Friends - general discussion

[El Guapo]

 

I think those are some great choices, hepcatpunk.  OH and DC seem like no-brainers to me, and the residual haterade for the Friends theme will only be a boon to those who believe and invest.  I can see Friends performing similar to Ninjago, and possibly even better.

 

To me Friends is the great unknown. I have some smaller sets that I am actually doing pretty well on, just having a tough time diving in and getting 5 Olivia's Houses or Summer Riding Camps. Not cause I am against these, I just am not totally confident that I know what I am doing for these sets. From my uber-limited knowledge of girls' toys, they seem to go in and out of fashion pretty quickly. They are often not supported by movies or TV shows (except MLP, but the Bronies are a big driver there too). The exception is Barbie, which does VERY well if you know which ones to buy - which I don't. That is why I am wading in slowly to Friends.

[TheOrcKing]

Not true here, my Walfart has a very picked over friends section...

Walfart, ha! I've never heard it called that before. Awesome! :laugh:

[wholovesboo]

The Butterfly Beauty Shop is definitely in demand right now. They sold out early enough that latecomers to the Friends line missed out, making it a desired collector's item. "Store" sets in general are popular. And for the Butterfly Beauty Shop in particular, that purple trim on the outside as well as the clear arch at the entrance make it a particularly attractive shop (similar to how the striped awning of the City Park Cafe makes it particularly attractive). And the lipsticks have not shown up again in any of the recent sets.

 

IMO, other 2012 sets that will do well down the line are 3942 Heartlake Dog Show, 3061 City Park Cafe, 3186 Emma's Horse Trailer, and 3063 Heartlake Flying Club. I don't see Olivia's House going EOL anytime soon, and frankly the market looks saturated to me. Future collectors will definitely want it, but they will have lots of resellers to choose from. I see it becoming as ubiquitous as that Red Barn for Fisher Price Little People collectors.

 

Also, don't discount the smaller sets. The first waves of them were very nicely thought out. Winners in my book are 3933 Olivia's Invention Workshop, 3936 Emma's Fashion Studio, 3932 Andrea's Stage, and 3939 Mia's Bedroom.

 

Here are my thoughts on 3185 Summer Riding Camp: Because it's a Lego LEGO Shop at Home/TRU exclusive, yes, it's going to be rare down the road. However, the price tag is a big turn-off. Lego fans who won't pay $99 MSRP for it now IMO will be even more hesitant to pay $100+ for it down the road. I own the set but I haven't built it yet. I really should because I really want to know whether it's worth the price tag.

 

And finally, here is my list of Friends duds (maybe this should be its own topic!): 41007 Heartlake Pet Salon, 3188 Heartlake Vet, 3937 Olivia's Speedboat.

 

As for the new and upcoming releases, I'm keeping an eye on 41005 Heartlake High, 41024 Parrot's Perch, and yes, that Dolphin Cruiser.

[emes]

3942 Dog Show has already done very well. 3187 and 3942 were available for such short periods of time. I did very well on 3316 too, mainly because I bought them at a significant discount. At one place locally I was able to get about 30 3316's for $20 each.

 

IMO, the next one to watch is 3186 Emma's Horse Trailer. Also depending on how many of this year's Advent Calendar they print, and how low you can get them for on clearance after the holidays, that could be a huge winner mid-2014.

[Anakinisvader]

What's your source? I'd love to be able to get inside info like this when I need it.

 

Do you think they will redo some of the early sets that disappeared, like Butterfly Beauty Shop?  I did think that Olivia's Treehouse was disappearing but now it is back everywhere, so maybe the popularity became apparent just before that got EOLed and they doubled up on it?

 I don't remember the exact article I read but it had to do with limiting production on Ninjago and increasing production on Friends because of the popularity.  The only inside info here was the inside of the article.  Would you like to see a receipt too?  Wow, always a skeptic out there.  Have some faith my brutha.

[hepcatpunk]

I don't remember the exact article I read but it had to do with limiting production on Ninjago and increasing production on Friends because of the popularity. The only inside info here was the inside of the article. Would you like to see a receipt too? Wow, always a skeptic out there. Have some faith my brutha.

It was from some Lego state of the state type letter or maybe an annual report type document where they said all the above. I remember it being posted here too.

[wholovesboo]

 

Do you think they will redo some of the early sets that disappeared, like Butterfly Beauty Shop?  I did think that Olivia's Treehouse was disappearing but now it is back everywhere, so maybe the popularity became apparent just before that got EOLed and they doubled up on it?

 

Well if they do, you certainly wouldn't be able to charge double for them anymore! Mattel just re-released 3 of the highly sought after first wave Monster High dolls (They're calling them "original favorites"). Good news for little girls and their parents; bad news for those reselling them at exorbitant prices.

 

I'm not clear on how often Lego re-releases a set. My guess is not often at all.

[TheOrcKing]

Speaking of Butterfly Beauty Shop, why is it still listed on Shop-at-Home? It does state Sold Out but not Retired Product for some reason. It is removed from all other regions of the site yet still even listed on the US and Canadian part of their webstore. I just don't get it.

[wholovesboo]

Speaking of Butterfly Beauty Shop, why is it still listed on Shop-at-Home? It does state Sold Out but not Retired Product for some reason. It is removed from all other regions of the site yet still even listed on the US and Canadian part of their webstore. I just don't get it.

 

I dunno...but it sits there...taunting me...

[sadowsk1]

Are there any Friends sets that have gone EOL that have gone up that much in value?  I know the advent calender was a bust for as exclusive as it was made out to be, at least last Christmas.

[wholovesboo]

Are there any Friends sets that have gone EOL that have gone up that much in value?  I know the advent calender was a bust for as exclusive as it was made out to be, at least last Christmas.

 

Well besides 3187, I've seen these do well on the secondary market:

 

3942 Heartlake Dog Show

 

3931 Emma's Splash Pool

3933 Olivia's Invention Workshop

3934 Mia's Puppy House

3935 Stephanie's Pet Patrol

3936 Emma's Fashion Design Studio

[emes]

Are there any Friends sets that have gone EOL that have gone up that much in value?  I know the advent calender was a bust for as exclusive as it was made out to be, at least last Christmas.

 

3316 all had to do with the price you bought it at. It's done well for me. I also suspect if you wanted to part that thing out that you could get a stellar return on it, but I haven't actually dug into doing that.

 

However, I wouldn't want to be trying to sell them now, just as this year's Advent Calendar is hitting stores...

[Coneil21]

3933 Olivia's Invention Workshop $9.99

3934 Mia's Puppy House $9.99

3935 Stephanie's Pet Patrol $9.99

Probably another mistake listing, but I ordered a few just in case. If you are going to order, don't forget ****** 7% back.

[Anakinisvader]

I have found these on the shelves at K-Mart around a month ago.  This may be legit.

[Gkorneev]

Sounds similar to Ninjago Destinys Bounty mistake from two weeks ago. Hope you get the sets!

3933 Olivia's Invention Workshop $9.99

3934 Mia's Puppy House $9.99

3935 Stephanie's Pet Patrol $9.99

Probably another mistake listing, but I ordered a few just in case. If you are going to order, don't forget ****** 7% back.

[wholovesboo]

3933 Olivia's Invention Workshop $9.99

3934 Mia's Puppy House $9.99

3935 Stephanie's Pet Patrol $9.99

Probably another mistake listing, but I ordered a few just in case. If you are going to order, don't forget ****** 7% back.

 

3933 is a mistake. I placed an order for a couple of those last week, and when they arrived, they were all Olivia's Speedboat, not Olivia's Invention Workshop. I should have known it was too good to be true!

 

Also, they just threw the boxes in one of those plastic envelope mailers. No padding or anything. So of course the boxes are crushed.

[kit]

I did place any order for all of these and got them yesterday. I got the speed boat and two of olivia's newborn foal. I had to take them back to the store to get my money back. I was so mad. maybe you will get yours. 

[spener90]

Considering they sent the wrong set last time, I won't touch this.

[terrymc4677]

what the heck is the deal with kmart? it's no wonder they are dying. terrible service for this day and age. I almost fell for the destiny bounty debacle a couple of weeks ago. i would avoid any online kmart "deals" and just wait for their in store 50% off clearance sales to load up. it doesn't seem worth the hassle and aggravation to order anything online from them. i almost wonder if they do this on purpose to get rid of stock they are heavy on and can't sell, hoping that whoever receives it won't notice or won't take the time to return it. who runs a business this way?

[spener90]

what the heck is the deal with kmart? it's no wonder they are dying. terrible service for this day and age. I almost fell for the destiny bounty debacle a couple of weeks ago. i would avoid any online kmart "deals" and just wait for their in store 50% off clearance sales to load up. it doesn't seem worth the hassle and aggravation to order anything online from them. i almost wonder if they do this on purpose to get rid of stock they are heavy on and can't sell, hoping that whoever receives it won't notice or won't take the time to return it. who runs a business this way?

I agree.  I won't be buying from the online store again.  It is really sad though, you wouldn't think it would be that complicated.  Get a system in place that keeps you organized, and actually compete with the other online companies.  It's interesting, seeing all of the pathetic business models, it is no wonder so many companies have gone under.  They don't see to care, or want to try anymore.

[kit]

I know the person I talk to when I called did not care. was told well you can reorder if and hope to get the one you want or take it back to your store. I told him I am not close to the store could he send something for me to send it back and he said no sorry wont do that. really you wont do that and you sent the wrong things. I was told they are human and that things happen and I can always reorder and see if I get the item I want. I wont be shopping online there any more that is for sure. I really hope you get your Iteam. the funny thing is that it did say I could pick it up in the store and they did not have them when I took these back and the things were 6.99 she told me so she did not know why I paid as much as I did. yes it makes me mad all over again. 

[spener90]

I know the person I talk to when I called did not care. was told well you can reorder if and hope to get the one you want or take it back to your store. I told him I am not close to the store could he send something for me to send it back and he said no sorry wont do that. really you wont do that and you sent the wrong things. I was told they are human and that things happen and I can always reorder and see if I get the item I want. I wont be shopping online there any more that is for sure. I really hope you get your Iteam. the funny thing is that it did say I could pick it up in the store and they did not have them when I took these back and the things were 6.99 she told me so she did not know why I paid as much as I did. yes it makes me mad all over again. 

Has Better Business Bureau written all over it.

[hepcatpunk]

Local Shopko had 3933 clearanced on shelf for 11.99 (normal Shopko price- $14.99, yikes!).  Passed.

[Darth_Raichu]

I know the person I talk to when I called did not care.

Looks like the online experience matches what you get at their B&M stores

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

what the heck is the deal with kmart? it's no wonder they are dying. terrible service for this day and age. I almost fell for the destiny bounty debacle a couple of weeks ago. i would avoid any online kmart "deals" and just wait for their in store 50% off clearance sales to load up. it doesn't seem worth the hassle and aggravation to order anything online from them. i almost wonder if they do this on purpose to get rid of stock they are heavy on and can't sell, hoping that whoever receives it won't notice or won't take the time to return it. who runs a business this way?

 

I don't know how they are still in business.