LEGO VIP Insiders/GWP Discussion

[exracer327]

I was told mid-pandemic that LEGO hasn't been able to keep up with box production for GWPs.  Hence the yellow boarder on several of them.  So which would people prefer, yellow boarder or no GWP?  

That is my concern - if everyone keeps kvetching about the GWPs, maybe LEGO just cancels them all together like they did with the Porsche GWP.  If I miss out, I'm still happy for those who got it.  If I really like it, I might be willing to buy one off someone.  But if they cancel outright, then no one gets it.

I just hope the set contains yellow and not gold colored pieces so it can be MOC'd. 

[lebrick]

2 minutes ago, exracer327 said:

I was told mid-pandemic that LEGO hasn't been able to keep up with box production for GWPs.  Hence the yellow boarder on several of them.  So which would people prefer, yellow boarder or no GWP?  

That is my concern - if everyone keeps kvetching about the GWPs, maybe LEGO just cancels them all together like they did with the Porsche GWP.  If I miss out, I'm still happy for those who got it.  If I really like it, I might be willing to buy one off someone.  But if they cancel outright, then no one gets it.

I just hope the set contains yellow and not gold colored pieces so it can be MOC'd. 

This actually concerns me too. Perhaps lego has become too big for its own good. Hot Wheels is facing a similar backlash with their recent change to its RLC program where they no longer cap the number of membership per year. So these old members are going from ordering 2-3 cars per release to having to watch these ebay "resellers" selling what they claimed to be rightfully theirs for $200 after getting an L on these. These older members can't adapt to things selling out in seconds. Basically if you don't click checkout within the first few seconds the moment the clock hit 0, you are basically out of luck as they put you on queue once you put the car in the cart and click checkout.

I remember when the first few creator car sets used to come with a miniature versions of the car such as the mini VW camper van and mini Mini Cooper. Mini Cooper was actually the set that brought me out of my dark age although by the time I made the choice to order my first set, the mini mini cooper sold out. I still bought the set for the full price but just to give you an idea, I never try to buy anything for a full price.

Honestly I think none of this would've mattered if it weren't for these Covid lockdowns. Most of the Lego sets were available for 20% soon after release from the other retailers so GWP was an incentive for us who were willing to purchase the sets for full price on Day one from LEGO directly. But now, with every set selling out for months and retailers having difficulty keeping items in stock, there are no discounts to be found for most sets at least here in Canada. If you see a set on Amazon.ca for a discount, chances are it is not a lego set. At this point, Double VIP points without any GWP seems like a good deal. So if people outrage over GWP that doesn't even have a special unique piece, perhaps LEGO is thinking why even bother when even when we offer these "free gifts," people are still angry. Perhaps it is the limited nature of these GWP but then I mean how many of these free sets are they supposed to make? LEGO is a business after all. What I am afraid is that they would no longer offer these as a free item.  I remember even before Covid, sets like Tumbler and Saturn V were still selling out instantly even without a specific GWP. Already LEGO is making us use our VIP points for these really limited GWPs now.

Which is why I find the recent release of the new Creator Porsche set very intriguing. I've purchase most of the Creator Expert car series on day one. And I know some of you don't find this particular set good enough but I thought this set was perhaps the best creator car set aside from Mustang ever to be released. And yet I still haven't bought one because we didn't get a GWP in NA and I don't think I am the only one here. And besides Speed champions sets, these are the only sets that I actually open, build and display as I don't have too much space to display anything. And honestly for Mustang, all it took LEGO for me to buy on Day one was a Keychain and a bumper sticker. And not surprisingly, the Porsche set never sold out once. It may have gone very briefly on backorder once after almost a month of its release but never temporarily out or stock. And I don't know about you but I find car sets designed by Mike Psiaki to be the pinnacle of LEGO design. So it is interesting as to how much these exclusive GWP help with the sale of a new launch. I bet a lot. I think NASA shuttle was received really well at launch and it still hasn't sold out once and is still stocked in my local stores, one of the busiest in NA. I bet if LEGO made the same production run of GWP as the first batch of Porsche or the Shuttle, there is a high probability that these sets would've sold out, which would've still triggered those who missed out.

So obviously GWP is a marketing tool but when a marketing tool don't lead to tangible sales but instead leads to animosity towards the company that is striving to provide only the best, what is the marketing team supposed to do? Maybe it was their goal to have things sell out this quickly. Or perhaps not and they will try to scrap these limited GWP specifically tied to a launch of a special set. Perhaps they smell a new opportunity. Honestly I thought they were already overstretched in terms of their selections but they weren't afraid to release VIDIYO sets. And I honestly don't think people were this mad when Batmobile GWP sold out and I think it sold out rather quickly for a really well received GWP back then. I think Yoda lightsaber was the first one of these so called limited GWP in a yellow box that really got people angry. Meanwhile, good sets still sell out without any GWP. Older members at Hot Wheels RLC are already throwing out the idea that they are willing to pay more for a car if it meant guaranteed cars for themselves. I mean there is a definite arbitrage opportunity with these limited releases or with any release at this point. Meanwhile, the LEGO Marketing team is trying many new things and most of these new ventures are turning out to be horrible ideas. So I don't trust LEGO to make a good marketing decisions. I love LEGO's design team which is why I spend a significant portion of my income in LEGO. God I hope LEGO don't increase the price of the set even more to offset the cost of a GWP or worse yet just release it as a new product. I think I am personally ok with spending VIP points for these special gifts because I don't have to buy these expensive set I am not particularly interested in just to get a yoda lightsaber. So after all this if you are still reading this, all I am trying to say is that I am ok with how LEGO is doing with these limited releases... until I can't get 'em. Then all hell break loose. 

[brickzoor]

I’m just going to assume we all agree with that wall of text and say I too am disappointed it Lego. 

[nami]

9 minutes ago, brickzoor said:

I’m just going to assume we all agree with that wall of text and say I too am disappointed it Lego. 

You forgot to quote...haha

[Darth_Raichu]

19 minutes ago, lebrick said:

So obviously GWP is a marketing tool but when a marketing tool don't lead to tangible sales but instead leads to animosity towards the company that is striving to provide only the best, what is the marketing team supposed to do?

Technically the Ulysses, like the coins are VIP rewards and not GWP.  GWP is easier to get since you only need to spend an amount or buy a specific set to get it.  VIP rewards are for people who have VIP points in their accounts.  Presumably these people already bought quite a bit from LEGO stores and accumulated the points.  If LEGO produce too many of these VIP only sets then they are no longer special.

I do think LEGO needs to fix their S@H website to give VIPs equal chance to get the limited number of rewards.

[donbee]

Don’t know if these will be VIP, maybe.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[$20 on joe vs dan]

8 minutes ago, brickzoor said:

I’m just going to assume we all agree with that wall of text and say I too am disappointed it Lego. 

If you read the wall; it actually says the opposite...the disappointment is in the "fanbase's" (i.e., resellers) "outrage"

This is a reseller's forum, so I don't mind admitting that my only care for the Ulysses was the resell opportunity and any "disappointment" in the box is due to the perceived loss of profit. These are my selfish reasons and I would not personally criticize LEGO...because IMO, these types of resell opportunities are "gravy"

[$20 on joe vs dan]

2 minutes ago, Darth_Raichu said:

 

I do think LEGO needs to fix their LEGO Shop at Home website to give VIPs equal chance to get the limited number of rewards.

How was the recent Ulysses Probe get...not fair?  Didn't everyone who logged on at the advertised time F5-ing get an equal shot at the set?

Am I naïve to think that bots have not yet totally exploited SAH....yet?

[Darth_Raichu]

3 minutes ago, donbee said:

Don’t know if these will be VIP, maybe.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can somebody who knows Chinese translate the words on the flap and on the coins ?

There are at least 3 different coins

[keymomachine]

5 minutes ago, Darth_Raichu said:

Can somebody who knows Chinese translate the words on the flap and on the coins ?

There are at least 3 different coins

Google Translate tells me it says:

Lego Ninjago

10 years of love and growth

[Darth_Raichu]

1 minute ago, $20 on joe vs dan said:

How was the recent Ulysses Probe get...not fair?  Didn't everyone who logged on at the advertised time F5-ing get an equal shot at the set?

Am I naïve to think that bots have not yet totally exploited SAH....yet?

For one, the VIP website was "under maintenance", ie down for the first 10 minutes after the advertised time.
Two, when the site was back, I had to login via phone to even see the option to claim the code after several minutes refreshing the site on my PC

My scripting is not good enough for bots, but wouldn't the bots be limited to the number of accounts and the points in each VIP account?

[Darth_Raichu]

2 minutes ago, keymomachine said:

Google Translate tells me it says:

Lego Ninjago

10 years of love and growth

How did you copy and paste the text to Google Translate?  Does it translate pictures now?

Also, so that is how LEGO is written in Chinese

[keymomachine]

6 minutes ago, Darth_Raichu said:

How did you copy and paste the text to Google Translate?  Does it translate pictures now?

Also, so that is how LEGO is written in Chinese

The app has been able to live translate text for like five years. Seems like magic every time I use it.

Editing to add this incredible translation:

Edited April 16, 2021 by keymomachine
very good translation

[vincevaughn]

9 minutes ago, Darth_Raichu said:

For one, the VIP website was "under maintenance", ie down for the first 10 minutes after the advertised time.
Two, when the site was back, I had to login via phone to even see the option to claim the code after several minutes refreshing the site on my PC

My scripting is not good enough for bots, but wouldn't the bots be limited to the number of accounts and the points in each VIP account?

This is my thought......One per account.....even if you have 4 or 5 VIP accounts and this being a relatively new practice in the LEGO game.....all makes me hard pressed to believe anyone has bothered with a VIP reward bot......

[Darth_Raichu]

1 minute ago, keymomachine said:

The app has been able to live translate text for like five years. Seems like magic every time I use it.

That makes so much sense. I have to remember it the next time I go to that authentic Chinese restaurant with secret menu

How many months until we have the universal translator a la in Star Trek ??

[$20 on joe vs dan]

17 minutes ago, Darth_Raichu said:

For one, the VIP website was "under maintenance", ie down for the first 10 minutes after the advertised time.
Two, when the site was back, I had to login via phone to even see the option to claim the code after several minutes refreshing the site on my PC

My scripting is not good enough for bots, but wouldn't the bots be limited to the number of accounts and the points in each VIP account?

Line one affected everyone...Not that BPer is the end all but, I didn't see a "got one" post until around the 10 minute mark

I also couldn't see the options page while refreshing...maybe once out of 10 refreshes...just a combo of various intermediary pages most of the time.

Altho folks were claiming to get theres using other devices...I think it was moreso the timing because it seemed like everyone was getting it around the same time for a couple minutes  and then boom..OOS.

I'm not convinced if any one person was advantaged or disadvantaged...seemed pretty random.

[Alpinemaps]

38 minutes ago, Darth_Raichu said:

For one, the VIP website was "under maintenance", ie down for the first 10 minutes after the advertised time.
Two, when the site was back, I had to login via phone to even see the option to claim the code after several minutes refreshing the site on my PC

My scripting is not good enough for bots, but wouldn't the bots be limited to the number of accounts and the points in each VIP account?

 

27 minutes ago, vincevaughn said:

This is my thought......One per account.....even if you have 4 or 5 VIP accounts and this being a relatively new practice in the LEGO game.....all makes me hard pressed to believe anyone has bothered with a VIP reward bot......

You would be surprised at how sophisticated this stuff can be.  And the time people have on their hands.

You could write a bot to create multiple VPN tunnels (to hide your IP address), create an account, use different addresses.  You could even have them run through list of addresses so if address #3 successfully get the reward, that account isn't used again to get the reward.  It only needs to work a few times to be worth it.

It doesn't even have to be a someone writing it themselves.  If you're a big time reseller, and you're making your living doing this, it wouldn't be much of an outlay to hire a freelancer in India to do the work.

[lebrick]

lol I guess I should've separated the TL:DR version. I guess my post was my rant against the rant.

1 hour ago, lebrick said:

So after all this if you are still reading this, all I am trying to say is that I am ok with how LEGO is doing with these limited releases... until I can't get 'em. Then all hell break loose. 

Initially, I started with just a sentence and somehow the post ultimately became a diary session. I don't think I actually said anything bad about what LEGO is doing. I managed to get every VIP item including Space coin, Ulysses, and one of the pooh prints. I had an ample chance to buy all the other prints but I thought there won't be an interest. I feel like I had a good chance to get any one of these items and even though I may keep all these items, I have no problem with reselling which is why I am here. And also, I don't worry if I miss out to be honest. I understand that a limited supply and a high demand means I may miss out. But I like the system because I had a chance and I also didn't give up and made an effort to get it and ultimately got what I wanted. I love the idea of limited production run and I have been loving what LEGO has been doing with VIP so far. I wish I had enough VIP points to get the BAT POD initially but I am not foaming over the top about it because I understand the very nature of free market.

But the problem I was trying to elude was that there are so many people who got left out but feel entitled to every limited item because somehow they are a part of VIP or RLC member — Free to join membership and $20 yearly membership. I see this everywhere, this Elitist mentality. "I am the most vip so I deserve to have it." "My vip is bigger than your dad's so I deserve it." "I didn't get it because Timmy wants to buy just to flip it." "Yeah I am a collector but Timmy is not. He is a reseller." "Timmy uses Bots that's why he got one but I don't. I am a real collector." "I never resell but I still buy more than one. One to open, others to keep iced." "Wait what about the time you sold me that car?" "Oh when I resell I do it to fund my hobby." "Yeah you and I are real collectors so why not make this vip exclusive so only you and I can get it?" "I want to pre pay for everything so I don't have to wait in line." "I am willing to pay more if I am guaranteed one." "What about Timmy? he also wants it." "**** him he is not a true collector" "What if I don't want all of the things they are offering?" "Hmm too much detail. They will figure it out" "No everyone should be entitled to have it." "I will pay more to be in an exclusive member." "Why don't we just make enough for everyone?" "Yeah it's fair." These are the kind of conversations people are having. This egalitarian approach, this desire for an equal outcome. This is happening all over the world not just in LEGO community, RLC but everywhere. And it is due to entitlement. And somehow companies are catering to these voices. and perhaps rightfully so. So once limited release on a hot wheel car was 2-3k to now 20k minimum. Some of the releases are not even numbered. 

So Ultimately what I am worried about is that either LEGO will stop making these limited special products or make it unlimited to please everyone. Because it is true that the demand far exceeds the supply and LEGO is leaving money on the table. But I don't like it. But LEGO will cave to the mob's demand. I don't know. When everyone is special, no one is.

And same thing with unlimited products. Most of them linger on shelves forever.

 

1 hour ago, Darth_Raichu said:

Technically the Ulysses, like the coins are VIP rewards and not GWP.  GWP is easier to get since you only need to spend an amount or buy a specific set to get it.  VIP rewards are for people who have VIP points in their accounts.  Presumably these people already bought quite a bit from LEGO stores and accumulated the points.  If LEGO produce too many of these VIP only sets then they are no longer special

I think I mentioned LEGO's switch from GWP to VIP store somewhere. With coins and prints aside, I feel like Ulysses was supposed to be a GWP that got delayed. It is an experiment that worked really well for lego as now people are less likely to use VIP point as a mean of getting a discount on a set. When they first introduced this new VIP program, I had literally 0 points because I used them as I get them. BATPOD!

But as I mentioned earlier, I actually love this change as I don't have to necessarily buy a set that I really don't want at the moment just to get a GWP. Yoda lightsaber and United Trinity comes to mind. I got Batmobile just to get the GWP, so I sold the full sized batmobile at a small loss and kept the GWP. Again I like the limited nature of things and I hope lego doesn't cater to the mob but I feel like they will. They've already made sure we never use our VIP points for discounts. Now they will milk it and I can't blame them.

Edited April 16, 2021 by lebrick
dunno

[Darth_Raichu]

13 minutes ago, Alpinemaps said:

 

You would be surprised at how sophisticated this stuff can be.  And the time people have on their hands.

You could write a bot to create multiple VPN tunnels (to hide your IP address), create an account, use different addresses.  You could even have them run through list of addresses so if address #3 successfully get the reward, that account isn't used again to get the reward.  It only needs to work a few times to be worth it.

It doesn't even have to be a someone writing it themselves.  If you're a big time reseller, and you're making your living doing this, it wouldn't be much of an outlay to hire a freelancer in India to do the work.

Yep, I started my own script but I did not have time to research to make it as good as I wanted.  And I am too cheap to pay for someone to do it for me

[coelian]

3 hours ago, Darth_Raichu said:

Can somebody who knows Chinese translate the words on the flap and on the coins ?

There are at least 3 different coins

The top row is lego ninjago. The next line "It's 10 years of passion and growth". So the google translate is not that far off. 

For the Master Wu coin, on the left it's "Master Wu" on the right it's Ninja Sensei. The other coin I can't make it out clearly but I guess it's the same idea, name on left and 'title' on right.

I have a confession, I've sold close to 1000 items here in Switzerland without being fully proficient in either French, German or Italian thanks to google translate. I think only 5% of customers write to me in English. 

Edited April 16, 2021 by coelian

[raindroplet]

47 minutes ago, coelian said:

The top row is lego ninjago. The next line "It's 10 years of passion and growth". So the google translate is not that far off. 

For the Master Wu coin, on the left it's "Master Wu" on the right it's Ninja Sensei. The other coin I can't make it out clearly but I guess it's the same idea, name on left and 'title' on right.

I have a confession, I've sold close to 1000 items here in Switzerland without being fully proficient in either French, German or Italian thanks to google translate. I think only 5% of customers write to me in English. 

Not to push further off topic but as someone who lives abroad, I highly recommend Deepl for automated translation work. Google Translate will get the job done but in my experience, Deepl is much better at English->Other Languages as well as more familiar with nuances/modern words. I use it to compare against my own handwritten business emails. Great resource if you're dealing with foreign customers.

[Pseudoty]

18 hours ago, Pietsma said:

This turns out to be the case. First real pictures are showing up on ‘Marktplaats’ (Dutch Ebay 😉). It’s a bit disappointing, but there still seems to be a lot of interest.. 

I’m receiving mine tomorrow. After seeing this pictures my decision to sell is going to be easier.

Interesting the set numbers don’t match. I wonder if there will be two different versions based on region or if the online listing is just wrong. Still waiting for an unboxing or instructions to be posted. 

[melting]

Found on Reddit. Looks like the plaque is printed

[Fcbarcelona101]

4 minutes ago, melting said:

Found on Reddit. Looks like the plaque is printed

well, that's good at least. The yellow pieces don't look great though.

[nolan808]

I was surprised with the amount of people complaining like it was there god given right to have one. I bet a lot of these people judging re sellers are more than likely re sellers themselves that hate the fact they missed out on one. What difference does it make re seller or not we all have an equal right to get one with the same chance. 

I didn't get one or the space coin but did I get annoyed and complain no because I realise that these things are in short supply and your lucky to get one. Regardless of how the Lego site works or if they say somethings limited there will still be people moaning about anything they can. 

Also don't understand all these people saying they will boycott Lego because of this it's just utter rubbish and empty threats, I guarantee they'll all forget about it in a week or so and be back sat at the computer on the next promo clicking like a mad man trying to get it again.

People who throw there dummy out will just ultimately get Lego to stop all these promos and ruin it for everyone.

Lego clearly aren't bothered or they would of changed the way they do these things. Obviously it would help to get the glitches out the website though.