their accounting
> rounding error.
Selling the 10 of them at $5,000 each isn't going to put a huge smile on any
accountant's face.
This little experiment isn't about making money, though I'll be honest I
can't figure out why they're doing it.
> In fact I think it's terrible to dangle this in front of poor kids like
> this. I recall dreaming about getting a new set at regular MSRP, but this is
> clearly out of reach. Kids buying power can't compete with an adults,
> especially an AFOL. Someone with deep pockets will get these. Is that what
> LEGO is trying to promote?
The practice is a gimic that the LEGO company doesn't need to lower itself
to. The company has higher standards of fairness that preclude them from
engaging in this kind of silliness.
> I wonder what the motivation here is anyway?
I can't imagine any.
> Perhaps a lottery, one entry per person via the web. How about an essay
> contest on a topic like, um, trains. Or a train theme based building contest.
Even easier. Do away with this other gimic of numbering sets. This isn't
the way LEGO needs to increase sales. Producing more quality sets like the
Santa Fe will do that handsomely. I think this whole limited edition fiasco
has tainted what could have been a landmark set.
A truly 'limited edition' product is one made by a company or perhaps even
an individual where time, materials or other resources are, in fact,
limited. LEGO could easily make more than 10,000 of the Santa Fe's.
Apparently we now know that they intend to. This establishes the fact that
the first 10,000 were not limited at all. They were numbered. If that
makes them more interesting to some people, then so be it. But creating
artificial demand for them, by numbering them, seems quite a trivial
activity for a company that has always held itself to higher standards of
integrity when it comes to respecting its customers.
> Wait a minute, I think I got it.
> LEGO is trying to establish collectivity of their product. That makes a lot
> more sense.
So they can buy them back at inflated prices? :)
Why not just focus attention and energy where it's needed..... finding
another set of the Santa Fe's quality to release..... then another and another.
The Santa Fe (and a handful of other recent quality releases) proves that
all hope is not lost at LEGO. The eBay stumble is hopefully just a hiccup
that will eventually go away.
Regards,
Allan B.
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Santa Fe Super Chief A0001 on eBay
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| "Could these auctions make LEGO more profitable?" - Josh Great point Josh! No, certainly not. Even if they sell for $1000 each, that's $5k. Compared to their bottom line that's far below their accounting rounding error. In fact I think it's terrible (...) (22 years ago, 3-Apr-02, to lugnet.trains)
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