Prices

[Kikuichimonji]

Many dutch stores carry hardly any Star wars sets. I haven't seen the CTT in stores anywhere. but all the other sets were sold out quickly. But then again, it's not like they had a lot. That goes for other series too. Last week I bought the 7018, and it was the ONLY one they had. (It had gotten in 1 hour ago, and they told me I was the first one buying Vikings)...then again, they had plenty of 7015s...

[Hobbes]

actually, i think 60

[Jipay]

I am 100% with you hobbes.

[SuvieD]

I think it has more to due with wages. In the US minimum wage just went to $6.15 for $5.15. A good paying job for most people where I live is $20-30 an hour. And though I don't know what wages are like in Europe I have been told that they are higher than ours. Thus if people have more it will cost more.

So, it isn't the fact that you make more money, it is the store clerk who makes more money that brings up your price. Most mega retail in America (Walmart, Target, TRU) pay only minimum wage. My thought is that a store clerk in Austria gets paid more than 4.50-5.50 euro an hour.

TLG has to make the same amount of money on the same set in both countries. If the middle man costs are lower then the final product is cheaper. But it still doesn't explain why when shopping from LEGO directly it should cost just as much. that my friend is *wacko*

[Jipay]

that doesn't explains it. I know a toyshop owner and he doesn't make that much money with lego, comparred to other toys. I and other people at this board tried to figure out where this huge price difference comes from and we still have no answer. We know both USA and europe and there's definitly something that is not logical.

[Hobbes]

I'm sure that the factors TLG takes into account when pricing products are there. But why do I - as a customer - have to care about that?

I go into a store and see the price of a product. If it's ok - I buy, if it's not OK - I walk. It's that simple.

I don't care what a company has to consider to decide on a price, I'm not employed there, it's not my job. I just care about whether I'm willing to pay the(ir) price. Again, veeery simple.

I, as many others, compare prices (nowadays you almost have to). Usually I just compare stores and look for sales. But with the world becoming "smaller" due to internet and stuff it is possible to compare countries now. And if I see the same product cheaper somewhere else and have the possibility to buy it there - why shouldn't I?

As I said, all I care about is the price. Period. Isn't that simple?

What does TLG have their managers for? Isn't it their job to find a solution instead of "explaining" things no "simple customer" understands anyways?

[Jipay]

Ahhh, the wise man have spoken. I always tried to express this but it was always hard for me to find the right words :-D Considering the minimum wage, I must add that most european countries have to face huge unemployment problems, so this may also be taken into account. But I also think that a company that base its margin on people's money instead of what their toy is worth is not goig anywhere...

[The Middleman]

As much as we hate to believe it, there is such a thing as marketing psychology. Price points must be maintained, and in Europe, LEGO must remain a top-of-the-line toy, which means retaining high prices to keep the image. This may not be something us LEGO connosieurs take into account, but we are heavily involved in everything to do with LEGO, are we not? We're not LEGO's main market - last figure I heard was 70% kids/parents buying solely for kids, and 30% AFOLs. They know AFOLs, for the most part, will stay dedicated, so their main efforts are concentrated on maintaining their largest yet more unstable market. When a kid goes into a store that doesn't frequent forums or run amok on Bricklink, the marketing psychology LEGO employs will apply.

I know prices are extravagant in Europe at the moment, but it's not pointless - what is pointless is bickering about it as if you're going to stage an uprising. ;)

[Jipay]

well actually the psychological price level for lego in europe is : "I can't afford that toy".

I doubt it's a wise thing. As Hobbes underlined, European consummers start to look more and more at prices. Lego should definitly take a closer look at their prices. That's something that goes before "more minifigs in the sets" for us.

[Hobbes]

I know prices are extravagant in Europe at the moment, but it's not pointless - what is pointless is bickering about it as if you're going to stage an uprising. ;)

That'd be interesting... there are some managers/CEOs I'd like to tell straight to their faces how useless and plain dumb they are... it won't change anything, either, but it sure would feel good!

Sorry, had a bad day at the office, just needed some venting ;)

@jipay: that was an even shorter "summary" than mine- but IMHO right on the money (no pun intended) ;)

In general: I'd be happy if the prices were the same "unit-wise", e.g. USD 39.99 = EUR 39.99...

[ImperialJohn]

Well. For my part I'm only looking for sales :$

And sales in dk means "normal" prices in US :oo

When I got an AT-AT for $89 I was happy ;)

Or when I got gungan patrol for $7 I was happy ;)

Then reading about US sales *sick*

[SuvieD]

I understand your points. It isn't fair and I know that more people would buy the products if they were cheaper. There is a lot that goes into determining price.

I agree. Prices should be at least similar if not better from LEGO shop at home or the LEGO stores. The product is made right next door.

[snefroe]

I understand your points. It isn't fair and I know that more people would buy the products if they were cheaper. There is a lot that goes into determining price.

I agree. Prices should be at least similar if not better from LEGO shop at home or the LEGO stores. The product is made right next door.

true, but if you open a shop, all sorts of other costs step in, like wages of the employees. i'm familiar with the lego store in K

[Mister Phes]

well actually the psychological price level for lego in europe is : "I can't afford that toy".

You Europeans get it cheap compared to some parts of the world :-D

[Khorne]

well actually the psychological price level for lego in europe is : "I can't afford that toy".

You Europeans get it cheap compared to some parts of the world :-D

Oh, unfortunate Australians. You have to pay almost the double, don't you? When there are sales here, where I live, there are only the crappy sets left, so the sale is ruined for me :'( .

[Hobbes]

I just got the LEGO newsletter announcing the new Technic models in Austria/Europe. And what did I see?

The 8421 Technic Crane is USD 149.99 and EUR 134.99, respectively.

The 8420 Street Bike is USD 49.99 and EUR 40.99, respectively.

Only the 8416 Forklift at EUR 72.49 compared to USD 69.99 is "higher priced".

The EUR-prices don't reflect the exchange rates exactly (but you can't expect that really) but it's the first time (in the more adult "themes" at least, I dunno anything about Duplo and the like) that I see pricing like that... and I like it ;)

[snefroe]

the thing is, did our prices go down or the US price go up?

[SuvieD]

I think they finally realized that the pricing was not very good compared to the US. By moving all of the ditribution to one place in Europe I think they can save some money and offer the sets in Europe at a lower cost.

Pricing really wasn't fair. This thread talks much about that. I think they know the arguments they had couldn't stand up to logic so they are trying to change them.

Of course I could be way off but hopefully and maybe they are working to sell more in Europe. If the S&H prices are dropping will the store prices drop also? Let us know.

[snefroe]

sure, you can save money if you organise more efficiently, but i'm not sure if those new policies have been already implemented by tlc; i guess tlc will want to wait a while or so before spending that extra money just to see how much money exactly has been saved. I'm also not sure if these changes are direcly linked to prices in europe. that seems to suggest that the different regions in the world are seperate entities in tlc's books. not sure if that's the case. i think it's a lot more complicated than that... but i guess we've discussed that before... and didn't really come up with a decent answer...

[languages]

It is quite annoying how America gets lego cheaper.

Also they get stuff Europe doesnt get.....take the gold bricks for example. Luckily Bloody Jay was here to help.....

[Dino_Bot]

I will only say that Lego's are too expensive and that is starting to...irritate me. Now that after old im liking Lego...*whines and complains*

[snefroe]

i'm more and more convinced that jipay's right on these lego prices, they just don't add up... a local retailer of toys even claims that 37% of the price of sets shown in commercials on tv is taken up by costs related to showing that commercial.

Also, lego has been accused to having illegal price agreements with Carrefoure, a major supermarket chain in Europe...

[xwingyoda]

Also, lego has been accused to having illegal price agreements with Carrefoure, a major supermarket chain in Europe...

Meaning what ? That Carrefour sells lego sets cheaper :oD ??

[snefroe]

i can't read the entire article, yoda and it's in dutch, but here's the link anyway:

http://tijd.info2clear.com/archief/zoeken....n.aspx?qf1=lego

btw, the Lego Group isn't popular in the retail sector at all... for instance, they had major distribution problems in summer, so many retailers got a letter from the company saying that the lego sets they should have had in June, will not arrive before the end of October. Any idea how terrible that is for a small retailer?