10224 - Town Hall

[yannick29]

I understand it will impact the way to do business but there will still be place for Lego investors.

 

Actually, it will look more for you as the situation we have in Europe with high prices of LEGO and few discounts.

 

But still, there is place for business, you just need to be more careful with timing of buying. Buy as late as possible.

[TLKC]

I understand it will impact the way to do business but there will still be place for Lego investors.

 

Actually, it will look more for you as the situation we have in Europe with high prices of LEGO and few discounts.

 

But still, there is place for business, you just need to be more careful with timing of buying. Buy as late as possible.

True story

[rich79]

Why are people so negative and think lego will go for big changes?

I said it before and i will say it again. Lego is now the biggest company with the highest sales ever. That's what count if your running a company.

Why change if you just had the best year ever?

[Ciglione]

I for sure am not negative. I am just analysing the posts here and some do make sense. Why change? Cause it is difficult to become the nr. 1 Toy Company in the world. But it is even more difficult to keep it that way in the years to come. You need to keep developing and protecting your grounds.

[Guest TabbyBoy]

Let's just hope that LEGO don't do an "Apple" and go full speed ahead to churn out new products that have not been designed or quality assured properly.  We all know about Apple's graduating yellow tint problem on most of their screens and the latest "bendy" iPhone, don't we?

 

Sadly, once some companies reach the top, they become complacent and let standards drop rather than keep striving to improve.

 

Back to the TH.... I'm still not conviced that it's done and I may buy mine during the next 2xVIP later in 2015.

[Ciglione]

 

Let's just hope that LEGO don't do an "Apple" and go full speed ahead to churn out new products that have not been designed or quality assured properly.  We all know about Apple's graduating yellow tint problem on most of their screens and the latest "bendy" iPhone, don't we?

 

Sadly, once some companies reach the top, they become complacent and let standards drop rather than keep striving to improve.

 

Back to the TH.... I'm still not conviced that it's done and I may buy mine during the next 2xVIP later in 2015.

 

I hope the same as you Tabby. Cause it is true what you say. Look at Nokia as well. They used to be the biggest before they went to sleep and forgot to keep innovating.

About Town Hall: I think it is done. I just do not panic buy at MRSP or above. I will pick up my 4 pieces tomorrow at a great price and have a total of 5. This was my goal anyway for this set. So if it is not done, I can sit and relax about TH. Now I will concentrate on reaching my goal on other sets like R2-D2 and TB.

[JM123]

If the rumors (more exclusives are standing at its last legs) will in the end be true, it's gonna be a very, very expensive months that will follow..

[Guest TabbyBoy]

   

I hope the same as you Tabby. Cause it is true what you say. Look at Nokia as well. They used to be the biggest before they went to sleep and forgot to keep innovating.

About Town Hall: I think it is done. I just do not panic buy at MRSP or above. I will pick up my 4 pieces tomorrow at a great price and have a total of 5. This was my goal anyway for this set. So if it is not done, I can sit and relax about TH. Now I will concentrate on reaching my goal on other sets like R2-D2 and TB.

 

If indeed the TH is done, I've had a great month amassing another 15x HH including a cracking deal last night!  I'm not really a collector of modulars as I don't have the display space so I just look at the bottom line rather than variety.

[Ed Mack]

Why are people so negative and think lego will go for big changes?

I said it before and i will say it again. Lego is now the biggest company with the highest sales ever. That's what count if your running a company.

Why change if you just had the best year ever?

Because they are smart and see that another potential worldwide recession is a possibility. Maybe selling lower to mid priced sets is the way to go at the moment. This was not the idea I am hinting at but I wanted to respond to this particular point.

[biking_tiger]

Because they are smart...

 

Smart companies always think ahead... usually years ahead. I highly doubt LEGO ever has the "OMG we sold 10x TH last month, we better fire up the TH machine tomorrow and make more" discussion. They're a smart, privately held company and don't have to bow to shareholder pressure (Apple's real problem, imho, coupled with the need to be on the leading edge--that's a lot of pressure). LEGO is smart, and they hold the cards. They know more about their global sales and what works/doesn't than any one of us--or, likely, all of us collectively.

[Veegs]

Because they are smart and see that another potential worldwide recession is a possibility. Maybe selling lower to mid priced sets is the way to go at the moment. This was not the idea I am hinting at but I wanted to respond to this particular point.

 

I'd say that is the simplest explanation for upcoming change.

 

I know you weren't hinting specifically at the growth of small to mid-range offerings, but I think perhaps you were hinting at the other side of the coin - if TLG is focusing more on expanded offerings at that price range, perhaps the large/exclusive line needs to be pared down.

 

Also, not related to TH at all, but after watching the Age of Ultron trailer I think TLG needs to offer a UCS type set for the Avengers (Iron Man in Hulk Buster armor?). It is related loosely to TH in the fact that if some very profitable lines (Super Heroes) get a couple more exclusives, it puts pressure on older exclusives to retire.

[hannibal]

those changes you guys are talking about are already happening/happened in Europe. For more than a year almost all exclusives are available through Lego only. Everything else is resellers only at inflated prices, handfull of sets only are available at major sellers...

 

the easy ride US investors had on buying exclusives through major resellers at massive discounts is already down to minimum here in Europe. So this part of the world no major changes really....

[Deejay]

What new real exclusives? You mean the Fairground Mixer :'). Or the Mini Cooper :'). The only one I think is nice is the Mearsk Triple-E and the Parisian Restaurant.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Deejay

[tonysbricks]

Seeing the UCS MF thread appear made me remember something I said earlier about a remake: Given how much people are willing to pay for the old, outdated UCSMF ($2 / piece??) it would be financially irresponsible for them not to remake one for the new movies. Which brings me to this thread and some of the ideas being thrown around. I said I could understand them doing away with AFOL sets in favor of getting back to their core demographic of kids, so they can build AFOLs of the future. That may be entirely wrong.

 

Perhaps TLG is clearing the table to make room for a very large, very popular, movie tie-in set...

[tonysbricks]

Also, I am 100 posts behind on this thread so if this theory has already been discussed or debunked...sorry.

[bp10030]

Intertoys is now empty on Town Halls. They had still ~100 sets left yesterday (~200 sets as TH got sold out on LEGO Shop at Home.eu)

[Sauromosis]

Hey ed, on what day is something wicked coming?

[inversion]

A trimming of exclusives is a reasonable choice, if they release them at the current rate the supply will be just choking. It is already choking. I predict they will also slow down a little and release them ~every 2 months. We don't need this many at once. An average LEGO collector just can't keep up.

 

Regarding the end of modulars I believe that is unlikely. Why? Because there exist more marginal exclusives that don't sell as well, I don't know if you noticed but PR was a top seller the whole year. The line has a steady customer base. Less risk for LEGO than the Mixer, Maersk stuff, Sydney Opera etc. If I was LEGO and had to keep only one line, it would be the modulars, second would be SW UCS. Companies like predictability. They don't kill their steadily selling products, rather they trim the more risky ones. Modulars also don't require any license.

[JM123]

Intertoys is now empty on Town Halls. They had still ~100 sets left yesterday (~200 sets as TH got sold out on LEGO Shop at Home.eu)

 

Impossible. Yesterday evening at 09.00 p.m. they had 68 left. Three hours later they had nothing (I checked the site at 00.00 midnight).. I think that they removed it from their site.. don't know how and why. 

 

Furthmore: No discount today, really wtf.. This really looks bad on me, gonna call my source tomorrow why he is doing this to me :-P

Edited November 2, 2014 by JM123

[Ed Mack]

Hey ed, on what day is something wicked coming?

It's already started.

[Neosphinx]

Impossible. Yesterday evening at 09.00 p.m. they had 68 left. Three hours later they had nothing (I checked the site at 00.00 midnight).. I think that they removed it from their site.. don't know how and why. 

 

Furthmore: No discount today, really wtf.. This really looks bad on me, gonna call my source tomorrow why he is doing this to me :-P

 

Same happened in collishop. I was fortunate enough to have a couple more.

[JM123]

Same happened in collishop. I was fortunate enough to have a couple more.

 

Yes, I was luckily also involved with that Collishop chaos. But.. this is why I don't believe that it has been bought all in just three hours:

 

- The pace of buying was an average 20 per day (with the knowledge that LEGO Shop at Home sold out and Intertoys was only available supplier left).

- Collishop was a great deal (135 euro) while Intertoys was at retail, i.e. 180 euro.

 

I It's not for myself.. I already secured mine, but I feel sorry for the people who I gave information and in the end there is just no discount. Looks bad on me and I want to apologize. I know however still another source where you can get it for 180 euro (online). The people who are screwed now can sent me a message, will give them a link, so they can still pick it up for retail as was without discount.

Edited November 2, 2014 by JM123

[biniou]

It's already started.

 

Guys you still have some time to change your vote and go for "2014".

[Ed Mack]

Guys you still have some time to change your vote and go for "2014".

Being marked "retired" by LEGO S@H is for the novices out there...just like "retiring soon."  It just confirms something that is already apparent to the experienced resellers out there.

[Neosphinx]

Yes, I was luckily also involved with that Collishop chaos. But.. this is why I don't believe that it has been bought all in just three hours:

 

- The pace of buying was an average 20 per day (with the knowledge that LEGO Shop at Home sold out and Intertoys was only available supplier left).

- Collishop was a great deal (135 euro) while Intertoys was at retail, i.e. 180 euro.

 

I It's not for myself.. I already secured mine, but I feel sorry for the people who I gave information and in the end there is just no discount. Looks bad on me and I want to apologize. I know however still another source where you can get it for 180 euro (online). The people who are screwed now can sent me a message, will give them a link, so they can still pick it up for retail as was without discount.

Don't feel sorry. It's upto every investor to regularly check stock availability. I mean, I bought way before this 'incident' happened and just extended my stock with 2 but the majority of TH, I had already bought. One should be prepared and not wait until others feed them the info.