Friends - general discussion

[Grolim]

My two older girls (4 & 5) really like the friends Lego.  But they also really like other Lego, probably just as much.  They love playing with the Lone Ranger Train at present and even the LOTR Black Gate.

 

The jury is still out on the long term investment potential of the theme in my opinion.  I don't think the sets will necessarily lose value, but I can't see them being huge growers at this stage either.

 

Like others have said the AFOL demand in future years is uncertain.  Will teens/adults want to go back and collect the sets they missed in their youth?  I doubt it a little.  I think the main branch of secondary demand would be from kids like mine who get into the theme and then see older sets on Ebay etc that they missed out on and pressure their parents to buy them.  With that in mind, the half a dozen Friends sets I have now in my portfolio will be flipped pretty close after EOL or at Xmas.  Maybe keeping a couple of the bigger ones longer term as a hedge or experiment. 

[justafrog]

I like the Friends sets for parting out, but I'm wary of putting away too many full sets for later resale.

 

If, as Coneil pointed out, they got into licensed stuff, I'd be all over it.

 

And I could be wrong and in twenty years I'll be kicking myself for not sitting on 50 dolphin sets. I'm willing to take a chance on a few, because I can always part out later and not lose anything.

[Doofy McGee]

I have always been pretty skeptical about Friends as an investment.  There is just nothing to keep people interested in it.  The only way I would have Friends in my investment portfolio is if I already had as many copies as I could handle of every other set I wanted.  Friends sets can be decent for parting out due to rare colors, critters, etc. but anything with such relatively worthless (value wise) mini figures tends to scare me away in a hurry.

[Guest eightbrick]

I have always been pretty skeptical about Friends as an investment.  There is just nothing to keep people interested in it.  The only way I would have Friends in my investment portfolio is if I already had as many copies as I could handle of every other set I wanted.  Friends sets can be decent for parting out due to rare colors, critters, etc. but anything with such relatively worthless (value wise) mini figures tends to scare me away in a hurry.

The same could be said about city/town. And that theme has been going on strong for over 30 years. My take on Friends is that is essentially a more feminine take on City with established characters, and why should that mean it will enjoy less success?

[Doofy McGee]

I'm not saying that I think Friends will flop or not enjoy some level of success, I am just leery of it when there are a lot more other things out there that are probably more likely to be safe and have much higher returns.  Friends will never give Batman a run for its money.  Lol.

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

I'm not saying that I think Friends will flop or not enjoy some level of success, I am just leery of it when there are a lot more other things out there that are probably more likely to be safe and have much higher returns.  Friends will never give Batman a run for its money.  Lol.

 

Exactly. And if I don't have to look like walking probable cause to make money, I am gonna stay away for now. lol

[Doofy McGee]

Exactly. And if I don't have to look like walking probable cause to make money, I am gonna stay away for now. lol

Great item to get on Amazon!  No risk of being mistaken for a future criminal! 

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

Great item to get on Amazon!  No risk of being mistaken for a future criminal! 

 

Lol true. It is technically an "unmarked" box too. I would judge myself though...

[Doofy McGee]

Lol true. It is technically an "unmarked" box too. I would judge myself though...

As long as you don't open the boxes and ...ahem...I feel dirty even saying it... handle the mini figures in any way, your actions can in no way be misconstrued.  Besides, you might have daughters or granddaughters or whatever some day who love LEGO Friends.  Nothing wrong with buying their birthday presents well in advance.  *Wink wink* 

[vincevaughn]

Just saw some Friends sets on clearance in a Wal-mart today.  I was tempted but as others have said I just can't see it.

 

I do like the pastel colors and the designs seem to be pretty solid but I just can't see it.  However, just like City, LEGO has been making girl oriented sets for a loooong time (I remember the Belville sets in the catalogs from my youth).  So there has to be a solid market there somewhere right?

[Gondorian]

Hmm. I find the lack of interest in investing in this reassuring!  Fewer resellers!  Obviously that strategy won't work if everyone decides to be a contrarian though, so please don't turn this thread into the Orc Forge thread, where everyone goes crazy on it.

[Lateral-G]

I buy almost every Friends set that comes out. My daughter is 7 and loves them. She can put them together with little trouble.

 

I'm sure when she grows out of them I'll clean them up, make up what sets I can with whatever pieces are left and sell them on ebay. There's always going to be parents who are going to want these for their kids. I don't expect to get rich off them but I believe they will always have resale value and you can at least recoup a good portion of what you spent on them.

 

You can say you're real man when you sit down and play Lego Friends with your daughter.

[legoman12323123]

(This might be more suited to a blog post, but I don't have time to write up something decent, so I will just ramble instead.  I am mostly interested in the discussion that might ensue.)

 

Now that all the controversy over Lego Friends has died down, and they have about 30 (or more) sets out, I think it's a good time to take (and buy!) stock and reflect on how it's doing and where it is going.

 

Well, in terms of how it's doing, it seems to be a huge success with girls of a certain age.  I know many would prefer them to be playing with "normal" Lego, but that is not going to happen on its own.  Any toy purchase will be weighed up against competitors, and, for girls, the competitors are generally not normal Lego but dolls.  Lego have positioned Friends really well - it tends to have a different spot in stores away from other Lego and next to Barbie in my experience.

 

Another big plus for the set are the unique parts and colours available.  If you wanted to part it out and keep the bricks and sell the Friends, then I think that would work pretty well for you.

 

Given where we are today, and the success that has been had, I can't see this theme ever ending, although it might evolve over time.

 

With that in mind, I think the early sets will be worth lots in the future, as Butterfly Beauty Shop and some others have already shown.

 

I would not rule out Lego doing cartoons too, which will help sales, since they already have animated Lego Friends on their website and on adverts.

 

My top picks for investment are Olivia's House (worst-case, if you end up with loads unsold in future, then you can just build a street with them!) and the

[Gondorian]

I cant really see girls paying 5-10x premium for girly legos to be honest ... how many parents are going to buy their kids friends girly legos for 5-10x premium?

 

Who said anything about 5-10x premium?  That kind of increase does not happen often on any theme.  What is the most recent set that has delivered 400% return, I wonder?

[Lateral-G]

If I get what I paid for them after my daughter has played them out then I'll be more than happy......

[terrymc4677]

like every other set and theme, it all depends on your entry point. once this line gets discontinued and lego doesn't offer a theme aimed specifically at girls, these will be in demand. how many years passed between belville and friends? I think these sets will hold their own for quite some time. I won't retire off of them, but I am not concerned about losing money on them either. that's because everything I have acquired was at least a 30% discount or more. my daughter and I have built several of these together, and we had a blast. she is six and loves them more than her regular dolls. we just finished Olivia's house this week. they are highly detailed and offer tons of playability. don't be ashamed, guys! get out there and get some friends! you will be sorry if you don't!

[stephen_rockefeller]

My two favorites in this theme are the dolphin cruiser and the pool. I'm torn on the themes investment potential but that hasn't stopped me from buying a few sets.

[Coneil21]

like every other set and theme, it all depends on your entry point. once this line gets discontinued and lego doesn't offer a theme aimed specifically at girls, these will be in demand. how many years passed between belville and friends? I think these sets will hold their own for quite some time. I won't retire off of them, but I am not concerned about losing money on them either. that's because everything I have acquired was at least a 30% discount or more. my daughter and I have built several of these together, and we had a blast. she is six and loves them more than her regular dolls. we just finished Olivia's house this week. they are highly detailed and offer tons of playability. don't be ashamed, guys! get out there and get some friends! you will be sorry if you don't!

Hmmm

[Grolim]

...  What is the most recent set that has delivered 400% return, I wonder?

 

That would be the 10196 Grand Carousel by my reckoning.  Released in 2009 and has an ROI on retail of 401% 

 

There are some stormers from 2008 though as well. 

[TheOrcKing]

You can say you're real man when you sit down and play Lego Friends with your daughter.

This has to be the best statement I have ever read. Well done, sir.

[terrymc4677]

Hmmm

[bassbin]

Some of the first Friends set are already EOL.  I've sold about 6 of my 3187 Beauty Shops for

[ZombieToyChest]

I felt weird at first until I saw the profits. :)

[rcdb1984]

Im not gonna lie, I did look at that friends carnival cruise ship and thought it would be fun to be on it LOL

[Grolim]

Nah, not at all.  Just buy it with a smile thinking of your future profits.