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As product availability drops, it is to be expected to see the availability fluctuate on the website just based on how inventory management systems work. I don't have any inside information on Lego itself, but I do work frequently with e-commerce systems. My guess is that Lego has a single master inventory management system. They will have various distribution centers/warehouses scattered around the globe. I would imagine that the e-commerce site would be set up in their inventory management system as it own "location or locations". Which means that the inventory management system probably has an on-hand inventory count allocated to the site. That data is what the site code uses to determine the availability status to display. There is probably a threshold and if the inventory count drops below that point, the status changes from "available" to "call" to prevent over committing a limited number of units. As the on-hand counts decreases across the system I would imagine that units are reallocated to locations/warehouses. If one warehouse has 1000 units and another has only 10, it makes sense to ship all 10 to the other facility and close out that unit for that particular warehouse. Now the receiving warehouse has 1010 units. This would also be true for LEGO Shop at Home. There may very well be newly available units being reallocated to LEGO Shop at Home as the counts dwindle. For instance, if TRU is going to be having a large sale they will have already stocked up. If there are 50 units left un-ordered at the facility that handles TRU, those 50 units might be reallocated to LEGO Shop at Home. Having a set fluctuate between "sold out", "call", and even "available" is not cause for assuming the product is suddenly going to be back forever. Changing a product status to "retired product" as has been done for the UK LEGO Shop at Home would be an an actual change made by a person, as opposed to an automatic system change based on stock levels. I think that all MF sets except the Haunted House are still on their way out and that this upcoming sale at TRU will be the last hurrah.

These are some that I have made.

My son and I have been working on this set for the past few days. He is seven and does all the building. I just find the pieces for him. We are 3/4 done, and it has been a very enjoyable build thus far. Nothing too difficult or out of the ordinary. You will enjoy it. Have fun!

Friends are one of the strongest themes. Many of the sets appreciate nicely.

Right click on the links and "copy link location" and then paste it into notepad. If it isn't ebay or rover, send ebay the email as fraudulent.

There is one downside to this strategy. You may have to wait one month to six months for the set to retire. It is pretty much a waiting game. Also, some sets do not follow this pattern. Those sets retire first in the US, and they last longer in the UK. It all depends on the set.

^ Also, try logging in to ebay.com from a browser. The eBay app can be rather spotty.

The method I have been using is seeing if the set is retired in other countries like the UK, and Australia. If the set is retired in those areas, then it will likely retire shortly in the US. Just noticed that with the Vampyre Castle. It is retired in the UK, so it will be on its way out in the US soon.

Ahhhh! Don't know why I didn't think to use usps directly to track instead of ebays app. Checked the real usps site and tracking info is there. Checked the eBay track info again...not even showing dropped off---even though usps shows package in Atlanta Lesson learned.

Good printing really makes a custom fig, doesn't it? I've seen some that use stickers, and they almost always look shabby and unLego-like. The printed figs looks so much better, but are typically more expensive too.

Definitely a slick looking minifigure - it looks like the seller does a lot of these DC customs. I like the Green Arrow and Superman Cyborg minifigs too.

I would say once a set receives the temporarily out of stock or sold out tag along with retired through Lego.com.

So, I'm heading to the Lego Store today to grab a couple Baxters, and to get the promotional WV set, I need to buy another $20+. I am thinking about grabbing two Krang Lab Escapes to make sure I have the Krang minifig, but I could also grab a Shredder's Dragon Bike instead. Anyone with thoughts of which I should pull the trigger on (or something else)?

Asking people around here is honestly the best resource. Ebay is a silly place sometimes. You will see unretired sets listed at 4 times their MSRP and everyday sets called "limited quantity" and "exclusive", etc. Its frustrating sometimes, but if you start selling stuff, those terrible prices make yours look better I guess.

I didn't think to check Brickset for that info! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction there! So you're telling me that if I flick a wad of ABC gum toward my calendar, that the date it lands on will magically turn into the retirement date? OR, will it just make a mess for my wife to clean up? Thanks! Yes, I figured that people were just trying to con innocent buyers/collectors there. I just wasn't aware of HOW to know if it was fact or fiction. Thanks again!

If you want to know if a set is retired or not, Brickset has the info and we will have it soon on the BP pages. If you want to know when a set will retire while its still out, you can take a piece of gum, chew it, then put it on a ruler and flip it towards a calendar. Thats about as effective a method as any other.

I can see that. This one was on the market for half the amount of time though, or even less than that.

Me and my boy Jaisonline are gonna be walkin around with some serious "I told you so's" in a couple of years for all these non-Bwing people. lol Seriously, the set is already gaining fast. Since Amazon was out, its up $35 in a few months. Im thinking about grabbing more from Walmart at $157 or whatever it is.

The Death Star set is brilliant. I am not even sure why Lego would stop producing them.

I think the worst are vegans. They are among the most unhealthy I've seen. I'm a meatatarian. Ain't nothing like some good barbequed cow or pork or chicken... Mmmm *homer drools* Damn, I'm hungry now...

2 SSDs @$319.99each+3% sales tax from TRU. Thank youuuuuu 20% off.

I went for it, the guy was juice enough to drive to a location close to me. Indeed excellent deal because the pieces look brand new, and the incomplete sets had all the minifigures. :)

Lol, I work right across the street from those morons. I've walked over there and tried to hand deliver my GSP-sold items in the past, but the ham-fisted-meat-brain security guard at the gate wouldn't let me. So I pay USPS to carry my box about 200ft. Our main office is across the street, but we also have a warehouse right next to theirs (literally, we share a wall). They always park in front of our loading dock, so we have their cars towed. They have really high attrition because I'm sure it's a **** job, so there's always new guys who don't know not to park there.

If $85 is a good deal, then...Well you do the math.

The market is beginning to forget that the B-Wing was ever discounted 50%, even if members here, who are much more informed about LEGO sales, haven't. I think even if you can't get the B-Wing for $99, anything below $165 is a pretty good deal at this point, as I think after retirement, its value will go through the roof. I think too many people are stocking up on HH's to make them worth as much as the B-Wing percentage wise, but this is just personal opinion.

If you were in my shoes I would be saying "Why the hell are you wearing my shoes?" :blum:

Seriously though, the B-wing is going out as we speak. As soon as they disappear from Walmart and any other retailers they're EOL. The Tower Bridge and the Haunted House will both be available through 12/2014, and possibly longer. But 12/2014 as of right now on those 2 sets, so you have plenty of time to pick them up, and a lot less time to pick up the B-wings.

You said whichever one you get you are gonna build right? So take the investing aspect out of it, take the "When is it gonna retire" aspect out of it. Pick the one that looks like it would be the most fun to build and the one that you think looks the best to you. if you are gonna open it and build it then however much it is gonna be worth later isn't even a factor. Think about having fun when you are building it. Which one would make you enjoy it the most. Personally its between the ToO and the HH. Ive build both. They are both awesome. If you are a lotr fan then Tower of orthanc without a second thought. If you don't really care for lotr then haunted house. If you like both, take a coin, flip it, and boom fate has decided.

Sound advice...except, will there be more discounts on any large sets? I don't know. Maybe the time to buy ant large is now with all the double VIP points and free holiday set. This might be the lowest price you will find these sets at ever again.

TLG: You can be our exclusive distributor for Technic line as long as you do not undercut us on pricing. TRU: DEAL!!!!!

STAY AWAY from Friends sets... NOTHING TO SEE HERE !!! :whistle: Btw, I just bought 4 of these for $22 each...

If cheese cuts itself, does it stink?

No idea what you are trying to imply, but judging by your recent posts not that interested in what you have to say.