Asking this since I want to know where the retired sets end up when their stocks aren't sold before the retirement date. Do those sets go to storage, are given away, sold at a discount? Genuinely curious on what happens to sets that retired, but still had stock.

2 hours ago, Mister_Loki said:

Asking this since I want to know where the retired sets end up when their stocks aren't sold before the retirement date. Do those sets go to storage, are given away, sold at a discount? Genuinely curious on what happens to sets that retired, but still had stock.

From what I've seen they usually end up discounted.

For the online part of LEGO.com, some (semi) exclusive sets that were supposed to retire at the end of 2021 (some brickheadz, Vidiyo, brick sketches) are currently sold at 30-40% off.

 

 

Edited July 9, 20222 yr by TeriXeri

I know locally they sit at a discount, not on shelves but in those units that are out on the floor.

I also wonder if they are not sold off on consignment to TK Maxx or somewhere else. A Discount shop had Vidiyo blind boxes (series 1 sadly) and TK Maxx often has LEGO randomly. 

Retirement dates are targets, not absolutes. As already noted, Vidiyo shows that.

The policies on that seem to be a bit muddled, TBH. Some sets are sold at discounts directly in the stores, but I know for a fact that stores also return surplus legacy sets to a central collection facility to be sold off elsewhere. LEGO seems to mandate a lot of stockpiling in their own stores or even at some partners just so they can make it look good in the books and then they sit on large numbers of sets that may never sell...

Mylenium

Oh, one other thing to note—I know that in the past at least low-selling retired products (like some of the last wave of Exo-Force sets) have been sent to conventions and such to be given away as prizes (BrickFair VA is my main experience with this). But I don't know how much of that comes from physical stores vs. online inventory.

My Lego store has a box by the checkout for discounted sets.  Mostly damaged boxes and such.  Have seen discontinued sets in there also.

On 7/9/2022 at 9:19 PM, Peppermint_M said:

A Discount shop had Vidiyo blind boxes (series 1 sadly)  

I saw them in Poundland for more than Lego charged for them 

20 hours ago, Killian said:

I saw them in Poundland for more than Lego charged for them 

MSRP is merely a suggestion in a free market.

Was quite surprising to see at least online LEGO.com still selling some sets that were listed as retiring, like the 2020 City police station , usually retires when a new one comes out , and it was on 2021 retirement lists / Brickset retirement date.

 

Maybe there was some overproduction that yet still sells (it's not discounted) so they kept it around for another year. (it's labeled retiring soon now though on the official site)

I remember the 2017 police station still being available for a while as well after 2020.

 

Edited August 16, 20222 yr by TeriXeri

Some get discounted, others probably get broken up for Bricklink

I have found Vidiyo series 1 in a few more places now, mainly "Geek Shops". Not comic book shops, or toy shops, but a place with walls of Funko Pop and related brands, Loungefly backpacks etc for people to get "collectables" away from the (negative) connotation of the Toy Shop of Comic Book Shop. 

It seems they have been offloaded to somewhere these places can get stock, which is great and all, but I want series 2!