Ideas #017: 21309/92176 - NASA Apollo Saturn V

[jimmajenga]

Canadian site is officially sold out aswell, and Walmart Canada only has 2 left (started with over 200). Wooo!! The magic is still alive!

[crayxlp]

7 hours ago, ichiroll said:

 

 

oh yea, I forgot, you're the Mr. "Close to the Source" Guy who gets all his sets at 50% off, and called everyone else out on the forum a moron for wanting to take advantage of Double-VIP.

"Close to the Source" Guy who has a whole 3 Snowspeeders at 30%+ off, please.

 

If you had read correctly I wasnt "bragging" about cheap purchases. I merely answered the question how many NASA sets was I able to purchase for an attractive price. Second I have also never said that I would be getting them at 50 % - but that the employees of the factory are entitled to this discount and you can be sure that the want to make some profit on them so they never sell it for 50 % further. So you should read more carefully and stop making wild assumptions.

I joined the discussion with my belief that single or double VIP points are just ineffective because you can get most of the stuff in Walmart, TRU and other chains much cheaper.

[Phil B]

38 minutes ago, crayxlp said:

If you had read correctly I wasnt "bragging" about cheap purchases. I merely answered the question how many NASA sets was I able to purchase for an attractive price. Second I have also never said that I would be getting them at 50 % - but that the employees of the factory are entitled to this discount and you can be sure that the want to make some profit on them so they never sell it for 50 % further. So you should read more carefully and stop making wild assumptions.

I joined the discussion with my belief that single or double VIP points are just ineffective because you can get most of the stuff in Walmart, TRU and other chains much cheaper.

You came on very strong in your post about how you couldn't believe that people got excited about double-VIP (with no qualifiers). You then proceeded to say that you get all your sets from factory workers who get theirs for 50% off, in a manner that made it sound like this was something available to everyone (instead of only local to people close to a LEGO plant). You even illustrated this with the Silent Mary, which was listed for 35% off on a local marketplace.

Then, a mere minutes later, you called out one of the other members here on their statement that they sold hundreds of Saturn Vs, going as far as calling them a liar.

There are better ways to make the, otherwise valid, point that for set with general availability there are better discounts to be had than double-VIP. 

[John82]

55 minutes ago, crayxlp said:

I joined the discussion with my belief that single or double VIP points are just ineffective because you can get most of the stuff in Walmart, TRU and other chains much cheaper.

Although it does become effective for the sets we can't buy in superstores. For example in the UK, John Lewis exclusives (caterham, saturn v and winter sets) are worth getting with double/triple VIP because JL rarely discount these sets at all.

[winder00side]

To lighten the mood, here is a finished picture of mine.  To get the colors of the engine plume correct, the four outside engines use a trans-orange plate while the center engine uses a trans-light blue plate.

 

This was achieved using Brickstuff pico LED lighting system (http://www.brickstuff.com - cannot recommend enough.  A little pricey, but great to work with and the end result is fantastic).  5x pico LED's, some adapter boards, an IR Lighting Effect Controller, and a small battery pack.  The four outer engines (orange) have a flicker effect, the center engine (blue) is solid on.  To get a clean install, I cheated a bit and used a 7/8" drill to go through the 'stud stack' so that the wire would be routed on the inside.

 

Edited October 26, 2017 by winder00side

[BricksBrotha]

11 minutes ago, winder00side said:

To lighten the mood, here is a finished picture of mine.  To get the colors of the engine plume correct, the four outside engines use a trans-orange plate while the center engine uses a trans-light blue plate. 

Wait, please elaborate on the lighting schematic?!

 

[winder00side]

34 minutes ago, BricksBrotha said:

Wait, please elaborate on the lighting schematic?!

 

Edited original post

[BricksBrotha]

6 hours ago, winder00side said:

Edited original post

You sir are a modern day wizard.  Thanks for the in-depth diy. Have a great day good sir???

[crayxlp]

12 hours ago, Phil B said:

You came on very strong in your post about how you couldn't believe that people got excited about double-VIP (with no qualifiers). You then proceeded to say that you get all your sets from factory workers who get theirs for 50% off, in a manner that made it sound like this was something available to everyone (instead of only local to people close to a LEGO plant). You even illustrated this with the Silent Mary, which was listed for 35% off on a local marketplace.

Then, a mere minutes later, you called out one of the other members here on their statement that they sold hundreds of Saturn Vs, going as far as calling them a liar.

There are better ways to make the, otherwise valid, point that for set with general availability there are better discounts to be had than double-VIP. 

Again. you present your own version of what I actually wrote.. It it true that I counteracted with saying that I buy from plant workers (ads listing and such, an example of which I demonstrated). I didnt say that I buy everything from the plant employees.. why should I? they will never offer for sale anything for just 50 % - its better to wait until some local, regular toy chain discounts it to a level of 50 % RRP..  but you just read one sentence and condemned me for good..  at least I brought you some insight how truly ineffective (for investment purposes) the VIP points are.

and yes, I called that member a liar because I still do not believe that someone could be able to get a hold of "hundreds and hundreds" of so-hard-to-get NASA sets.. even all of you complained here in various forum threads how difficult is to get a hold of a SINGLE Saturn set.. and you all have no problems accepting a fact that there is someone (skilled enough).. who can miraculously get PALETS of them? I dont presume that that person would be going from store to store buying two sets here.. three there.. but that is my opinion. Also - if that were true, you all could try to figure out what would be his/her buying price, what would be the selling price, the actual taxed profit.. what would be the costs of wrapping, shipping etc.. I dont think that would amount much.. but of course I might be wrong..  you know better than me what kind of prices in case of Saturn (buy/sell .. profit .. expenses.. taxes). you could expect in .. lets say a case of 200 sold Saturns.. with no sarcasm, I would really love you all to prove me wrong that this "action plan" was truly amazingly profitable.

[Phil B]

3 hours ago, crayxlp said:

Again. you present your own version of what I actually wrote.. It it true that I counteracted with saying that I buy from plant workers (ads listing and such, an example of which I demonstrated). I didnt say that I buy everything from the plant employees.. why should I? they will never offer for sale anything for just 50 % - its better to wait until some local, regular toy chain discounts it to a level of 50 % RRP..  but you just read one sentence and condemned me for good..  at least I brought you some insight how truly ineffective (for investment purposes) the VIP points are.

and yes, I called that member a liar because I still do not believe that someone could be able to get a hold of "hundreds and hundreds" of so-hard-to-get NASA sets.. even all of you complained here in various forum threads how difficult is to get a hold of a SINGLE Saturn set.. and you all have no problems accepting a fact that there is someone (skilled enough).. who can miraculously get PALETS of them? I dont presume that that person would be going from store to store buying two sets here.. three there.. but that is my opinion. Also - if that were true, you all could try to figure out what would be his/her buying price, what would be the selling price, the actual taxed profit.. what would be the costs of wrapping, shipping etc.. I dont think that would amount much.. but of course I might be wrong..  you know better than me what kind of prices in case of Saturn (buy/sell .. profit .. expenses.. taxes). you could expect in .. lets say a case of 200 sold Saturns.. with no sarcasm, I would really love you all to prove me wrong that this "action plan" was truly amazingly profitable.

Alright then:

Quote

 

The only worth official LEGO deals are those 50 % off for the retiring sets..  double VIP points? Lets consider that: 1 VIP point gets you a "credit" which is worth like 5 % for the adiitional purchase. So in the same fashion double points get you 10 % - but you all know damned well that you can purchase ANY PARTICULAR SET ANY TIME for at least 20 % in the usual toy chains or supermarkets.. so what is this obsession for double or triple points? Some cute so-called rare give-away just wont justify that you had to pay e.g. 50 USD more than  elsewhere.

 

I don't even have to highlight the words - you did it yourself. You claim (including a "damned [sic] well" which makes it an even stronger statement) that anyone can buy any set any time for at least 20% off, and proceed with calling "double or triple points" an "obsession". When challenged after making this claim, you counter with the following:

Quote

I buy from employees from the factory who can purchase items for 50 % all the time.. simple as that

The first time you mention that there is waiting involved is in your reply to my statements just now, where you say " I didnt say that I buy everything from the plant employees.. why should I? they will never offer for sale anything for just 50 % - its better to wait until some local, regular toy chain discounts it to a level of 50 % RRP".

What irritated me, and what caused me to pick up the gauntlet and respond, is the fact that you swooped in, started stating these things with an air of certainty and of "everyone else who doesn't get these deals is st-pid", but then promptly called out other members for being liars when they say that they have sold hundreds of Saturns. If you had done your homework and read through a lot of the threads here, you should have known that:

1. There are members who have access to outside-retail channels. There's a bird here who parties till it's 1999* who frequently shows cases/pallets full of not-yet-released desirable sets, and for every member who is open about this sort of stuff there must be 10 who don't talk, so these people exist.
2. There are opportunities to buy sets in volume if you know where to look, and if you're properly set up. Just take a look at mr. Steamroller* and his 16 rockets purchase from yesterday.
3. There are people on this forum who run large operations, including operations with personnel, and make a fine living out of it. They do not stop at a few sets each.

Net, as per my first post to you: I'm not debating the point you tried to make on the fact that for most sets double-VIP is not a good deal. I'm not happy with the way you brought the point and would ask for some modesty in how you approach other members and subject matter.

And as a PS: Even with insane clearance at Walmart, and Free LEGO from KMart.com, there are enough sets in LEGO's catalog in the US which are difficult to get at any discount at all via normal retail channels, and for which double-VIP is a treat.

This is all I will say on this matter - if you want to discuss this further please PM me.

*) Cryptic names used to protect the innocent

[LegoEdison]

3 hours ago, crayxlp said:

I called that member a liar because I still do not believe that someone could be able to get a hold of "hundreds and hundreds" of so-hard-to-get NASA sets.. even all of you complained here in various forum threads how difficult is to get a hold of a SINGLE Saturn set.. and you all have no problems accepting a fact that there is someone (skilled enough).. who can miraculously get PALETS of them? 

Can you believe now?

[Bold-Arrow]

different strokes for different folks people.. some folks buy 1 other buy pallets ... i prefer the ones who can add lights . 

[LegoSteve]

40 minutes ago, LegoEdison said:

Can you believe now?

Mad respect there! Going straight to the the throat. No mercy!

[ichiroll]

1 hour ago, Phil B said:

What irritated me, and what caused me to pick up the gauntlet and respond, is the fact that you swooped in, started stating these things with an air of certainty and of "everyone else who doesn't get these deals is st-pid", but then promptly called out other members for being liars when they say that they have sold hundreds of Saturns.

?

[Legolassy]

8 hours ago, LegoEdison said:

Can you believe now?

And this is just ONE example of MANY.  Read back through the thread and I believe there are screenshots of others too...

[Guest TabbyBoy]

If I could order 99x 21309 in one go, I wouldn't think twice about it. Those that can are going to make a lot of money if they can wait for 2 years after EOL.

[mauro23]

Just now, TabbyBoy said:

If I could order 99x 21309 in one go, I wouldn't think twice about it. Those that can are going to make a lot of money if they can wait for 2 years after EOL.

There are not many people around who can afford to wait for two years to get 10 thousands back (with profit).

For me a storage location would be a bigger problem....

[MagicShop]

For me would be the buyin

 

[kumas]

here ppl are happy if they can get even one, constantly oos at SAH

[Legolassy]

4 hours ago, TabbyBoy said:

If I could order 99x 21309 in one go, I wouldn't think twice about it. Those that can are going to make a lot of money if they can wait for 2 years after EOL.

That is the best part about this whole thing, everyone has a different business model, some passive some active in terms of their involvement and how much they are "out there" to get stuff.  Some people have cash, others leverage credit, the options and variables are endless.  At the end of the day, people should be happy for others that they are making money and enjoying it. 

[Pebble&Park]

20 minutes ago, Legolassy said:

That is the best part about this whole thing, everyone has a different business model, some passive some active in terms of their involvement and how much they are "out there" to get stuff.  Some people have cash, others leverage credit, the options and variables are endless.  At the end of the day, people should be happy for others that they are making money and enjoying it. 

This x100. I am pretty damn small time and don't have the capacity to visit stores all that much, and even I have scored almost 50 of these things (and sold most of them). I don't find it hard to comprehend at all that someone could have bought and sold hundreds of these given the right hustle, financing, and geography. Congrats on your success!

[crayxlp]

11 hours ago, Legolassy said:

And this is just ONE example of MANY.  Read back through the thread and I believe there are screenshots of others too...

Congrats! You proved me wrong, I admit that. My apologies.. I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA that the system would allow someone to order TENS fo hard-to-get-sought-after item in one massive "click"...

[mizeur]

25 minutes ago, crayxlp said:

Congrats! You proved me wrong, I admit that. My apologies.. I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA that the system would allow someone to order TENS fo hard-to-get-sought-after item in one massive "click"...

The fastest way out of a hole is to keep digging. Apparently.

[crayxlp]

Just now, mizeur said:

The fastest way out of a hole is to keep digging. Apparently.

I dont get it.. what are you trying to say?

[cladner]

2 minutes ago, mizeur said:

The fastest way out of a hole is to keep digging. Apparently.

hahahrhrhr. hahrrha 

u said "a hole".

round and 'round we go.