New Smaller Reduced LEGO Box Size?

[MacK]

Toys N Bricks just posted this article:

"Forum member cowbug reports seeing a new smaller reduced box size for LEGO Star Wars 8093 Plo Koon’s Starfighter (there may be more) at his local Wal-Mart in USA. He also reports that there is a new barcode for the new smaller box one. This may be the beginning of TLG’s effort in reducing their LEGO boxes. In reality, most of these boxes are way to big in the first place. By making the boxes smaller, LEGO can probably save on shipping and packaging materials. But of course, LEGO will have a tougher time selling them with smaller boxes. Afterall, putting 7749 Echo Base into a battlepack box size will probably not sell as well."

Full Toys N Bricks article including Picture

So do you guys think Lego is taking a step in the right direction?

[Euvor]

I found the boxes on last years Harry Potter sets to have already been reduced in size. It's a good thing if TLG decides to make their boxes ever smaller, the instruction booklets won't slide and get crumpled against the sides and it might be a solution to other similar issues.

[Brickdoctor]

I think it's a good step. Less costs and doesn't make it feel like you got ripped off by the huge amount of air inside.

There's a discussion here as well, but it's dedicated to SW.

[MinifigFreak2010]

I noticed that w/ the log cabin there wasn't a ton of wasted space. I think they need to keep it up.

I don't like oversized boxes. I have no use for them for storage since most lego boxes get the heave ho around here(except for some plastic containers) and I like plastic storage containers such as my rolling cart or stray shoeboxes way better then flimsy cardboard boxes. And i'm not into collecting the boxes or reselling so I have no use for that

Plus if the boxes are smaller, a store could possibly carry more items. Even if it'd just a few more items, that could possibly mean that people would have an increased chance of being able to buy what they are after.

The walmart we usually go to expanded their lego section. It's close to triple the size of the old set up O__O and the variety of themes also at least doubled from the last time I went.

I'm not sure on the starwars sets though. My interest in lego is Mostly City and creator along w/ a light sprinkling of technic and racers.

[ziljin]

I support it. Less costs for them is good for the company and the customers. Would be nice if they pass on some of the savings by having more pieces in the sets or maybe reduce the price. Although I have no clue how much that cardboard is costing them. For all I know it could be very little savings per set thus no savings for us. But massive savings for them since they no doubt make lots of sets.

[Zzz]

I remember some boxes to be incredibly huge, eg. Echo Base and the Landspeeder (both 27€). I was surprised and delighted by the ARC-170 box. It felt heavy, neat, perfect. It was pretty thin but if that is a possible way to go, I don't care. Smaller is way more nice!

[MacK]

There's a discussion here as well, but it's dedicated to SW.

Oh whoops my bad. I just assumed that the discussion was better suited for General Lego themes; I didn't see the Star Wars thread.

As for the topic at hand I definitely think that it's a good idea to save money and trees. I certainly do hope that this results in lower prices for some of us as I recall that shipping costs were partially to blame for the huge price discrepancies outside the US.

[Aanchir]

I never really cared about box size. In fact, there were some very obvious positive benefits for both me and LEGO. On my part, oversize boxes let me store many assembled sets from a given theme in just a few of their boxes, making transport easier. I've used this advantage to bring BIONICLE and Power Miners sets to and from college many times. On LEGO's part, the sets stand out more on store shelves and make people want to take a closer look.

Additionally, I've observed that at least one picture on each box-- whether on the front or the back-- tends to be approximately actual size, in addition to the more clearly marked "actual size" box depicting a single minifigure or distinctive element. This could be more difficult on a box that's just over big enough to contain the set's unassembled pieces.

I do see where the argument about feeling ripped off comes from, but given the actual-size image factor, it seems that shouldn't be too much of a problem. And as far as storage is concerned, once you flatten a box down it should take up about the same amount of space no matter how big it was to begin with. So needless to say, I can't really say for certain whether the smaller box size is a good thing-- I'll first want to see if all of these previous advantages have been maintained sufficiently.

[brickmack]

This is good. I hope it doesn't cause LEGO sales to drop though. (NON-LEGO PARENTS: Look at the part count and the useful parts, NOT the size of the box)

[Aanchir]

This is good. I hope it doesn't cause LEGO sales to drop though. (NON-LEGO PARENTS: Look at the part count and the useful parts, NOT the size of the box)

Keep in mind that some parents prefer to get their kids smaller sets so their kids don't get spoiled (and so they don't run out of room in their house). Of course, if a parent thinks in terms of getting the biggest box for their buck, then yeah, they might pass up on perfectly good sets due to a smaller box size.

[frogstudio]

I'm really happy about it!!!! It's a green desicion (less cardboard, les transport and thus less fuel wasted) which I STRONGLY support!!!

[dwarf-brik]

LOVE IT! Danish air is good stuff, don't get me wrong, but I really like boxes to be compact and small, so they feel nice and solid in hand, which will make buying sets more appealing.

[dr_spock]

Smaller boxes = less cardboard used = less trees required. Trees would be happy.

[CptMugwash]

It will certainly save the dissapointment of opening a huge box and tipping out a few small bags

[Fugazi]

I certainly agree with this decision -- or support it if it's just a test. On top of the ecologic and economic arguments, I have been pissed off by the huge boxes in the past because I had to discard many when they wouldn't fit in my plane or train luggage. I like my Lego boxes small and heavy, not large and empty!

[MetroiD]

This is a topic which has already been discussed before, so I hope you'll excuse me for going off on a slightly unrelated tangent here. I don't change my mobile phones too often because I generally scour the market to find the device that best suits my needs. The comparison in packaging between my last 3 mobile phones bought over the course of the last 6 years has really been a sign of the times. First off, a 'regular' mobile phone purchased in 2005 arrived with a rather largish box - especially considering the phone's size itself; then a pre-iPhone era smartphone from back in 2007 came wrapped in a package that looked way too lavish and chunky for its own good; and now my latest purchase has pretty much everything stacked in the most space-conscious manner I've seen lately. Mind you, I find that the last package, while it may not look as posh as the box of the 2007 product, suits its purpose best - while also being the most original design.

I must admit I'm rather happy with things taking a turn towards more conservative boxing, at least in terms of sheer size. While packaging comprises a huge part of a customer's intial evaluation of product quality, I believe it can be minimal and still done in a proper manner. What's more, the need to minimize packaging also drives designers towards creating new and innovative ways of ensuring that the boxes they put their products in are compact while at the same being inviting and intriguing to buyers.

I think it's only right for LEGO to follow this trend. Of course, I too have noticed that positive change in terms of LEGO box sizes - however, as long as other big toy manufacturers don't take the same measures, no real progress would be made. The percepted value of a product which comes in a smaller package is proven to be lesser than that of a product in a big box - even if both are at the same price, of the same quality, or - dare I say it - even despite the good ol' saying "Good things come in small packages". So in order for the reduction of packages to be successful, there's a lot more work that needs to be done - but seeing LEGO embrace this idea is a great sign.

[whung]

I think this is not news at all, because I found this was happened in last year already.

[Henchmen4Hire]

Keep in mind that some parents prefer to get their kids smaller sets so their kids don't get spoiled (and so they don't run out of room in their house). Of course, if a parent thinks in terms of getting the biggest box for their buck, then yeah, they might pass up on perfectly good sets due to a smaller box size.

I don't like that a bunch more trees have to die just because some parents can't use a little logic when choosing what set to buy their kids. I understand the giant box sizes are a "necessary evil" for any toy company to help sell more toys, but still, none of this makes me feel any better about any of it.

[Aanchir]

I don't like that a bunch more trees have to die just because some parents can't use a little logic when choosing what set to buy their kids. I understand the giant box sizes are a "necessary evil" for any toy company to help sell more toys, but still, none of this makes me feel any better about any of it.

I'm not at all saying that oversized boxes are necessary-- they just have advantages and disadvantages. I expect that since it took LEGO a while to come to this decision, they've done some preliminary research and have enough evidence to suggest that the smaller box size will be an overall advantage economically.

[legolegolegolego]

This is good. I hope it doesn't cause LEGO sales to drop though. (NON-LEGO PARENTS: Look at the part count and the useful parts, NOT the size of the box)

This is true. Many parents and grandparents seem to feel the box has to be as impressive as the price tag. Too small a box with too large a price may reduce casual sales.

- Michael

[9Benua]

I just came back from Lego store @ King of Prussia, PA. Most of the lego city boxes are much smaller than it used to be. I like it, it make it much easier to store those boxes.