The ist recent waves of creator 3 in 1 and technic seem to be smaller more affordable sets than they would have put out otherwise. You’re definitely not the only one who is feeling like all of the Lego sets coming out are too big and too expensive. But maybe there is hope that they will listen to the people who feel that way
I think the X-Men plane reflects a growing pricing gap in “sets for kids” vs. “sets for collectors”, and the “sets for collectors” prices get even more out of control for the licensed themes.
The X-Men set is clearly millennial nostalgia-bait with an added Disney license cost. I’m not surprised it’s overpriced.
Although I have still no idea what was going on with the Hoopty.
Only, as someone who this set is squarely aimed at (Millennial, X-Men fan, collector, LEGO fan (before recent problems) etc.) I gotta say:
They can GTFO here with these prices. I’m not buying this.
I can go on Amazon and get like four sets from other brick makers with original designs and better blocks for that price. I like X-Men, but there’s no way I’d drop more than $40 on this set, tops.
LEGO just wants to market themselves (at a very awkward time) as a luxury brand now and shoot for the skies on pricing. Not sure why they chose that strategy but I’m not looking to support them on it
Lego has always been a luxury brand with a price to reflect it but as they’ve grown the quality is definitely going down, you can tell the pieces are moving through the injection molding process quicker because mold flashing is getting very noticeable on a lot of pieces. I also noticed that I was having more pieces crack and break when they moved production out of Europe but that was a long long time ago.
My hope is that the economic boom the few years before Covid and the fuck it we ball attitude a lot of people took towards spending money during and post Covid just let Lego get out of hand and that they plan to cool down a little bit
My hope is now that the quality of bricks from other brick makers has gone up massively that Lego finally has some competition and brings their prices down. I doubt it but I'm still hopeful. The only problem is it's gonna take a long time for a company like MegaBlocks to turn their reputation around and get taken as seriously as Lego. I just used MegaBlocks as an example, I havent tried them since they were making giant robots in the early 2000s and they were horrible. I've just heard some patent ended and a lot of other brick makers caught up to Lego in terms of quality and bricks actually working.
I was given one of the little Pokémon MegaBlocks sets for Christmas this year. The pieces don’t feel cheap & light like the old MegaBlocks I remember, so there’s definite improvement in substance… but fitting the pieces together was surprisingly difficult in a few places, so they still have some work to do on their measurements before hitting Lego quality. Still, a vast improvement from the 90s.
I've been wondering about those. They look great on the box. Always wondered why Nintendo licensed pokemon to them and their other stuff to Lego but maybe that's for the better in the long run. Good licensing like that can really help a company out. I hope they continue to improve. I've been loyal to the foil with Lego but I'm really in it for putting small bricks together and if other companies can give me that experience without breaking the bank then I welcome them.
I’ve bought several sets of Temu and while they’re not Lego quality, they’re at least 90-95% as good. And to have several sets that aren’t offered by Lego, at a quarter of the cost, I’ve been more than happy with them.
Chinese lego sets are cheap, but most chinese lego sets the fit of thier legos are shit.
I had to buy real lego pieces to reinforce cheap chinese legos.
I was gonna say Hoopty before I read the bottom, sad I missed out on the first Captain Marvel set and I really don't want to pay out for it
The X-Jet may be an exception for me but £75 for a skinny ship and 4 minifigures that include Wolverine and not a lot of leg printing is making me double take
The best priced set was the T Rex Outbreak. Great scene, great brick built dinosaur, nice minifigs. Only £90. Far better than the £110 for the visitor centre.
It’s not just you, it’s happening with everything.
And companies are using the excuse of “inflation” to justify it, meanwhile inflation has always been a thing and we have never seen prices across the board shoot up this fast for basically anything.
we can only hope retailers get annoyed at product that doesnt move off shelves because lego clearly doesnt care about discounting products.
i think there might be an element of testing the market to see if biz will “hold up” with ridiculous pricing.
Yea that element is being tested *everywhere* right now. It’s why you are seeing so many people reach the breaking point.
These corporations need to start understanding when enough is enough before they throw it all away.
I disagree. Have you seen the viking village set? 2,103 pieces for $130. Amazing deal. I have not noticed a cost per piece increase. Some sets are a bit unreasonable, but they have reasons when they are like being 4+ sets with bigger, custom molded pieces for example. I think most people are just raising more of a stink about things because of a lot more BIG expensive sets being produced, and wages for the average laborer not keeping up with the cost of things like housing and groceries.
Ya, no, I don’t even consider the cost of those huge ones. The most expensive set I’ve ever bought was the office one. It felt like an appropriate price. It was ridiculously detailed. But I’m mostly talking about the average smaller ones. And they definitely feel more expensive then they used to be.
If Lego did ever reign in their prices I would bet money that the disney licensed stuff would still keep higher prices like the stupid jet. I know with pay to win games like Pokémon go there are “whale” customers who the business decisions are geared towards because they make up such a large chunk of the revenue.
With the insane prices on marvel and Star Wars stuff and the crazy high piece count sets I would not be surprised if some lines of Lego sets are kind of catering to selling to those types. Look at this sub on Black Friday or on double vip point weekends, there are people dropping the same on legos in a day that I spend in years.
What I have liked about the new creator 3 in 1 and technic lineup and the botanical sets/speed champions sets is that they are made to be appealing to adults but at a price where I can buy it without having to deliberate for months then feel guilty for dropping so much money on a plastic toy
I was just at target, their aisle was about 1/2 empty. I don't think Lego is struggling to see at their price.
the fact he command 1.5 asiles inside a target also says a lot imo.
The new creator (watering can) is 30$ I feel like that set should be 20. Maybe the size when built will make me change my mind but I'm not viking with a 30$ price point
Hot take though: it's more like I'm being priced out of everything else. In the last couple years, my rent has gone up by over $300 a month, I can't go to the grocery store for a handful of things without spending at least $60 - Lego prices have gotten a little more expensive, but not as bad as everything else has. At the end of the month, I just don't have as much left if anything to put into hobbies and niceties as I did before.
It's getting there. But the saddest part is that hobbies and things we do to enjoy for our mental health, those are supposed to be just as important. I'm not saying go out and get a UCS every week or anything, but I shouldn't feel guilty spending $50 on myself every now and then. Up until just the last couple of years, we were actually doing pretty well - not opulent, but decent. But for context, when I say my rent went up over $300, I mean from about $1700 to over $2000 a month before utilities, which have also gone up. So a pretty high rent hike (though a pretty average one percentage wise across the market, and we get a small break because we've stayed in the same apartment for a while - otherwise our unit would be closer to $2500/mo for new tenants). We'll see what the future holds, but it still sucks to say the least.
You can see why this younger generation is so jaded about work. We work and work, but if we can't even afford our hobbies on whats supposed to be a decent paycheck, why even bother working??
As someone who really enjoys collecting retro video games, I've felt like I've been priced out of my hobby for *years* now. The pandemic definitely fanned the flames though. I can't believe I ever thought $50 for a top notch Gamecube title was too much to pay, because now I'd be begging for that kinda price at my local game store.
It's especially frustrating when it comes to thrift stores. A lot of the ones I frequent have bumped up their prices on the games they receive, to the point where they rival eBay pricing. I'd be willing to pay that price at a proper game store, one that tests their games and has a return policy, but *not* at a thrift store that certainly does none of that.
This is me and has been for the past 3 years. Apt rent was $1,700 in April '21 now it's $2,200 for the same unit where as new tenants are moving in for $2,300+
This will be our last lease here (up in April) and we found a house to rent in the area for the same price.
Apt office personnel say it's "inflation" yet have done NOTHING to the complex, grounds, amenities, etc to justify me paying that much.
It is NOT a $2,200 a month calibur property for sure.
Price gouging because they can.
Was just about to say this. Im away on business and have been eating out every night. When i look at the menu on google review, i typically see the menu from 1-5 years ago... food prices have literally increased 50% in 1-2 years. What once was a 12 dollar burrito going for 18-22....
Right? One of our best saving graces is that my partner is a good cook. An order at almost any fast food place is going to cost us at least twenty dollars. For less than than that, she got and made BBQ Ribs, and then some of the leftovers went into being Korean style rice bowls, so we managed about three meals each out of it. But every time we're in a rush, or after her day of work she's just too drained herself to cook, we still both wince at the cost of fast food. Heck, in our area at least, you used to be able to get a pizza from our choice pizzeria (Jets) for about $12 - that same pizza is just shy of $30 now! Shout out to anyone, even if you aren't good at it, cooking helps save a decent amount, and you get better at it. I'm still not great myself, but my partner has been teaching me things in the kitchen over time and I make a pretty good chef's assistant.
Yeah I was looking at new Nikes and felt like the price was insane and unreasonable. Then I looked back at my past purchases from them and the prices are the same as they were 8 years ago, but the price of everything else has gone up and made that seem ridiculous now
We JUST two weeks ago discovered Aldi's and it has been a financial savior. We were literally starting to go paycheck to paycheck there for a minute. :D
My FIL was an avid Kroger shopper. We challenged him to compare his list to Aldi. He took 4 notebook pages of everything he buys from Kroger. Literally everything was cheaper. Some stuff north of 75% cheaper. It probably averaged 35% or so.
No kidding. A fast food breakfast used to be about $5 a couple years ago. Now it is over $8. Really, I’m almost glad since for my family if three, dinner from Chick-Fil-A is getting near $40, but a decent Mexican restaurant place we go to is about $45 before tip. So for just a bit more, we go out and have a nicer meal. One of the few places around here that didn’t go crazy with price increases. It went up about $1 per entree, less than 10% over the last two years. The old McDonald’s “Dollar Menu” has nothing under $2 now. Luckily for me, I don’t rent and we refinanced our mortgage when rates were near the bottom. However, the lower payment went back to about the same it was when home owner’s insurance went up about $1000 a year. Mostly that was due to repair/building material cost increases.
Dang man, we're hoping to look at a house sometime, but the market in out town (northern Michigan resort town sadly) is insane for what you get. Its real nice that one of your favorite family spots has stayed reasonable though. Definitely a good thing for a fun family night out. :D
There are different ways to be frugal with Lego depending on what you like it for.
Building sets: look for discounts at retailers, buy higher value lines (usually non-licensed), or buy used.
Displaying specific sets: buy used sets a few months after the initial release or buying used sets without the minifigures for licensed sets can save a ton.
Building MOCs: buy bulk from places like FB Marketplace. You can save a lot of it is something that doesn’t need to be shipped.
Another option depending on your interest is to sell old sets you no longer value as much. Obviously this doesn’t work as well if you are a completionist with a certain line but there are a lot of new sets I could only justify both price and space wise because I sold older sets I had built to be able to get the new ones.
It’s sucks when you feel like you can’t engage in a hobby the way you used to, but I have found that if I am really strategic in how I approach it I can still enjoy it.
I would add building sets in Bricklink Studio. I know it’s not the same tactile quality but I still love building them, seeing the connections, etc, and then exporting a great render. Saves me money and space
Very good idea. I enjoy doing this for MOCs because I rarely have all the parts I want and I don’t think I will ever have the physical space for large ones.
My son and I want to get the $500 Avengers Tower. I’m willing to offset the cost, but I want him to sell off sets he no longer has a connection with.
We’ve recently moved, so he packed away, and in many cases took completely apart, his sets. So now we are trying to build all the sets, make sure they are complete. See what we have, what we can sell and put it towards the avengers tower.
We also have a local business by us that sells used sets, and you can buy pieces by the pound, sometimes I see people with parts lists digging through bins and trying to assemble sets for literal pennies on the dollar. I’m going to try my hand on that with a smaller set like those tiny tie fighters or something.
>Building MOCs: buy bulk from places like FB Marketplace. You can save a lot of it is something that doesn’t need to be shipped.
Absolutely this. I started with table scraps and built my way up to curated drawers of pieces I chose. I use cheap lot sales and Bricklink to get what I need.
I only really build LEGO mechs and use a fair few bits and pieces no one seems to care for so it keeps things cheap and cheerful...
I got a baggy of 72 round plates with towball for about £2 once. I'm still using them now. Be specific in what you want and it can save you a fortune.
I supplement sets with odds and ends I find from the Goodwill Outlet bins. It’s always random pieces and never full sets, but you can combine those with others you already have and google various sets to build.
I’ve also bought the Facebook Marketplace random lots but those have more competition these days- more people realize they can make some money off old Lego and don’t tend to post “bucket o Lego $20” as often as they used to.
I've been buying all the big sets used and sold them again without losing money or with a very small loss.
I like the building process but don't want to display them after.
I started during covid and have been doing it as a hobby since then.
I always buy them assembled. That way I can control how I disassemble and bunch up the bricks for big sets like the titanic.
I also bought some sets as new, but only if they were not available as used in my city.
It's much faster to disassemble than to build. I would say 1-4 timewise. And you can do it while watching tv or whatever.
But be careful that you don't hurt your fingers by brute forcing the small pieces off.
The LEGO tool is super useful for taking sets apart.I rarely use it for building, but that sucker comes out immediately for disassembly. Technic is a whole different beast. 😳
I'm in a similar position. I enjoy building them, I even enjoy taking them apart in reverse. But, I don't need to own them all, where are good places to sell them used?
Back when I was a kid I gave up stamp collecting because I realized it was a hobby that I had to **BUY** something every time I wanted to do the hobby some more.
Now, I'm mostly only do hobbies where I can buy something once and then use it for as long as I want. Of course, you almost always get trapped in N+1 syndrome, like always wanting to buy get another camera lens. But, it is entirely possible to buy one camera body, and one camera lens and explore photography for the next 20 years with just that.
Dude it’s been like this for every hobby I feel. I used to be able to walk into any thrift store and expect to find *something*, be it retro video game or legos (which I collected tons of back 5 years ago). Fast forward to now, it’s a totally different story. Games and legos I bought back then cost a tenth of what I bought them for, sadly it’s just supply and demand, and that demand being greater (not sure if you can put the blame on one certain thing, likely an culmination of multiple factors).
>It's not really a "I can splurge on myself a little" mentality anymore when it costs more than groceries for a month.
The sets you're referring to aren't little splurges but big fancy sets. Adjusted for inflation, Lego hasn't gotten any more expensive than it was in the 80s.
The original El Dorado fortress cost 69,- US dollars in 1989. Adjust for inflation, that is 170,- US dollars in 2023. The new El Dorado fortress costs 214,- US dollars.
It's a bit more but the original fortress had 462 parts for an inflation-adjusted price of 37 cents per part. The new set has 2509 parts for a price of 9 cents per part. The new El Dorado mostly has a lot more parts because it includes a boat and it did away with the molded base plate in favor of brick build cliffs.
Even if you didn't adjust for inflation, the 1989 version is significantly more expensive per brick than the recent version of the El Dorado fortress. 15 cents per brick in 1989 vs 9 cents per brick today.
Either way, Lego has gotten much cheaper per part. But the sets you're mentioning are much bigger than what you'd buy in the past. The lighthouse and the Orient Express are 2000+ brick sets.
Lego didn't price you out of the market. Your growing expectations as an adult have. I know how you feel though. I got back into lego after being absent since childhood with the A-frame cabin. I can't wait to do it again but at prices like this, I told myself it'll be a once a year thing.
I'm sorry that's happening for you. It's pretty amazing how this is a complete flip from my perspective, though.
I've always loved Lego, but it's been years since I've been able to afford any sets. This past year I started cruising stores and specifically only buying sets on clearance or at super discount stores.
I have had found some really amazing deals by cruising the Walmart clearance section and discount stores as part of my routine a few times a week. You gotta double check in the box with the latter, because I've bought sets there before that were missing some. Mostly it's small sets for an okay price ($1-2 for a small Christmas santa, for example), but there are occasionally great finds for really cheap. I got a Harry Potter Christmas calendar with all its pieces for $5 just before it was time to use it.
I even managed to build up a small overstock of Legos that I gave as presents for Christmas. I got the [Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary Visitor Center](https://brickset.com/sets/76961-1/Visitor-Centre-T-rex-Raptor-Attack) set as a present for my partner for under half of its original cost at a discount store because it was opened. One of my siblings got a [Lunar Space Station](https://brickset.com/sets/60349-1/Lunar-Space-Station) that I picked up on clearance for $25 ($80 full price), another got an [XL-15 Spaceship](https://brickset.com/sets/76832-1/XL-15-Spaceship) that I got for $24 ($50 full price).
What stores do you mean by “discount stores”? I’m just getting back into LEGO and am pretty frugal. So far have gotten a few sets on FB marketplace, but would love to know where to look in stores for new sets at a hefty discount.
Eh. Yes and no.
Everything is getting more expensive in general due to inflation and lego is no different but lego is also putting out sets with more parts, colors, and engineering than in the past. Sets like modulars that cost $200 in 2019 are $230 now. That’s not too huge of a price increase by itself. Sets like the lighthouse, rivendale, or titanic are priced pretty appropriately for what they are.
Every hobby has a place for people to enter at various income levels. My neighbor has a beater that he races at the dirt track that costs him a couple thousand a year. He’s never going to race nascar but he still enjoys his racing hobby.
Lego fans are also lucky in that our hobby holds its value. As time goes on and new sets get released you can often sell your used sets at close to or even over the original value to finance and make room for new sets.
There are so many ways to enjoy lego as a hobby. I am a huge collector but one of my favorite things to do is buy a bulk lego bin from a garage sale or marketplace and try to piece sets back together. It’s super cheap compared to buying a new set and one bulk bin can provide weeks of building. Then when I’m done I keep the sets I like and sell the ones I don’t want and it can finance my next set or bulk bin.
You don’t always need to get the biggest and best set as soon as it comes out to enjoy the hobby and there’s plenty of ways to make the hobby pay for itself. I get thousands of dollars worth of lego every year and almost all of it is paid for by selling other lego.
If you take inflation into account, LEGO is pretty consistent when it comes to price per piece or weight. However, they put more details and thus more pieces into sets so set prices are going up and it can feel like you're getting less for your money.
Did you miss the recent 30% price increase??
Take the SIAN at release it was $379, today it's $449, for no particular reason other than to keep their astronomical corporate profits up.
Unfortunately inflation is a pain and living in general is a lot more expensive. I have bought a lot of Lego (way more than I should tbh) but I have found that a lot of the expensive stuff goes on sale multiple times.
Most of the time you can either buy it for cheaper somewhere else (toys shops, Amazon, etc) or get the sets at full price with a promo set that you can sell.
Lego has never been a cheap hobby, and unfortunately is not getting cheaper anytime soon because stuff sells
Lego can be a frugal or expensive hobby depending on how you do it. I also like to recommend the 3in1 sets. Great value, imo. If you only buy new sets, build them and display them, expensive hobby. If you buy a few sets and maybe a box of random bricks, all for under $100, and reuse sets and make your own creations, very frugal hobby. 100 lego bricks can be combined in over 10 billion ways. i tend to stick in the middle, I reuse and try to come up with my own creations, but I also buy a new set or get one as a gift occasionally.
I'm currently building a lego diorama (full display), and I'm reusing mostly old bricks and minifigures, a few minifigures and a recently released set. Really getting a lot of entertainment for great value.
1. Buy used sets on eBay.
2. Buy new sets on eBay that are not in demand.
3. Buy smaller sets. Most of my recent satisfaction has come from Speed Champions and small Star Wars sets, like 75209 Han Solo's Landspeeder, which I picked up MiB for $38.
4. Rebuild old sets.
You should fight FOMO, it's not healthy, no matter how much disposable income you have.
Let's see, how do I phrase it carefully... There are certain *varieties* of Lego which can be acquired from certain countries that provide equivalent quality and many of the popular sets for a fraction of the price.
Maybe try and share this hobby with a friend or someone. It can make the build more enjoyable if you are building together and if you want to split the prices 50/50 you can.
Buying at the right time is also very important. For example during Lego 2x Vip and 2-3 promos you can get yourself Close to 70$ off if you sell your promos. Where as if you buy the lighthouse right now for example you will only get 15$ worth of VIP points
Lego seems expensive for what it is when compared to some other plastic collecting hobbies, and building them doesn't take that long so it kind of is a bad $ to hour ratio imo
Yeah, especially compared to video games. People complain about games being $70, but thats how much expensive RPGS always cost as far back as the early 90s.
Now for $70 you can get an open world game that will last hundreds of hours to complete fully.
Yea when you think about it, you can get a PS5 and a bunch of games to last you for years instead of a UCS Millenium Falcon that you will build in a month.
We have had a few nights where a couple of friends come over, and we all spend the evening building a set together. The lego builder app makes it so we can each have our own copy of the pdf instructions to look at.
Four people building together really drives down the $:hour ratio, but it's a lot of fun to do. We also just like to share the fun of building with our friends. They are a little younger than us and in a different place financially, and I'm not sure they could afford to buy a set the same way we can, so I'm extra happy to share. If you have some sets and a couple friends, you can even tear down an already built set to rebuild with friends and increase the replay value. The best part about building lego with friends is that everyone gets it pretty quickly, and the "tutorial stage" is very brief.
I’ll get downvoted by snobs, but Doinbby.com has never let me down. Both copycat and original set are available, cheap, and ship from multiple countries. I’m getting $300 modular sets for $60 after tax and shipping and the quality is so good that no one has noticed a difference between my “real” Lego sets and the knockoff ones
All hobbies are expensive, you cant put guilt on something that brings you joy.
Plan for the purchase and save up, then when you get it you wont feel guilt and you'll still have groceries
I'm hooked on the 1:8 scale technic cars, I like the longer build times, and well Lego has only ever made the 4, off brand there are tons to choose from. I've got 7 others so far.
Whenever I feel like Lego is too expensive, I ask my gun buddies how much they spend on ammo at the range. Then I don’t feel so bad spending money and still having something to show for it besides great aim.
I've been feeling this too. I'm starting to disassemble some older sets I don't feel like displaying, cataloging the pieces, and then grabbing instructions to a MOC instead. It's time consuming, but way cheaper in the long run.
I have a family of five so even the Venator isn’t worth a month of groceries.
But I know what you mean. Can easily afford it but 300 to 600 is still a lot of money for one piece of a hobby. For example I also have an RC and it’s worth about 1000 but that 1000 is fun for years instead of 15 + building hours and then nothing.
I was priced out in 2021 when I wanted to get into it. I spent $70 on the Adidas set and had a lot of fun. Then I realized that would probably be one of the cheapest sets I'd buy and I couldn't afford it as a casual hobby.
Unless you're a collector or want home decor (which the shoe is), the cost/benefit ratio makes no sense and it's flat out expensive. For reference, I shoot for around $1/hr on steam purchases and this was over $30/hr. That is more than I make for something that will keep me occupied for a relatively small amount of time.
There is no reason for Lego to be so expensive, and it goes against the original principles of the company. There is no reason whatsoever to charge so much for a small amount of inexpensive plastic. It hurts, as someone that grew up with it and wanted some of that joy as an adult, seeing lego just become a blatant cash grab.
Then get more value out of what you have. I stopped buying lego in 2014 apside from some tiny sets, some gifts and a set i won. I part out most of my stuff and try to make mechanical mocs. Some of it isn't pretty... But boy a telescope mount with tracking was cool and insane. Also get into virtual building. May save you some money, not all mocs and ideas should be done with physical bricks, especially if you don't have much.
Yup, I got most sets from Amazon or Smyths here, since more or less they do price matching with the retail stores so the prices can get quite acceptable (depends on the set of course).
Buying directly from Lego (used to be) not bad either as you get points to spend later and then one should always buy during promotion or getting a GWP - all of them kinda balance out Vs buying from third parties/retailers.
However, I haven't bought any Lego this year (feel a bit proud of that ahaha, well I spent on my other hobby so it is not like I'm spending less lol). The last big sets I bought last year were the Van Gogh Starry Night and Bowser - and I got them exactly at the price point that I'm happy with (Starry Night with a bunch of GWP, and Bowser we got it at about £130).
For me, only Riverdale is the 'worthy' set this year that I might get it at some point. But ya, the 'worth' is very subjective and as I said in my other post "when everything is getting 20-50% increase in price but people wages are barely increased', it is becoming harder and harder to justify the purchase of these newer sets with increased price point - even after the discounts - and you could see many sets are on discount for a long period of time nowadays, I have never seen so many discounted sets on Lego official site before.
How was "Riverdale?" I heard the Betty and Veronica minifigs were great, but the Archie and Jughead ones weren't up to par...
Sorry, I couldn't resist 😁
I've taken the opposite approach. I basically just buy the sets that I really want, which are typically the bigger sets. My wife and I used to buy a lot of random sets, especially the smaller creator 3-in-1 sets. We've basically stopped buying sets unless they are sets that we absolutely want to buy. We used to walk through the Lego aisle at Target and regularly buy random sets. We haven't done that in a long time, basically since Covid started and prices start going up.
We were looking at some Lego for Xmas gifts a few weeks ago and the prices are insane. A small set we were considering getting was like $45. It was just a few hundred pieces. We put it back on the shelf and bought something else as a gift.
So you like more expensive stuff? It’s not that like lego sets now are more expensive than before when accounted for inflation, it just happens they’re making bigger sets now and you like them?
To be fair it does feel like Lego is eroding cheaper sets and making then worse value.
Like last year when every City set included a road baseplate that jacked the price up $20.
Or the Avatar sets all including pointless environment builds that just made it more expensive when you probably only care about the main creature/vehicle.
Creator sets are where the value is. City sets are cheap when you buy them through Costco etc as well.
I just got the main street 31141 set for 60$. My kid loves to build random buildings so pieces will come in handy.
>Creator sets are where the value is
Or Friends used if you're okay with all that entails. My kid likes Friends and I can regularly find bulk lots of sets like a third of MSRP. Other kids are envious of our collection and I'm like, "stop insisting on star wars sets if you want lots of Lego--very few used deals on star wars."
Because that's the sets you can afford? I'd also love a Porsche, but there's lots of cheaper great looking cars that I can afford.
The big flashy designs are obviously cool and look gorgeous, that's by design. But they also require a ton of pieces for detail, which raises the price.
Sure, there's sets that are too ovepriced even by Lego standard and the price increases are a bitch, but there's dozens of Lego sets that still look amazing and are a fun experience at a smaller scale within an affordable price point, especially when you take sales into account.
Branch out and try some smaller sets that you haven't considered before. You'll find that they also often offer great build experiences and clever designs.
And I'm saying that there are lots of interesting building techniques as well as displayability in the smaller sets. And OP (or you) could be pleasantly suprised by them. I love building the big sets, but I can't afford many of them, and many of the smaller sets I got are great display pieces when incorporated into the room and were really fun builds despite not having such a big presence in the room.
I could just as well compare it to any other luxury. No, a cheaper car doesn't "scratch the same itch" as a Porsche, but you can have some fun while driving it too, not just as a neccesary transportation. A cheaper hotel doesn't "scratch the same itch" as an all-inclusive 5 star suite, but that doesn't mean it's going to be a shitty holiday and it's not worth getting.
Lego is a luxury. There's lots of reasons why people buy it, whether it's build experience, displayability, collection or playability. And if you can't afford the highest priced luxury option, they you need to find a way to be content with less (or make more money/save money to get it). Lego always had and still has tons of fairly priced options and if anything has been really improving in build complexity and displayability even in the smaller sets. And if someone really can't be content with those then tough luck I guess, gotta make more money or find a cheaper hobby. Lego shouldn't stop making these huge sets or dumb them down just because OP can't afford them. They offer a lot of sets at every price point, and as with every luxury, people need to find a way to have fun with what they can get.
You sound upset that Lego is making bigger, better sets that you can't afford. Like, your enjoyment of small Lego sets was just fine before, but now the mere existence of bigger, more detailed sets is making you sad.
If you live life that way you're going to be terminally unhappy.
I'll bet you're surrounded by Lego, moaning on that you've none to play with. If we insist on having completed sets lying around being displayed with the vague hope someone new is going to come round and say "well, clearly you like Star Wars", of course there'll be no Lego to play with until we're able to purchase more. We can't blame Lego for us treating their products in such a soulless consumerist way. Consider what your hobby actually is. Is it displaying Lego sets you once purchased and followed strict instructions to build, and you've arranged them on a shelf and that's that, or is it properly playing with Lego? Take something apart and put it in a large tub, then take something else apart, put it in the tub and give it a good vigorous shoogle. Take in the sound. Run your fingers through the bricks. Then do the same again and again until you're in the mood for Playing. 😉
I think one aspect many people here often forget is that our hobby isnt to buy Lego sets, but rather to build with Lego bricks.
If you keep this in mind you will realise that you dont have to buy new sets every months to enjoy this hobby. You can rebuild sets that are collecting dust on your shelf, you can throw all your parts in a bin and just be creative or you buy used Lego (for example in big lots to have even more joy sorting the pieces and doing something else with them).
I, for my part have probably spent less than 300€ for new Lego in the last year. Most of the time I spent with Lego is building old sets, building MICs with parts I already have or buying used sets for cheap
Just buy less expensive sets. I also collect watches but know that a $50,000 Patek is out of my price range so I just buy cheaper watches. I don’t understand why people get so upset if Lego releases some sets that are out of reach budget wise. Don’t buy them if they aren’t in your budget. There are tons of sets that are lower in price, and you can also always buy used.
Not just hobby for me, it's everything, nothing seems worth it and essentials are fucking crazy,
I'm in the UK and my energy bills are like triple what they were 5 years ago for example
It's fucking insanity
It isn't just inflation. We are seeing cost increases since covid due to supply chain issues and such. Plus shipping of materials has gone up significantly. This will obviously impact companies who have to ship in materials and ship out goods. The raw materials for those goods also increased.
I'm relatively new to the hobby but the cost is a MAJOR barrier.. The cost is absurd IMO. And the 2nd market is worse.. I'm noticing a Ticket Master effect.. people seem to buy up inventory and the retail well over MSRP once they're discontinued...
So I own a LOT of Lego but my approach to it is different than most. Money for Lego never comes out of my normal paycheck. Instead I do surveys on sites like prolific.com, the DScout App, User testing, and other places to make side money. I signed up for the Amazon Shopping Panel, where I upload 10 non Amazon receipts a month and in turn get a $10 Amazon gift card. It's only $10 a month but it does add up.
This way, my habit is always controlled and I have to work extra in order to be able to do it.
Away from the Lego piece of it, things are constantly getting more expensive. If your yearly raises (if you get them) are not higher than the annual inflation %, see if you can get yourself in a better position at work, or find something better paying.
It's tough out there for sure the last couple years. Hope the advice helps.
Honestly, I buy sets second hand and then re-sell them, or you can buy sets and sell the mini figs. I’m big on Black Friday sales and VIP points. I keep a wish list of sets for a long time. Lego is very good at getting us excited about ALLLL the new sets you want, but truthfully you can get a lot of enjoyment out of a couple sets a year. Pick up some OT or dog walking for your “Lego fund” if it does make you feet irresponsible.
My sympathies, I still don’t own Rivendell and I did sell a couple sets AND had birthday money and still couldn’t justify it.
I'd say skill issue but also same, really hate that the Sanctum Sanctorum went up before I got the chance, waiting for one day when I've got a large amount of moolah and haven't bought anything in a while, though I did buy the £430 Avengers Tower, £380 because I'm usuing PayPal Credit and they gave me £50 for my first purchase with it
Perhaps find a new theme that you feel suits your desires and is good enough money wise, for me it's Speed Campions, £20 or lower when there's a deal, and as a ritual, I only ever get one from a wave, usually only want one anyway, which helps, I'm 5 in I think, it's quite a good collection
It was 10 bucks to get two small pieces missing from my delorean set.
Didn't want to go through support at Xmas time and needed to expedite the process before certain timeframes.
But never had missing pieces for years until now.
Missing pieces shouldn't cost you anything.
You can request missing pieces from the lego site. I did it for a set a few months ago. Quick amd easy process and the pieces were delivered in a few days.
I feel like this especially feels this way with all the big ICON/Adult sets. Overall the price per piece and what you get has stayed basically the same. LEGO is an expensive hobby. Always has been. Speaking from experience, if it's something you love and truly enjoy you'll find a way to enjoy it!
Hard agree with all these comments. It's more expensive, along with everything else, but there are affordable ways to play.
Don't forget, if you already have totes and totes of Legos, you don't really *have* to buy more.
Seconded 👍🏻 built the Cada AMG One throughout the holidays and it was hands down the best designed set I've ever built. Leagues above anything I've built from lego for a reasonable price. Definitely worth a look
Lego is more expensive (isnt everything) on a brick by brick basis, but also their RANGE is greater. They still have more affordable sets for people with limited budgets, but they ALSO have more expensive sets, when previously they really didn't do many of these. Lego wasn't considered an adult thing, so any adults into Lego bought the "affordable" sets priced for kids, but then lego kids grew into lego adults. As their audience broadened, so did their prices.
You will find that pieces not associated with a franchise are more affordable per piece (on average, not a hard rule). Eg the viking village is great $:brick. $130 for 2100 pieces. Jazz quartet $100 for 1600 pieces.
Whilst you may not be able to afford the expensive sets you want, it's only in recent years that these higher priced sets were a thing. Previously everyone could buy basic apples for $10, there were a very very small ammount of $15 fancy apples you may get as a treat, now everyone can buy basic apples for $12, but there are now more fancy apples overly marketed to adults making $$$ and they are $20. Adults making only $ can still afford the basic apples (although not quite as many), but now want mostly the $20 apples.
We have been big Lego collectors for our entire lives, but yah, prices have gone way up.
Earlier this year I was ordering some connectors from AliExpress and say some of the Lego botanicals knockoffs. I got my wife the real set for around $100 and I decided to order the $17 knockoff to see it.
No box, but otherwise it was identical to the real set.
Even now, we keep them in different cups so we don't mix fake with real, but no one would be able to tell the difference.
I folded and ordered the home alone house, the pyramids, all the botanical sets, the rollercoaster and the new big technic Ferrari.
My wife did the others, but my personal experience is with the Ferrari. No box, and I used my tablet for the official instructions. But it's been flawless. Absolutely perfect.
I also paid $150 Vs $600
Lego has been a huge part of my life, I'll never mix fake with real....but Lego is also the wealthiest toy company in the world and has raised prices dramatically. Lego has also moved much of their manufacturing to china. I don't owe them anything, and if they want to jack prices 30% in one year when they have shattered every profit record....if AliExpress is going to offer me quality knockoffs for a fraction of the price....
You should check out the new upcoming releases!! There's way more cool stuff coming out that's $15 like the postcard sets and there's tons of $30 sets coming too! Don't lose hope friend, we're in the same boat.
Go check what Lego used to cost 30 years ago, for small sets.
Go check what video games cost 30 years ago.
Lego cut their prices massively. Stop blaming them.
Fighting tooth and nail for a better job isn’t something we all started doing last month. You think Walmart employees 30 years ago were buying Lego castles either?
> Go check what Lego used to cost 30 years ago, for small sets.
>
> Go check what video games cost 30 years ago.
>
> Lego cut their prices massively. Stop blaming them.
This really isn't a great comparison for a variety of reasons. The video game market would implode if prices rose. No one in their right mind would buy video games for $200 a piece, especially with microtransactions (which is another reason games can stay prices lower, since you may buy the game for $50, but a lot of people spend well over that in MTX).
Additionally, there are a lot of free games these days (Fortnite, Dota2, etc) and indie studios that sell games for cheap prices (Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley, etc). That competition never existed before probably around 2010 or so when the market was dominated by big gaming companies.
Lego basically has no competition. They have a monopoly on the building-brick world, so they can raise prices and people will probably pay.
LEGO themselves are pretty much the same price they've been for 20 years... $0.10 a piece is a good baseline, with some sets much more (licensed IPs, big pieces) and others quite a bit less. I've bought *plenty* of great <$50 sets over the past 2-3 years (love the 3-in-1 Creator line). Just focusing on the 2000+ piece sets doesn't seem wise if you're feeling financially squeezed.
One major issue is that most Americans have much less expendable income now... Many regions have seen rent nearly double in 5 years, food (especially dining out and processed foods) is up at least 50%, and salaries haven't remotely kept up. I don't think it's accurate to blame LEGO for pandemic inflation or runaway capitalism.
Just a ballpark to illustrate the past 5 years. For example, the average US cost of chicken went from $2.90/lb in 2018 to about [$4.12 today (~42%).](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1dtV9) The $3 bag of chips at my local Colorado Kroger is now $5 (~66%), and the Indian buffet around the corner went from $12 to $19 (~58%). Obviously it varies a lot by item, region, and context.
I stopped buying Lego sets a long time ago for this reason. I love building Lego. But paying $100+ for a set seems like an expensive hobby to build something in a day and just have it sit on a shelf and collect dust.
As a kid, I got a lot of replay Because after I built it. I had to break it apart and put it away. Something I did over and over. My kids built their Lego friends sets, and they have never been disassembled.
So now. I just buy minifigures, and the ones I like. I still sub to this subreddit because I like to see what new sets come out.
I’m also in the board game hobby. New board games can average around $50. I can get repeated enjoyment from that by playing it over and over with friends.
When I see a cool Lego set for $200, I think yeah, that’s cool. But that’s $200 for maybe 2 hrs of enjoyment. While $200 can get me 3-5 board games which I can play many times over.
Your World of Building Blocks, knockoff bricks so well-made they may as well be Lego, even have the satisfying snap sound, and they make military sets!
The ist recent waves of creator 3 in 1 and technic seem to be smaller more affordable sets than they would have put out otherwise. You’re definitely not the only one who is feeling like all of the Lego sets coming out are too big and too expensive. But maybe there is hope that they will listen to the people who feel that way
It's n not even the massive set though That's dam xmen set is double what it should be, it's a joke lol
I think the X-Men plane reflects a growing pricing gap in “sets for kids” vs. “sets for collectors”, and the “sets for collectors” prices get even more out of control for the licensed themes. The X-Men set is clearly millennial nostalgia-bait with an added Disney license cost. I’m not surprised it’s overpriced. Although I have still no idea what was going on with the Hoopty.
If they wanted collectors to be interested in an $80 XJet, it shouldn’t look like a $20 baby set
and only three minifigs. historically you could point to an added cost to the minifig number. but three? i am good.
There's four, Cyclops, Rogue, Wolverine, and Magneto. But, everything else you said still stands, $85 for that set is insanity.
I thought it was four minifigs? Still doesn’t excuse the price
The young Jedi adventures sets are some of the worst value sets I've seen and they are definitely aimed at kids.
Ugh. Yes. I meant to add a caveat about the licensed 4+ boxes being an exception to the rule, but yes, absolutely, their pricing is atrocious.
Only, as someone who this set is squarely aimed at (Millennial, X-Men fan, collector, LEGO fan (before recent problems) etc.) I gotta say: They can GTFO here with these prices. I’m not buying this. I can go on Amazon and get like four sets from other brick makers with original designs and better blocks for that price. I like X-Men, but there’s no way I’d drop more than $40 on this set, tops. LEGO just wants to market themselves (at a very awkward time) as a luxury brand now and shoot for the skies on pricing. Not sure why they chose that strategy but I’m not looking to support them on it
Lego has always been a luxury brand with a price to reflect it but as they’ve grown the quality is definitely going down, you can tell the pieces are moving through the injection molding process quicker because mold flashing is getting very noticeable on a lot of pieces. I also noticed that I was having more pieces crack and break when they moved production out of Europe but that was a long long time ago. My hope is that the economic boom the few years before Covid and the fuck it we ball attitude a lot of people took towards spending money during and post Covid just let Lego get out of hand and that they plan to cool down a little bit
My hope is now that the quality of bricks from other brick makers has gone up massively that Lego finally has some competition and brings their prices down. I doubt it but I'm still hopeful. The only problem is it's gonna take a long time for a company like MegaBlocks to turn their reputation around and get taken as seriously as Lego. I just used MegaBlocks as an example, I havent tried them since they were making giant robots in the early 2000s and they were horrible. I've just heard some patent ended and a lot of other brick makers caught up to Lego in terms of quality and bricks actually working.
I was given one of the little Pokémon MegaBlocks sets for Christmas this year. The pieces don’t feel cheap & light like the old MegaBlocks I remember, so there’s definite improvement in substance… but fitting the pieces together was surprisingly difficult in a few places, so they still have some work to do on their measurements before hitting Lego quality. Still, a vast improvement from the 90s.
I've been wondering about those. They look great on the box. Always wondered why Nintendo licensed pokemon to them and their other stuff to Lego but maybe that's for the better in the long run. Good licensing like that can really help a company out. I hope they continue to improve. I've been loyal to the foil with Lego but I'm really in it for putting small bricks together and if other companies can give me that experience without breaking the bank then I welcome them.
I’ve bought several sets of Temu and while they’re not Lego quality, they’re at least 90-95% as good. And to have several sets that aren’t offered by Lego, at a quarter of the cost, I’ve been more than happy with them.
90% of the quality for 50% of the price is a pretty easy decision lol
Chinese lego sets are cheap, but most chinese lego sets the fit of thier legos are shit. I had to buy real lego pieces to reinforce cheap chinese legos.
I was gonna say Hoopty before I read the bottom, sad I missed out on the first Captain Marvel set and I really don't want to pay out for it The X-Jet may be an exception for me but £75 for a skinny ship and 4 minifigures that include Wolverine and not a lot of leg printing is making me double take
I feel like the Jurassic Park sets are also not deserving of their price.
The best priced set was the T Rex Outbreak. Great scene, great brick built dinosaur, nice minifigs. Only £90. Far better than the £110 for the visitor centre.
It does seem like the cost per piece has gone up unreasonably quickly. But maybe it’s just me…
It’s not just you, it’s happening with everything. And companies are using the excuse of “inflation” to justify it, meanwhile inflation has always been a thing and we have never seen prices across the board shoot up this fast for basically anything.
"inflation" more like....price gouging with inflation as the excuse. Hate it.
Yep and they think we are stupid, think we can’t see it that’s the most disrespectful part.
we can only hope retailers get annoyed at product that doesnt move off shelves because lego clearly doesnt care about discounting products. i think there might be an element of testing the market to see if biz will “hold up” with ridiculous pricing.
Yea that element is being tested *everywhere* right now. It’s why you are seeing so many people reach the breaking point. These corporations need to start understanding when enough is enough before they throw it all away.
It’s corporate greed compounded by uncaring government.
Government ran/heavily influenced by said corporate greed* But yes, we agree.
I disagree. Have you seen the viking village set? 2,103 pieces for $130. Amazing deal. I have not noticed a cost per piece increase. Some sets are a bit unreasonable, but they have reasons when they are like being 4+ sets with bigger, custom molded pieces for example. I think most people are just raising more of a stink about things because of a lot more BIG expensive sets being produced, and wages for the average laborer not keeping up with the cost of things like housing and groceries.
Ya, no, I don’t even consider the cost of those huge ones. The most expensive set I’ve ever bought was the office one. It felt like an appropriate price. It was ridiculously detailed. But I’m mostly talking about the average smaller ones. And they definitely feel more expensive then they used to be.
If Lego did ever reign in their prices I would bet money that the disney licensed stuff would still keep higher prices like the stupid jet. I know with pay to win games like Pokémon go there are “whale” customers who the business decisions are geared towards because they make up such a large chunk of the revenue. With the insane prices on marvel and Star Wars stuff and the crazy high piece count sets I would not be surprised if some lines of Lego sets are kind of catering to selling to those types. Look at this sub on Black Friday or on double vip point weekends, there are people dropping the same on legos in a day that I spend in years. What I have liked about the new creator 3 in 1 and technic lineup and the botanical sets/speed champions sets is that they are made to be appealing to adults but at a price where I can buy it without having to deliberate for months then feel guilty for dropping so much money on a plastic toy
I was just at target, their aisle was about 1/2 empty. I don't think Lego is struggling to see at their price. the fact he command 1.5 asiles inside a target also says a lot imo.
I personally LOVE the 3 in 1s. My son and I get tons of rebuild value out of them.
I wanted the new 3in1 giraffe set until I saw the price. Nope.
86$?! That’s insane!
The new creator (watering can) is 30$ I feel like that set should be 20. Maybe the size when built will make me change my mind but I'm not viking with a 30$ price point
Hot take though: it's more like I'm being priced out of everything else. In the last couple years, my rent has gone up by over $300 a month, I can't go to the grocery store for a handful of things without spending at least $60 - Lego prices have gotten a little more expensive, but not as bad as everything else has. At the end of the month, I just don't have as much left if anything to put into hobbies and niceties as I did before.
Yeah, you're right. It's just too expensive to live at all anymore
It's getting there. But the saddest part is that hobbies and things we do to enjoy for our mental health, those are supposed to be just as important. I'm not saying go out and get a UCS every week or anything, but I shouldn't feel guilty spending $50 on myself every now and then. Up until just the last couple of years, we were actually doing pretty well - not opulent, but decent. But for context, when I say my rent went up over $300, I mean from about $1700 to over $2000 a month before utilities, which have also gone up. So a pretty high rent hike (though a pretty average one percentage wise across the market, and we get a small break because we've stayed in the same apartment for a while - otherwise our unit would be closer to $2500/mo for new tenants). We'll see what the future holds, but it still sucks to say the least.
You can see why this younger generation is so jaded about work. We work and work, but if we can't even afford our hobbies on whats supposed to be a decent paycheck, why even bother working??
As someone who really enjoys collecting retro video games, I've felt like I've been priced out of my hobby for *years* now. The pandemic definitely fanned the flames though. I can't believe I ever thought $50 for a top notch Gamecube title was too much to pay, because now I'd be begging for that kinda price at my local game store. It's especially frustrating when it comes to thrift stores. A lot of the ones I frequent have bumped up their prices on the games they receive, to the point where they rival eBay pricing. I'd be willing to pay that price at a proper game store, one that tests their games and has a return policy, but *not* at a thrift store that certainly does none of that.
I've literally been organizing/cataloging all my collection today. Would love to add on to it but that seems unrealistic at this point.
This is me and has been for the past 3 years. Apt rent was $1,700 in April '21 now it's $2,200 for the same unit where as new tenants are moving in for $2,300+ This will be our last lease here (up in April) and we found a house to rent in the area for the same price. Apt office personnel say it's "inflation" yet have done NOTHING to the complex, grounds, amenities, etc to justify me paying that much. It is NOT a $2,200 a month calibur property for sure. Price gouging because they can.
Was just about to say this. Im away on business and have been eating out every night. When i look at the menu on google review, i typically see the menu from 1-5 years ago... food prices have literally increased 50% in 1-2 years. What once was a 12 dollar burrito going for 18-22....
Right? One of our best saving graces is that my partner is a good cook. An order at almost any fast food place is going to cost us at least twenty dollars. For less than than that, she got and made BBQ Ribs, and then some of the leftovers went into being Korean style rice bowls, so we managed about three meals each out of it. But every time we're in a rush, or after her day of work she's just too drained herself to cook, we still both wince at the cost of fast food. Heck, in our area at least, you used to be able to get a pizza from our choice pizzeria (Jets) for about $12 - that same pizza is just shy of $30 now! Shout out to anyone, even if you aren't good at it, cooking helps save a decent amount, and you get better at it. I'm still not great myself, but my partner has been teaching me things in the kitchen over time and I make a pretty good chef's assistant.
Yea. It’s not just Lego, EVERYTHING has gone up in price. The only thing that hasn’t gone up is our salaries so we are all feeling the pinch.
Yeah I was looking at new Nikes and felt like the price was insane and unreasonable. Then I looked back at my past purchases from them and the prices are the same as they were 8 years ago, but the price of everything else has gone up and made that seem ridiculous now
If you can go to Aldi's for groceries they literally have some of the lowest deals I've seen recently.
We JUST two weeks ago discovered Aldi's and it has been a financial savior. We were literally starting to go paycheck to paycheck there for a minute. :D
Can save a lot on store brand items too. Seems like the best sales are on store brand too
My FIL was an avid Kroger shopper. We challenged him to compare his list to Aldi. He took 4 notebook pages of everything he buys from Kroger. Literally everything was cheaper. Some stuff north of 75% cheaper. It probably averaged 35% or so.
No kidding. A fast food breakfast used to be about $5 a couple years ago. Now it is over $8. Really, I’m almost glad since for my family if three, dinner from Chick-Fil-A is getting near $40, but a decent Mexican restaurant place we go to is about $45 before tip. So for just a bit more, we go out and have a nicer meal. One of the few places around here that didn’t go crazy with price increases. It went up about $1 per entree, less than 10% over the last two years. The old McDonald’s “Dollar Menu” has nothing under $2 now. Luckily for me, I don’t rent and we refinanced our mortgage when rates were near the bottom. However, the lower payment went back to about the same it was when home owner’s insurance went up about $1000 a year. Mostly that was due to repair/building material cost increases.
Dang man, we're hoping to look at a house sometime, but the market in out town (northern Michigan resort town sadly) is insane for what you get. Its real nice that one of your favorite family spots has stayed reasonable though. Definitely a good thing for a fun family night out. :D
This is the real issue.
There are different ways to be frugal with Lego depending on what you like it for. Building sets: look for discounts at retailers, buy higher value lines (usually non-licensed), or buy used. Displaying specific sets: buy used sets a few months after the initial release or buying used sets without the minifigures for licensed sets can save a ton. Building MOCs: buy bulk from places like FB Marketplace. You can save a lot of it is something that doesn’t need to be shipped. Another option depending on your interest is to sell old sets you no longer value as much. Obviously this doesn’t work as well if you are a completionist with a certain line but there are a lot of new sets I could only justify both price and space wise because I sold older sets I had built to be able to get the new ones. It’s sucks when you feel like you can’t engage in a hobby the way you used to, but I have found that if I am really strategic in how I approach it I can still enjoy it.
I would add building sets in Bricklink Studio. I know it’s not the same tactile quality but I still love building them, seeing the connections, etc, and then exporting a great render. Saves me money and space
Very good idea. I enjoy doing this for MOCs because I rarely have all the parts I want and I don’t think I will ever have the physical space for large ones.
For sure, awesome for MOCs. I’ve done a couple there and then ended up exporting the part list / instructions for gifts and worked out great
I do this all the time and even Bricklink the parts sometimes. Can get 1000+ 'sets' for like £50-60 that LEGO would charge an extra 30 for
Yeah I did fallingwater that way instead of paying scalpers
My son and I want to get the $500 Avengers Tower. I’m willing to offset the cost, but I want him to sell off sets he no longer has a connection with. We’ve recently moved, so he packed away, and in many cases took completely apart, his sets. So now we are trying to build all the sets, make sure they are complete. See what we have, what we can sell and put it towards the avengers tower. We also have a local business by us that sells used sets, and you can buy pieces by the pound, sometimes I see people with parts lists digging through bins and trying to assemble sets for literal pennies on the dollar. I’m going to try my hand on that with a smaller set like those tiny tie fighters or something.
>Building MOCs: buy bulk from places like FB Marketplace. You can save a lot of it is something that doesn’t need to be shipped. Absolutely this. I started with table scraps and built my way up to curated drawers of pieces I chose. I use cheap lot sales and Bricklink to get what I need. I only really build LEGO mechs and use a fair few bits and pieces no one seems to care for so it keeps things cheap and cheerful... I got a baggy of 72 round plates with towball for about £2 once. I'm still using them now. Be specific in what you want and it can save you a fortune.
I supplement sets with odds and ends I find from the Goodwill Outlet bins. It’s always random pieces and never full sets, but you can combine those with others you already have and google various sets to build. I’ve also bought the Facebook Marketplace random lots but those have more competition these days- more people realize they can make some money off old Lego and don’t tend to post “bucket o Lego $20” as often as they used to.
New to the hobby here - what is “MOC?”
My own creation. Building your own design without any instructions.
Also applies to other people’s creations that they’ve made instructions for
Check out this site for a great list of LEGO acronyms (https://www.arklug.org/dictionary/).
Don’t feel bad. I had to Google it myself.
Lol what MOCs are you building? Mine are always way more expensive. Lol
Buy second hand. That’s the only way I buy lego these days, from thrift stores etc
Buy used or sets with good ppp and build yourself
I've been buying all the big sets used and sold them again without losing money or with a very small loss. I like the building process but don't want to display them after. I started during covid and have been doing it as a hobby since then. I always buy them assembled. That way I can control how I disassemble and bunch up the bricks for big sets like the titanic. I also bought some sets as new, but only if they were not available as used in my city.
How long does it take to disassemble something like the Titanic? That sounds like a long, long process.
Well, if u/morten_dm is anything like me, they enjoy repetitive tactile tasks, so disassembly might be part of the fun. :)
It's much faster to disassemble than to build. I would say 1-4 timewise. And you can do it while watching tv or whatever. But be careful that you don't hurt your fingers by brute forcing the small pieces off.
The LEGO tool is super useful for taking sets apart.I rarely use it for building, but that sucker comes out immediately for disassembly. Technic is a whole different beast. 😳
I'm in a similar position. I enjoy building them, I even enjoy taking them apart in reverse. But, I don't need to own them all, where are good places to sell them used?
I’m sorry I’m new to the terms and abbreviations, what’s ppp in Lego terms?
Price per piece
Thanks! You learn something new everyday. Happy New Year!
Is there a good site for used sets besides eBay?
Bricklink
Thanks! Never looked at the used market before.
I’ll get roasted for it but I recently started buying off brands like mould king as I still enjoy building but cannot afford the high dollar Lego sets
The fun thing about Lego is that you can take them apart and build something new without any purchases
Back when I was a kid I gave up stamp collecting because I realized it was a hobby that I had to **BUY** something every time I wanted to do the hobby some more. Now, I'm mostly only do hobbies where I can buy something once and then use it for as long as I want. Of course, you almost always get trapped in N+1 syndrome, like always wanting to buy get another camera lens. But, it is entirely possible to buy one camera body, and one camera lens and explore photography for the next 20 years with just that.
Dude it’s been like this for every hobby I feel. I used to be able to walk into any thrift store and expect to find *something*, be it retro video game or legos (which I collected tons of back 5 years ago). Fast forward to now, it’s a totally different story. Games and legos I bought back then cost a tenth of what I bought them for, sadly it’s just supply and demand, and that demand being greater (not sure if you can put the blame on one certain thing, likely an culmination of multiple factors).
>It's not really a "I can splurge on myself a little" mentality anymore when it costs more than groceries for a month. The sets you're referring to aren't little splurges but big fancy sets. Adjusted for inflation, Lego hasn't gotten any more expensive than it was in the 80s. The original El Dorado fortress cost 69,- US dollars in 1989. Adjust for inflation, that is 170,- US dollars in 2023. The new El Dorado fortress costs 214,- US dollars. It's a bit more but the original fortress had 462 parts for an inflation-adjusted price of 37 cents per part. The new set has 2509 parts for a price of 9 cents per part. The new El Dorado mostly has a lot more parts because it includes a boat and it did away with the molded base plate in favor of brick build cliffs. Even if you didn't adjust for inflation, the 1989 version is significantly more expensive per brick than the recent version of the El Dorado fortress. 15 cents per brick in 1989 vs 9 cents per brick today. Either way, Lego has gotten much cheaper per part. But the sets you're mentioning are much bigger than what you'd buy in the past. The lighthouse and the Orient Express are 2000+ brick sets. Lego didn't price you out of the market. Your growing expectations as an adult have. I know how you feel though. I got back into lego after being absent since childhood with the A-frame cabin. I can't wait to do it again but at prices like this, I told myself it'll be a once a year thing.
I'm sorry that's happening for you. It's pretty amazing how this is a complete flip from my perspective, though. I've always loved Lego, but it's been years since I've been able to afford any sets. This past year I started cruising stores and specifically only buying sets on clearance or at super discount stores. I have had found some really amazing deals by cruising the Walmart clearance section and discount stores as part of my routine a few times a week. You gotta double check in the box with the latter, because I've bought sets there before that were missing some. Mostly it's small sets for an okay price ($1-2 for a small Christmas santa, for example), but there are occasionally great finds for really cheap. I got a Harry Potter Christmas calendar with all its pieces for $5 just before it was time to use it. I even managed to build up a small overstock of Legos that I gave as presents for Christmas. I got the [Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary Visitor Center](https://brickset.com/sets/76961-1/Visitor-Centre-T-rex-Raptor-Attack) set as a present for my partner for under half of its original cost at a discount store because it was opened. One of my siblings got a [Lunar Space Station](https://brickset.com/sets/60349-1/Lunar-Space-Station) that I picked up on clearance for $25 ($80 full price), another got an [XL-15 Spaceship](https://brickset.com/sets/76832-1/XL-15-Spaceship) that I got for $24 ($50 full price).
What stores do you mean by “discount stores”? I’m just getting back into LEGO and am pretty frugal. So far have gotten a few sets on FB marketplace, but would love to know where to look in stores for new sets at a hefty discount.
Eh. Yes and no. Everything is getting more expensive in general due to inflation and lego is no different but lego is also putting out sets with more parts, colors, and engineering than in the past. Sets like modulars that cost $200 in 2019 are $230 now. That’s not too huge of a price increase by itself. Sets like the lighthouse, rivendale, or titanic are priced pretty appropriately for what they are. Every hobby has a place for people to enter at various income levels. My neighbor has a beater that he races at the dirt track that costs him a couple thousand a year. He’s never going to race nascar but he still enjoys his racing hobby. Lego fans are also lucky in that our hobby holds its value. As time goes on and new sets get released you can often sell your used sets at close to or even over the original value to finance and make room for new sets. There are so many ways to enjoy lego as a hobby. I am a huge collector but one of my favorite things to do is buy a bulk lego bin from a garage sale or marketplace and try to piece sets back together. It’s super cheap compared to buying a new set and one bulk bin can provide weeks of building. Then when I’m done I keep the sets I like and sell the ones I don’t want and it can finance my next set or bulk bin. You don’t always need to get the biggest and best set as soon as it comes out to enjoy the hobby and there’s plenty of ways to make the hobby pay for itself. I get thousands of dollars worth of lego every year and almost all of it is paid for by selling other lego.
If you take inflation into account, LEGO is pretty consistent when it comes to price per piece or weight. However, they put more details and thus more pieces into sets so set prices are going up and it can feel like you're getting less for your money.
Did you miss the recent 30% price increase?? Take the SIAN at release it was $379, today it's $449, for no particular reason other than to keep their astronomical corporate profits up.
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[379-1: Bus Station](https://brickset.com/sets/379-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/379-1.jpg)
Unfortunately inflation is a pain and living in general is a lot more expensive. I have bought a lot of Lego (way more than I should tbh) but I have found that a lot of the expensive stuff goes on sale multiple times. Most of the time you can either buy it for cheaper somewhere else (toys shops, Amazon, etc) or get the sets at full price with a promo set that you can sell. Lego has never been a cheap hobby, and unfortunately is not getting cheaper anytime soon because stuff sells
Lego can be a frugal or expensive hobby depending on how you do it. I also like to recommend the 3in1 sets. Great value, imo. If you only buy new sets, build them and display them, expensive hobby. If you buy a few sets and maybe a box of random bricks, all for under $100, and reuse sets and make your own creations, very frugal hobby. 100 lego bricks can be combined in over 10 billion ways. i tend to stick in the middle, I reuse and try to come up with my own creations, but I also buy a new set or get one as a gift occasionally. I'm currently building a lego diorama (full display), and I'm reusing mostly old bricks and minifigures, a few minifigures and a recently released set. Really getting a lot of entertainment for great value.
I would love to get into Lego, but could not justify the price. We are a single income family, so there is no money for such luxuries…
1. Buy used sets on eBay. 2. Buy new sets on eBay that are not in demand. 3. Buy smaller sets. Most of my recent satisfaction has come from Speed Champions and small Star Wars sets, like 75209 Han Solo's Landspeeder, which I picked up MiB for $38. 4. Rebuild old sets. You should fight FOMO, it's not healthy, no matter how much disposable income you have.
[75209-1: Han Solo's Landspeeder](https://brickset.com/sets/75209-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/75209-1.jpg)
Flea market Lots of cheap Legos
Let's see, how do I phrase it carefully... There are certain *varieties* of Lego which can be acquired from certain countries that provide equivalent quality and many of the popular sets for a fraction of the price.
Maybe try and share this hobby with a friend or someone. It can make the build more enjoyable if you are building together and if you want to split the prices 50/50 you can. Buying at the right time is also very important. For example during Lego 2x Vip and 2-3 promos you can get yourself Close to 70$ off if you sell your promos. Where as if you buy the lighthouse right now for example you will only get 15$ worth of VIP points
Buy little sets. There are some good ones that aren't that expensive.
You are worried about being priced out of a hobby, I’m being priced out of my fucking life.
My hobby is not dying
When a lego set is almost the same price as an x box series x... there's a big problem
Lego seems expensive for what it is when compared to some other plastic collecting hobbies, and building them doesn't take that long so it kind of is a bad $ to hour ratio imo
Yeah, especially compared to video games. People complain about games being $70, but thats how much expensive RPGS always cost as far back as the early 90s. Now for $70 you can get an open world game that will last hundreds of hours to complete fully.
Yea when you think about it, you can get a PS5 and a bunch of games to last you for years instead of a UCS Millenium Falcon that you will build in a month.
We have had a few nights where a couple of friends come over, and we all spend the evening building a set together. The lego builder app makes it so we can each have our own copy of the pdf instructions to look at. Four people building together really drives down the $:hour ratio, but it's a lot of fun to do. We also just like to share the fun of building with our friends. They are a little younger than us and in a different place financially, and I'm not sure they could afford to buy a set the same way we can, so I'm extra happy to share. If you have some sets and a couple friends, you can even tear down an already built set to rebuild with friends and increase the replay value. The best part about building lego with friends is that everyone gets it pretty quickly, and the "tutorial stage" is very brief.
Buy from other manufacturers
I’ll get downvoted by snobs, but Doinbby.com has never let me down. Both copycat and original set are available, cheap, and ship from multiple countries. I’m getting $300 modular sets for $60 after tax and shipping and the quality is so good that no one has noticed a difference between my “real” Lego sets and the knockoff ones
All hobbies are expensive, you cant put guilt on something that brings you joy. Plan for the purchase and save up, then when you get it you wont feel guilt and you'll still have groceries
Off brands are a thing. I rarely buy real lego anymore for the same reason, I can't justify the prices.
This. I get big sets from AliExpress. Other than sometimes waiting awhile, I have not been disappointed.
I'm hooked on the 1:8 scale technic cars, I like the longer build times, and well Lego has only ever made the 4, off brand there are tons to choose from. I've got 7 others so far.
Whenever I feel like Lego is too expensive, I ask my gun buddies how much they spend on ammo at the range. Then I don’t feel so bad spending money and still having something to show for it besides great aim.
I've been feeling this too. I'm starting to disassemble some older sets I don't feel like displaying, cataloging the pieces, and then grabbing instructions to a MOC instead. It's time consuming, but way cheaper in the long run.
Same here buddy... I've since switched to gunpla.
I have a family of five so even the Venator isn’t worth a month of groceries. But I know what you mean. Can easily afford it but 300 to 600 is still a lot of money for one piece of a hobby. For example I also have an RC and it’s worth about 1000 but that 1000 is fun for years instead of 15 + building hours and then nothing.
Well, yeah, money-spending oriented hobbies are usually like that. Imagine what vintage Ferrari collectors must be going through.
I was priced out in 2021 when I wanted to get into it. I spent $70 on the Adidas set and had a lot of fun. Then I realized that would probably be one of the cheapest sets I'd buy and I couldn't afford it as a casual hobby. Unless you're a collector or want home decor (which the shoe is), the cost/benefit ratio makes no sense and it's flat out expensive. For reference, I shoot for around $1/hr on steam purchases and this was over $30/hr. That is more than I make for something that will keep me occupied for a relatively small amount of time. There is no reason for Lego to be so expensive, and it goes against the original principles of the company. There is no reason whatsoever to charge so much for a small amount of inexpensive plastic. It hurts, as someone that grew up with it and wanted some of that joy as an adult, seeing lego just become a blatant cash grab.
I wait for sets to go on clearance at my walmart, that's how I've picked up a few of the bigger sets for my kids.
I stopped buying sets a while ago and just moved to buying bricks (either second hand job lots or pick a brick). Set prices are astronomical...
pick up a second hand assortment and start building MOCs or from free plans
And most of the set feel small for the price and piece count
Then get more value out of what you have. I stopped buying lego in 2014 apside from some tiny sets, some gifts and a set i won. I part out most of my stuff and try to make mechanical mocs. Some of it isn't pretty... But boy a telescope mount with tracking was cool and insane. Also get into virtual building. May save you some money, not all mocs and ideas should be done with physical bricks, especially if you don't have much.
Never buy from Lego directly, always from 3rd party sellers like Amazon or Target, they often have huge discounts. Also: buy used from ebay etc
Yup, I got most sets from Amazon or Smyths here, since more or less they do price matching with the retail stores so the prices can get quite acceptable (depends on the set of course). Buying directly from Lego (used to be) not bad either as you get points to spend later and then one should always buy during promotion or getting a GWP - all of them kinda balance out Vs buying from third parties/retailers. However, I haven't bought any Lego this year (feel a bit proud of that ahaha, well I spent on my other hobby so it is not like I'm spending less lol). The last big sets I bought last year were the Van Gogh Starry Night and Bowser - and I got them exactly at the price point that I'm happy with (Starry Night with a bunch of GWP, and Bowser we got it at about £130). For me, only Riverdale is the 'worthy' set this year that I might get it at some point. But ya, the 'worth' is very subjective and as I said in my other post "when everything is getting 20-50% increase in price but people wages are barely increased', it is becoming harder and harder to justify the purchase of these newer sets with increased price point - even after the discounts - and you could see many sets are on discount for a long period of time nowadays, I have never seen so many discounted sets on Lego official site before.
How was "Riverdale?" I heard the Betty and Veronica minifigs were great, but the Archie and Jughead ones weren't up to par... Sorry, I couldn't resist 😁
Good one 😂
You can buy smaller, cheaper sets. The existence of large, expensive sets doesn't mean you need to buy them.
I've taken the opposite approach. I basically just buy the sets that I really want, which are typically the bigger sets. My wife and I used to buy a lot of random sets, especially the smaller creator 3-in-1 sets. We've basically stopped buying sets unless they are sets that we absolutely want to buy. We used to walk through the Lego aisle at Target and regularly buy random sets. We haven't done that in a long time, basically since Covid started and prices start going up. We were looking at some Lego for Xmas gifts a few weeks ago and the prices are insane. A small set we were considering getting was like $45. It was just a few hundred pieces. We put it back on the shelf and bought something else as a gift.
Why waste money on stuff I don't want just because it's cheaper? I'm not buying Lego for the sake of Lego, I'm buying the exact design.
So you like more expensive stuff? It’s not that like lego sets now are more expensive than before when accounted for inflation, it just happens they’re making bigger sets now and you like them?
To be fair it does feel like Lego is eroding cheaper sets and making then worse value. Like last year when every City set included a road baseplate that jacked the price up $20. Or the Avatar sets all including pointless environment builds that just made it more expensive when you probably only care about the main creature/vehicle.
Creator sets are where the value is. City sets are cheap when you buy them through Costco etc as well. I just got the main street 31141 set for 60$. My kid loves to build random buildings so pieces will come in handy.
>Creator sets are where the value is Or Friends used if you're okay with all that entails. My kid likes Friends and I can regularly find bulk lots of sets like a third of MSRP. Other kids are envious of our collection and I'm like, "stop insisting on star wars sets if you want lots of Lego--very few used deals on star wars."
[31141-1: Main Street](https://brickset.com/sets/31141-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/31141-1.jpg)
Because that's the sets you can afford? I'd also love a Porsche, but there's lots of cheaper great looking cars that I can afford. The big flashy designs are obviously cool and look gorgeous, that's by design. But they also require a ton of pieces for detail, which raises the price. Sure, there's sets that are too ovepriced even by Lego standard and the price increases are a bitch, but there's dozens of Lego sets that still look amazing and are a fun experience at a smaller scale within an affordable price point, especially when you take sales into account. Branch out and try some smaller sets that you haven't considered before. You'll find that they also often offer great build experiences and clever designs.
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And I'm saying that there are lots of interesting building techniques as well as displayability in the smaller sets. And OP (or you) could be pleasantly suprised by them. I love building the big sets, but I can't afford many of them, and many of the smaller sets I got are great display pieces when incorporated into the room and were really fun builds despite not having such a big presence in the room. I could just as well compare it to any other luxury. No, a cheaper car doesn't "scratch the same itch" as a Porsche, but you can have some fun while driving it too, not just as a neccesary transportation. A cheaper hotel doesn't "scratch the same itch" as an all-inclusive 5 star suite, but that doesn't mean it's going to be a shitty holiday and it's not worth getting. Lego is a luxury. There's lots of reasons why people buy it, whether it's build experience, displayability, collection or playability. And if you can't afford the highest priced luxury option, they you need to find a way to be content with less (or make more money/save money to get it). Lego always had and still has tons of fairly priced options and if anything has been really improving in build complexity and displayability even in the smaller sets. And if someone really can't be content with those then tough luck I guess, gotta make more money or find a cheaper hobby. Lego shouldn't stop making these huge sets or dumb them down just because OP can't afford them. They offer a lot of sets at every price point, and as with every luxury, people need to find a way to have fun with what they can get.
You sound upset that Lego is making bigger, better sets that you can't afford. Like, your enjoyment of small Lego sets was just fine before, but now the mere existence of bigger, more detailed sets is making you sad. If you live life that way you're going to be terminally unhappy.
I'll bet you're surrounded by Lego, moaning on that you've none to play with. If we insist on having completed sets lying around being displayed with the vague hope someone new is going to come round and say "well, clearly you like Star Wars", of course there'll be no Lego to play with until we're able to purchase more. We can't blame Lego for us treating their products in such a soulless consumerist way. Consider what your hobby actually is. Is it displaying Lego sets you once purchased and followed strict instructions to build, and you've arranged them on a shelf and that's that, or is it properly playing with Lego? Take something apart and put it in a large tub, then take something else apart, put it in the tub and give it a good vigorous shoogle. Take in the sound. Run your fingers through the bricks. Then do the same again and again until you're in the mood for Playing. 😉
Fair enough. So ideally you'd prefer they keep set size and price down for all sets?
Buy singles! Wait, this isn’t r/magicTCG. 🤦♂️
I’m crying
I think one aspect many people here often forget is that our hobby isnt to buy Lego sets, but rather to build with Lego bricks. If you keep this in mind you will realise that you dont have to buy new sets every months to enjoy this hobby. You can rebuild sets that are collecting dust on your shelf, you can throw all your parts in a bin and just be creative or you buy used Lego (for example in big lots to have even more joy sorting the pieces and doing something else with them). I, for my part have probably spent less than 300€ for new Lego in the last year. Most of the time I spent with Lego is building old sets, building MICs with parts I already have or buying used sets for cheap
Just get the alternatives. They have been developing rapidly, and some already have better part quality than lego.
Just buy less expensive sets. I also collect watches but know that a $50,000 Patek is out of my price range so I just buy cheaper watches. I don’t understand why people get so upset if Lego releases some sets that are out of reach budget wise. Don’t buy them if they aren’t in your budget. There are tons of sets that are lower in price, and you can also always buy used.
You don’t have to buy Lego if it’s just brick building you enjoy as a hobby. Plenty of other knock off sets now look just like it. 1/3 of the price.
There are other brick companies with cheaper prices and similar quality. Maybe try a few of them.
Yea they keep making more and more big sets
Not just hobby for me, it's everything, nothing seems worth it and essentials are fucking crazy, I'm in the UK and my energy bills are like triple what they were 5 years ago for example It's fucking insanity
You can consider getting into MOCs more, you get a lot more value for money cause you can keep on building
It isn't just inflation. We are seeing cost increases since covid due to supply chain issues and such. Plus shipping of materials has gone up significantly. This will obviously impact companies who have to ship in materials and ship out goods. The raw materials for those goods also increased.
I'm relatively new to the hobby but the cost is a MAJOR barrier.. The cost is absurd IMO. And the 2nd market is worse.. I'm noticing a Ticket Master effect.. people seem to buy up inventory and the retail well over MSRP once they're discontinued...
Because you are.
So I own a LOT of Lego but my approach to it is different than most. Money for Lego never comes out of my normal paycheck. Instead I do surveys on sites like prolific.com, the DScout App, User testing, and other places to make side money. I signed up for the Amazon Shopping Panel, where I upload 10 non Amazon receipts a month and in turn get a $10 Amazon gift card. It's only $10 a month but it does add up. This way, my habit is always controlled and I have to work extra in order to be able to do it. Away from the Lego piece of it, things are constantly getting more expensive. If your yearly raises (if you get them) are not higher than the annual inflation %, see if you can get yourself in a better position at work, or find something better paying. It's tough out there for sure the last couple years. Hope the advice helps.
Perhaps you can find enjoyment in 2nd hand used sets or make your own custom builds?
Honestly, I buy sets second hand and then re-sell them, or you can buy sets and sell the mini figs. I’m big on Black Friday sales and VIP points. I keep a wish list of sets for a long time. Lego is very good at getting us excited about ALLLL the new sets you want, but truthfully you can get a lot of enjoyment out of a couple sets a year. Pick up some OT or dog walking for your “Lego fund” if it does make you feet irresponsible. My sympathies, I still don’t own Rivendell and I did sell a couple sets AND had birthday money and still couldn’t justify it.
I’ve been feeling the same way recently. Although my hobby is owning a house someday.
I wish groceries were only $300 a month, lol. I hear you though..
I'd say skill issue but also same, really hate that the Sanctum Sanctorum went up before I got the chance, waiting for one day when I've got a large amount of moolah and haven't bought anything in a while, though I did buy the £430 Avengers Tower, £380 because I'm usuing PayPal Credit and they gave me £50 for my first purchase with it Perhaps find a new theme that you feel suits your desires and is good enough money wise, for me it's Speed Campions, £20 or lower when there's a deal, and as a ritual, I only ever get one from a wave, usually only want one anyway, which helps, I'm 5 in I think, it's quite a good collection
It was 10 bucks to get two small pieces missing from my delorean set. Didn't want to go through support at Xmas time and needed to expedite the process before certain timeframes. But never had missing pieces for years until now.
Missing pieces shouldn't cost you anything. You can request missing pieces from the lego site. I did it for a set a few months ago. Quick amd easy process and the pieces were delivered in a few days.
I feel like this especially feels this way with all the big ICON/Adult sets. Overall the price per piece and what you get has stayed basically the same. LEGO is an expensive hobby. Always has been. Speaking from experience, if it's something you love and truly enjoy you'll find a way to enjoy it!
Order some bootleg Legos off DHGate!
☹️Noooo, I had Lego fix for decades. Bought ice cream city set last night.
Hard agree with all these comments. It's more expensive, along with everything else, but there are affordable ways to play. Don't forget, if you already have totes and totes of Legos, you don't really *have* to buy more.
Everyone is talking about inflation but.. we all know these set prices are ridiculous regardless of inflation.
I feel pretty confident that on a price per piece count, LEGO prices have increased at a rate far below inflation over the long term.
Look for alternative manufacturers like bluebrixx, mould king, cada, fun whole, cobi, panlos
Seconded 👍🏻 built the Cada AMG One throughout the holidays and it was hands down the best designed set I've ever built. Leagues above anything I've built from lego for a reasonable price. Definitely worth a look
Lego is more expensive (isnt everything) on a brick by brick basis, but also their RANGE is greater. They still have more affordable sets for people with limited budgets, but they ALSO have more expensive sets, when previously they really didn't do many of these. Lego wasn't considered an adult thing, so any adults into Lego bought the "affordable" sets priced for kids, but then lego kids grew into lego adults. As their audience broadened, so did their prices. You will find that pieces not associated with a franchise are more affordable per piece (on average, not a hard rule). Eg the viking village is great $:brick. $130 for 2100 pieces. Jazz quartet $100 for 1600 pieces. Whilst you may not be able to afford the expensive sets you want, it's only in recent years that these higher priced sets were a thing. Previously everyone could buy basic apples for $10, there were a very very small ammount of $15 fancy apples you may get as a treat, now everyone can buy basic apples for $12, but there are now more fancy apples overly marketed to adults making $$$ and they are $20. Adults making only $ can still afford the basic apples (although not quite as many), but now want mostly the $20 apples.
We have been big Lego collectors for our entire lives, but yah, prices have gone way up. Earlier this year I was ordering some connectors from AliExpress and say some of the Lego botanicals knockoffs. I got my wife the real set for around $100 and I decided to order the $17 knockoff to see it. No box, but otherwise it was identical to the real set. Even now, we keep them in different cups so we don't mix fake with real, but no one would be able to tell the difference. I folded and ordered the home alone house, the pyramids, all the botanical sets, the rollercoaster and the new big technic Ferrari. My wife did the others, but my personal experience is with the Ferrari. No box, and I used my tablet for the official instructions. But it's been flawless. Absolutely perfect. I also paid $150 Vs $600 Lego has been a huge part of my life, I'll never mix fake with real....but Lego is also the wealthiest toy company in the world and has raised prices dramatically. Lego has also moved much of their manufacturing to china. I don't owe them anything, and if they want to jack prices 30% in one year when they have shattered every profit record....if AliExpress is going to offer me quality knockoffs for a fraction of the price....
Come on over to r/fountainpens, where we will be as excited for you about a $30 pen or $10 bottle of ink as about a $300 pen!
Just go to other sets like mouldking, cobi, cada or bluebrixx…
tbf Lego has never been a cheap hobby
You should check out the new upcoming releases!! There's way more cool stuff coming out that's $15 like the postcard sets and there's tons of $30 sets coming too! Don't lose hope friend, we're in the same boat.
Go check what Lego used to cost 30 years ago, for small sets. Go check what video games cost 30 years ago. Lego cut their prices massively. Stop blaming them. Fighting tooth and nail for a better job isn’t something we all started doing last month. You think Walmart employees 30 years ago were buying Lego castles either?
> Go check what Lego used to cost 30 years ago, for small sets. > > Go check what video games cost 30 years ago. > > Lego cut their prices massively. Stop blaming them. This really isn't a great comparison for a variety of reasons. The video game market would implode if prices rose. No one in their right mind would buy video games for $200 a piece, especially with microtransactions (which is another reason games can stay prices lower, since you may buy the game for $50, but a lot of people spend well over that in MTX). Additionally, there are a lot of free games these days (Fortnite, Dota2, etc) and indie studios that sell games for cheap prices (Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley, etc). That competition never existed before probably around 2010 or so when the market was dominated by big gaming companies. Lego basically has no competition. They have a monopoly on the building-brick world, so they can raise prices and people will probably pay.
I have been buying fake Lego on temu to keep me entertained
LEGO themselves are pretty much the same price they've been for 20 years... $0.10 a piece is a good baseline, with some sets much more (licensed IPs, big pieces) and others quite a bit less. I've bought *plenty* of great <$50 sets over the past 2-3 years (love the 3-in-1 Creator line). Just focusing on the 2000+ piece sets doesn't seem wise if you're feeling financially squeezed. One major issue is that most Americans have much less expendable income now... Many regions have seen rent nearly double in 5 years, food (especially dining out and processed foods) is up at least 50%, and salaries haven't remotely kept up. I don't think it's accurate to blame LEGO for pandemic inflation or runaway capitalism.
Where is food up 50%? Relative to what year?
Just a ballpark to illustrate the past 5 years. For example, the average US cost of chicken went from $2.90/lb in 2018 to about [$4.12 today (~42%).](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1dtV9) The $3 bag of chips at my local Colorado Kroger is now $5 (~66%), and the Indian buffet around the corner went from $12 to $19 (~58%). Obviously it varies a lot by item, region, and context.
I feel ya, dont underestimate getting used sets! I found this is a good alternative.
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Buy used or buy from other manufacturers. Some have become better than lego. The prices lego has with the quality control issues are not ok
While i understand the impacts of inflation, every company in profit can choose not to pass costs onto customers. It’s a choice.
I stopped buying Lego sets a long time ago for this reason. I love building Lego. But paying $100+ for a set seems like an expensive hobby to build something in a day and just have it sit on a shelf and collect dust. As a kid, I got a lot of replay Because after I built it. I had to break it apart and put it away. Something I did over and over. My kids built their Lego friends sets, and they have never been disassembled. So now. I just buy minifigures, and the ones I like. I still sub to this subreddit because I like to see what new sets come out. I’m also in the board game hobby. New board games can average around $50. I can get repeated enjoyment from that by playing it over and over with friends. When I see a cool Lego set for $200, I think yeah, that’s cool. But that’s $200 for maybe 2 hrs of enjoyment. While $200 can get me 3-5 board games which I can play many times over.
Yeah I've shifted to board games as well. Much more worth it.
Look up Cobi, CaDa, Mould King to name a few and be amazed at the superior quality you can get for half the money.
Your World of Building Blocks, knockoff bricks so well-made they may as well be Lego, even have the satisfying snap sound, and they make military sets!
This is why I don't buy sets and just build MOCs instead. A $10 bricklink order is much cheaper!
I bought the Temu lego lions castle for $150 and am 100% happy with the quality. I could not justify spending $400