Availability - What's up with this (in-production) set?

[Ragnar_Deerslayer]

So, I was going to get the Haunted House in October for a Halloween build. Then I realized I didn't have that much money available, and I needed a bunch of 1x2 dark grey palisade bricks, so I decided to get the Vampyre Castle instead.

But then LEGO was “temporarily out of stock.” I wrestled with whether or not to get it on the reseller's market (at inflated price), and decided to wait and see if it restocked in early October.

And it paid off! On Sept. 30, LEGO listed it as “available!” So, I relaxed, knowing I could buy it on Oct. 1 and get double VIP points for it. Then I double-checked it before I went to bed – and it was out of stock again!

“Did they just sell out in five hours?” I thought to myself. “What in the world? Can they not predict that a vampire's castle is going to be a popular selling item in October?”

So, I brood about it. I don't know how long it'll take LEGO to restock, but I decide to wait a few days anyway, even though I'd planned to have the build up on display for most of the month.

This afternoon, it came back in stock. I bought it, BANG! “Who knows how long it'll be available this time?” I asked myself.

About like before. Within five hours, it had sold out again. Now, it's listed (again) as “temporarily out of stock.”

So, I just came out of my dark ages this May, and this is the first time I've ordered from LEGO Shop-at-Home. Give me the lowdown, someone – does this happen often? Does LEGO intentionally under-produce some sets to artifically produce scarcity? Or are they simply hedging their bets? Is there a pattern or a strategy that I need to learn when dealing with situations like this? Enlighten me.

Thanks,

Ragnar

[Rick]

So, I just came out of my dark ages this May, and this is the first time I've ordered from LEGO Shop-at-Home. Give me the lowdown, someone – does this happen often? Does LEGO intentionally under-produce some sets to artifically produce scarcity? Or are they simply hedging their bets? Is there a pattern or a strategy that I need to learn when dealing with situations like this? Enlighten me.

I doubt they're creating scarcity deliberately as TLG doesn't benefit from inflated prices. It's in their best interest to match demand exactly at MRSP. I think it's more likely its a logistics issue, i.e. they can't fulfill demand in a short enough time from a certain warehouse location, so they list if as "temporarily out of stock" while they restock or relocate inventories.