Pick a Brick Price increase - why?

[Andi]

Hi Steve,
is it possible please, that you can tell us why the prices in Pick a Brick at Shop at Home are increased so very much?
For example 2.68 Euro for a 6x14 plate, or 0.88 for a 6x6 plate in common colors or 12 cent for a simple 1x1 brick - these are increases of 100% and more.

[Green Brick Giant]

The price increase is actually 300%-1000% I think, it's insane.

My theory is LEGO wants to close the shop, but needs an excuse, this is it. No one will buy from it anymore, so they have an excuse to close.

[Draykov]

No one will buy from it anymore, so they have an excuse to close.

Actually, "Pick A Brick" has been in the top 5 of the Shop@Home "What's Hot Now" list for a while...I want to say months.

[Blondie-Wan]

I'm pretty sure it has indeed been months, Draykov. It's certainly been "up there" among the top-selling items in the store.

It may be true that price increases have been as much as 100% or more, but even if that's the case, we're still talking about small increases, since the prices for individual pieces are so low to begin with - if something costs just ten cents to begin with, it can become twenty cents which would be an increase of 100%, but it's still less than half the cost of a US stamp, for example; twenty cents is practically nothing, at least until one starts filling a bag with lots of individual PAB elements. Once one does that, of course, it does become noticeably more expensive.

I haven't noticed any price increases anywhere close to 1000%; that would mean adding ten times the cost of an element to itself, for a final price eleven times what it cost before (so, for example, a 25 cent piece would become $2.75). I seriously doubt there's been a lot of increasing of prices anywhere close to that, but perhaps I'm wrong. Green Brick Giant, do you know of any specific examples?

[Crusader]

Personally I like some of the new elements they just added. I use PAB to round out my shop at home orders to the top of the shipping bracket (for example if I order $20 worth of sets, I'll add $5 worth of PAB since the shipping is the same up to $25).

I'm sure if you use it to order your digitally designed sets the new price increase is quite painful. But it's not that big of a deal if you're just rounding up to the shipping bracket like I do.

No doubt it was my pathetic $5 orders here and there that caused Lego to raise their prices. They couldn't cover their costs with so little volume--so for the record:

CRUSADER RUINED IT FOR EVERYONE!

[Puddleglum]

It may be true that price increases have been as much as 100% or more, but even if that's the case, we're still talking about small increases, since the prices for individual pieces are so low to begin with - if something costs just ten cents to begin with, it can become twenty cents which would be an increase of 100%, but it's still less than half the cost of a US stamp, for example; twenty cents is practically nothing, at least until one starts filling a bag with lots of individual PAB elements. Once one does that, of course, it does become noticeably more expensive.

I think a lot of people actually build full MOCs in LDD and order them. So, yeah, the massive increase in prices is quite noticeable. Here's an analysis Shmails (I think he's a member here?) posted over on flickr, I think it really puts things in perspective.

So, just to prove to myself that this is insane, I just remade the CREATOR set 4996 - The Yellow House, in LDD. All of the pieces were there except a handful. The set retails for $29.95 at LEGO S@H, can anyone guess the final cost of the same exact model in LDD? $181.57. That is 600% higher than the same pieces sealed in plastic and put into a fully printed cardboard box with instructions and 5-15 extra pieces. How can this be justified?

Insane!

[Draykov]

My best guess is that either...
A) Pick-A-Brick online has taken a phenomenal drop in cost effectiveness
B) the price changes are temporary until more sets with these newly available parts are actually on the production line and rolling out for retail consumption

[bluemoose]

I've seen something from Jan Beyer (Euro Steve Witt) that says they are dropping the prices again; not to what they were before, but significantly down from the recent price rise. This is down to the feedback they have had from the Community.

Ian

Edit -

"Dear LEGO fans

Based on all the feedback over the past week regarding our new Pick A Brick elements and pricing we will reduce the pricing on LEGO Pick A Brick elements.

There were good reasons behind our decision to raise prices of this relatively operationally complex Pick A Brick service. However, over the last week we have realised, thanks to you, that it was unacceptable to raise the prices so steeply without notice. We have acted quickly and have taken the decision to reduce the pricing on LEGO Pick A Brick elements. The prices cannot return to the original 2008 level but the increases are now much smaller. We are pleased to now offer you the biggest, most comprehensive assortment ever including:

- More colours
- Most recent doors and windows are now available in PAB and MOD
- More longer beams to enable larger constructions
- More accessories (such as hats, wigs and mini figure tools)
- More mini-figs (now with girl and child (short legs))
- More cool tires and rims

We hope to welcome you back to Pick A Brick soon.

Your LEGO team"

[Prince Kahuka]

I noticed this torso among the new pieces offered. Has it ever been in a set?


I'm also curious about what sets this torso has been in:


Uda

[UOldPirate]

I'm glad to see Lego changed course on the P-A-B pricing, it's a great service. It just seems like such an odd move to raise prices so drastically and then scale back the increases so quickly.

As far as the new minifig torsos, I don't know about the blue jacket / white shirt upper, but I did see a post on the classic-space.com forums about the green arm / white space minifig shirt upper. According to that post, that part is going to be in an upcoming Agents set, 8970 Robo Attack.

They linked to this photo, http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirdano/3273262740/in/set-72157609751803566/ . The preliminary image has a slightly different upper, but it should be the guy in the middle of the street. You can find the actual minifig here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirdano/3343503351/in/set-72157609751803566/