{"id":208,"date":"2013-01-02T05:51:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-02T05:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.brickbuildr.com\/index.php\/2013\/01\/02\/goodbye-2012\/"},"modified":"2015-10-12T01:56:09","modified_gmt":"2015-10-12T01:56:09","slug":"goodbye-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brickbuildr.com\/index.php\/2013\/01\/02\/goodbye-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"Goodbye, 2012!"},"content":{"rendered":"

So back in 2009<\/a>, I wished the LEGO Group “And here’s to TLG, may you have the wisdom to make better products and resist the temptation of corporate greed — that have plagued so many other companies and brought us to the brink of economic ruin in the first place!” — I added the emphasis.<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>So “better products” in 2012? I my mind, the clear winner was Friends. The number of licensed products is staggering — Star Wars, SpongeBob Squarepants, DC Comics\/Marvel Comics, Disney Cars 2\/Princesses, Lord of the Rings\/Hobbit, & Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles. The price-per-piece is growing across the board… It’s more noticeable in licensed sets, but compare price-per-piece of a parts bucket from now to about 10 years ago — I spotted the #10662 LEGO Creative Bucket <\/a>at the LEGO Imagination Center last weekend, it’s $0.0494\/pieces, compared to $0.02\/piece — not a terrible deal, but the Basic Bricks and More sets are around $0.16\/part now (if it includes a minifig), compared to $0.06\/part a few years earlier.<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>Grab bags are no longer a option at a LEGO store. Damage set discounts are around 10% instead of 20%. Christmas clearance was abysmal; didn’t find many sets on sale, just products that LEGO licensed their brand out to, like containers. And the release of this article<\/a> doesn’t help AFOLs; it just drives up after-market prices.<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>Speaking of which, I’ve been the admin to Facebook group, called Bricklink Worldwide Buyers and Sellers<\/a>… I don’t mind talking about buying\/selling of LEGO talk, just don’t like Shoe spam!<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>But the thought that the LEGO Group “(we) don’t closely follow after market activity,” is silly. Considering LEGO has decided to re-release sets at the current (after) market value, instead of the original price (see: 3451<\/a> @ $50 vs. 10226<\/a> @ $100; 10152<\/a> @ $75 vs 10155<\/a> @ $120)… I have a theory that the only people willing to buy the high-priced LEGO sets will eventually all be market speculators, not fans.<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>The last few years have been the most profitable years for The LEGO Group, but it’s in the process of cutting back on (AFOL) community out-reach. Instead of thanking those that help pushed LEGO into the main-stream, it is cutting back in support<\/a>.<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>So with 2013, as far as the hobby is concerned, I think my focus will shift to not put money into TLG’s pockets and focus more on building with the parts I have on hand and becoming more organized… I know, an empty New Year’s resolution, but I can try. \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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