Posted March 25, 201014 yr Hi there folks, I bought the Green Grocer last week, and am so glad I did before it goes Out Of Print. (Have you seen the eBay prices for the Market Street or Cafe Corner?!) I didn't see any indication that the lovely GG would be gone soon except for a prophetic comment in some forum here, and I doubt it will go on sale before the LEGO warehouses run out. So my question is, what are the warning signs that a set is about to be unavailable? Are the life-cycles different for different categories of sets (exclusive, limited edition, etc.) or release season (summer, fall, holiday)? Does "Backorders accepted" on shop.lego.com indicate OOP status soon? What's been your experience in the past? Thanks in advance for the info!
March 25, 201014 yr Some factors at play: - Most S@H Exclusives have an intended run of 2-3 years (eg in last year's issue of TheBrick, they stated that they expected the Taj Mahal to be available for 3 years) - However S@H Exclusives that nobody is buying can have a drastically reduced shelf life - eg the Space Factory sets or 10186 General Grevious, which barely lasted 6 months - Backorders accepted is generally a positive sign as it means the set is going through another production run at the factory, ie a whole new batch of sets is being produced. However there is no way of telling in quantities they are produced or which production run is the last - There are only so many 'Exclusive' slots available in LEGO's product range, so as the year goes on and more are released, there is pressure not to renew the older sets It's only been 18 months since 10188 is released, so I would expect it to be around for at least another 6, maybe more if it continues to be a strong seller via S@H or brand stores and LEGO thinks it is viable to do another production run. On the other hand, if sales have flattened out, maybe they will decide to make room for the next big thing.
March 25, 201014 yr Good question, I was wondering that myself. Last year I decided to order the Toy Shop and a couple of days later Lego Website said it was sold out. But another week or so later, it said, that it was on backorder. From that I would deduce, that they run with a set until the sales dwindle to a point where it's no longer worth it for them to produce it. I have ordered a couple of sets on backorder in the past and they always ship a lot sooner than the backorder due date. When I ordered the Grand Emporium last week, the due date was 21/04/. This morning I received a despatch note. I'm not sure if Lego is purposely pessimistic about the ship date, as not to disappoint the buyers or speed up/slow down production depending on demand.
March 25, 201014 yr I snagged the GG last month because I didn't want to wait any longer and thought it might sell out shortly... I'm waiting on the Emporium until later in the summer though.
March 26, 201014 yr I picked up GG now rather than chance it, but general consensus seems to be that it should last until the end of the year. I wonder what they'll do about MMV? That one seems destined to end with the rest of the Castle line by this summer, but it seems to be a pretty good seller, or at least popular among AFOLs? I'm also curious when Emerald Night is supposed to be retired as I want to pick that up before it's done, but can't afford it just yet.
March 26, 201014 yr I'm also curious when Emerald Night is supposed to be retired as I want to pick that up before it's done, but can't afford it just yet. Since it's the only train set out now, I'd say it will be for sale until the end of 2010, maybe earlier, maybe later. Oh, and desultor, you should just go ahead and get the Death Star now, since it's been around for a long time. Edited March 26, 201014 yr by prateek
March 26, 201014 yr Oh, and desultor, you should just go ahead and get the Death Star now, since it's been around for a long time. In my opinion it's just as simple as that: If you've got the money to buy, buy it now! It won't get any cheaper and it surely never will get on sale at S@H. So hoping on a bargain is a false conclusion. If you don't have the money right now and desperately want this set, start saving now. Even if you have a bigger wishlist for 2010, it's the securest way to buy older sets first. One exception: limited/ exclusive sets - these may run out quickly.
