Did LEGO Push Fans Too Far?

LEGO recently put out a survey asking people how much they would spend on large LEGO sets. With many fans pulling back and being more cautious of their spending, have LEGO pushed their fans too far when it comes to their frequent drops and overly large sets?
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[@jackmac9502]

As a 20 year old, I feel as though I’m going to be classed out of LEGO. I cannot afford these sets year after year nor do I want to potentially pay $400 for an x mansion

[@Corthos10]

Yeah I am having to rethink my buying options also.

[@alexgermane2211]

Yeah I buy less and less I’m mostly just out of space

[@BrickHQ]

Yes, TFOLS and young AFOLS who like 18+ sets but can't afford them are at the worst end

[@Corthos10]

@@alexgermane2211 lol same but I still buy 😅

[@alexgermane2211]

@@Corthos10 I look forward to this year maybe buying some of the Indiana Jones sets and maybe if some lord of the rings sets that is not Rivendell come out

[@adrianprepelita8683]

Totally agree about Ambassadors - I hate when they get a 500$ set and say that that set is totally worth it. Like, how could you even know, if you didn't spend a penny on it? I'm sure that if they would have to spend they money, they would have a total different opinion. At least they would STOP saying that about every D2C that Lego releases.

[@joevictor53]

This right here. This is why I don't go to people like Ashnflash or Bricksie for reviews. Their whole thing is putting "EARLY review" in the title, pumping out several videos even before they've opened a set and then giving a 10 minute rushed review. I'll listen to people like Jang or Just2good or Holly because they're spending their own money like us so they know how it feels. Even if LAN members say they're being fair and impartial, they never can fully be because they didn't have that $500 disappear from their bank account. There are a few Ambassadors that I feel are more trustworthy but mostly it's better to listen to the people actually paying for their sets like us

[@blsof8bc]

Which I guess is why Jangbricks is always very explicit about the fact he buys every set with his own money.

[@adrianprepelita8683]

@@blsof8bc Love Jang! He was the first Lego-youtuber I started fallowing.

[@TheRealFeechLaManna]

LAN is a cancer on the community.

[@blsof8bc]

@@adrianprepelita8683 Same for me! Cheesey Studios is great too.

[@TDBRICKS]

This is so true. At this point it’s so hard to keep up with all these massive sets they’re making 😭

[@brickstery]

yes it is expensive, but really beautiful

[@DerDudelino]

I also believe LEGO gets the wrong market data this way. LEGO said they are testing the Lord of the Rings market again with Rivendell. If it sells well, they'd consider a whole line-up. Little weird, I mean almost every Lord of the Ring fan would buy a set for 100 bucks or even 150, you know the range of Helm's Deep. But 500? Holy Moly.

[@brickstery]

I'm also quite sure wanna buy it no matter how high the price are 😅 it was totally sold out in my local lego store 😆

[@jthom0027]

Here's the thing though, you don't have to buy every single large set. The large sets also haven't replaced the smaller sets. Lego is just making more sets now and they still hover around that 10 cents a piece price point depending on theme. To me, nothing has changed other than the amount of sets that have been produced.

[@ImaginationHobbies]

I pretty much stopped buying sets. Prices are too high.

[@Starik20X6]

Another thing I don’t think I’ve seen people really discuss regarding the increase in massive D2C sets is how physically large they are. Have more than a few of them and you start needing dedicated furniture to accommodate them, or even a whole spare room in your home to display them in. Even deconstructed they still take up a lot of room, requiring their own storage solution. For me, trying to cut back has become less a financial question and more a question of “where does it go?”

[@HollyOnFilm]

More and more people seem to be in this boat which at this point doesn't surprise me. For the casual fans too, I can see that being the thing that indirectly stops them from buying altogether without them noticing

[@TurtleMarcus]

I refuse to buy a set which doesn't fit neatly in my IKEA Detolf glass cabinet.

[@2810Mad]

Why do people think that lego sets are display pieces? Sure there are sets are only to be displayed but you do realise that you can take them apart and build something new out of it right? Rebrickable is a great start, it can show you b modells of the sets you already own. When I was a kid we didn't display shit. I had a huge white sheet that my mom would take out and we would play together and build new stuff. Lego doesn't want you to reuse the pieces only display them and keep buying new shit

[@Hendricus56]

I'm buying some of the 1:300 replicas from Cobi (for battleships and ocean liners aka Titanic ~90cm) and I just have USS New Jersey and HMS Hood and I'm already wondering where I'm putting Bismarck and Titanic when I buy them. Not to mention a few of the other ships I like should they ever be released

[@DerDudelino]

Yes, I think that's a really good point. Americans tend to have pretty large houses, but in Europe or Asia most people live in apartments. I have a pretty decent sized 100 square meter loft but boy do I run out of space. How are you guys doing this? :O)

[@idig2222]

I think you make some good points about the ambassadors. Personally I’m tired of seeing the same people get expensive set after expensive set for free. Seems like Lego isn’t spreading the love around anymore

[@brickbanditstudios6037]

Let’s face it, LEGO are just after the money instead. I mean, the quality of products are going down over the years and it’s just not the same as it was from before ☹️

[@gambino3701]

@@brickbanditstudios6037 Im curious why you think this?

[@smackofalltrades]

The price increase definitely hurt, as well as the sheer amount of large sets released. I'm an absolutely MASSIVE Lord of the Rings fan, but I just cannot afford Rivendell right now after getting the Titanic and Hogwarts around the end of 2022, and I also would still love the UCS Falcon and/or Razor Crest. I feel more fortunate than many to be able to buy large sets at all, and yet i'm still forced to make tough decisions constantly and end up buying smaller sets instead usually. I agree it must be brutal for kids to see all these unobtainable sets. But great video and kudos to you Holly for kicking off this conversation!

[@RichardMontgomeryYT]

As a teen, yes, it is devastating that I will never afford the majestic masterpiece that is lego rivendell.

[@jrm7125]

I follow your content and I am glad that you are touching this lego price increase. (This is my opinon from a 28 year old that works in a bank and enjoy/invest in lego). I live in Mexico, and despite having a factory, lego prices are much higher here than in the USA. Usually I travel to Texas to get some legos at targets or walmarts cause in the states clearance is a great way to get sets. For me, 2022 was a year when I missed a lot of sets due to the price increase, but recently, here in Mexico, walmarts and other stores began the lego clearance treatment. For me that is a clear sign that things are not looking great not just for lego but for the other stores that sell this product, cause it is staying on shelves for more than 2 years time (regarding somewhat old sets). For me it is clear to wait and not buy day 1, I just bought a a justifyer at 70% off in Mexico, a McLaren F1 for 60% off , a vader meditation chamber for 65% off and a training in degobah for 60% off. My clear take is to wait and do not buy from Lego. I would like to get the promos and stuff but lego store prices are just not worthy. We mus control de FOMO, cause I believe that is what is keeping lego doing this unfair price increases. Best regards from Mexico City :)

[@rafaelochoa1848]

Dónde compraste la justifier con el 70%? :0

[@jrm7125]

@@rafaelochoa1848 eres de cdmx?? En Walmart Miramontes están legos muy caros a más de la mitad de precio

[@rafaelochoa1848]

@@jrm7125 Nmms que perro, no soy de la cdmx pero en gdl también hay muchos ofertones en los Walmart, pero nunca he visto el de la justifier

[@marcussebastian3986]

Man! thats a real serious discounts in your city. Never saw a discounted lego sets above 20% here in Melbourne, Australia. Good on ya mate!

[@MarcelMH15]

I think it's interesting to note so far in 2023 we only have three sets over $250 AUS, the A Frame Cabin, the Jazz Club, and Rivendell, which is a serious cutback to last year, which is good as the barrage of huge sets was a bad idea

[@scottsbrix]

I’ve been saying this for a while. It used to be the big Star Wars set up as a once every 5 year thing there would be a Death Star or a UCS falcon. Now it’s every single year there are multiple $300 + sets across every theme. No average person can keep up with that.

[@bosskbounty]

They're certainly flooding the market with high priced sets.

[@user-tz2zz5ij1s]

Lego revenues grew 17% last year. I don’t see any big changes coming anytime soon.

[@wladynoszkapitany8277]

@@user-tz2zz5ij1s Why is that

[@DerDudelino]

@@wladynoszkapitany8277 Extreme margins. On a 500 Dollar set, they easily make 300-350 US-Dollar profit.

[@Nate_the_Great-4472]

As a 14 year old, who owns the new diagon alley, (bought when I was 12) I had to sell a lot of things to afford it, because all the reviewers made it seem like I couldn’t live without. I have not spent a cent on any new lego for a LONG time. I’ll probably buy the new Indians Jones set when it comes out, but that will be it!

[@mikehudson9055]

That was a set in my opinion that Lego could have broken down into 4 separate sets at $100 a pop. Which they could have spread out over a two year period or even better idea would have been to make it an yearly set like the modulars. Not a huge HP guy so not sure how much source material for additional Diagon Alley sets there are but sure beats another Hogwarts redesign

[@joevictor53]

​@@mikehudson9055 this would've been a brilliant idea. Imagine a whole line of modular Harry Potter shops. You could've even got the modular fans buying them

[@stewiegriffin4]

@@mikehudson9055 that actually was a brilliant idea

[@ThePeacemaker848]

Very important lesson to learn regarding buying big purchases. Good lesson to learn at 14 rather than 5-10 years from now when some smooth salesman sells you an overpriced car!

[@BrickTemplar]

@@mikehudson9055 exactly, I only want the ice cream parlor and bookshop, but I have three more buildings I have no interest in showed down my throat just because Lego wants me to spend 450 in one go... I'll pass.

[@sIosha]

I had fun getting sucked into the world of LEGO the past few years, but now that the world is open for business again, it's time to start spending money on vacations and experiences.

[@BrickTemplar]

Exactly. That's why people stopped spending so much on Lego when they were allowed to leave home.

[@Wealth_Wisdom_Discernment]

I live in the state of Georgia and we’ve been open for business (other than the first fees weeks) the entire time. What’s wrong with California or countries that felt they had to be closed for 2-3 years for zero reason?

[@willemmmmm]

@@Wealth_Wisdom_Discernment "zero reason…" 1 in 295 Americans have died of COVID.

[@Hello_Grace]

@@willemmmmm HOLY MOLY!! I didn’t realize the death toll in America was so high.

[@HuxMan909]

​@Willem Cahill-Chiaroni That's .3%, also the lockdowns have since been proven to not help at all with Covid deaths. They sure had negatives, however.

[@Alexjk425]

I think they're beginning to run out of ideas at this point. I mean seriously, Star Wars MECHS? I don't mind the marvel ones, but the SW ones make no sense. The only highlight is the possibility of an affordable empire strikes back Boba Fett.

[@13thmistral]

not sure....i all fairness, with coronavirus no longer keeping people inside, i can already see why they would sell less.

[@LEGOGeek382]

They are running out of original trilogy ideas. For some reason they don't want to move away from those three movies too often. It's frustrating.

[@darrenhood4033]

@@LEGOGeek382 A Theed Hanger set leading to the generator would be awesome!

[@viperson9818]

Its insane how "inflation" just suddenly jump. Making our favorite hobbies way too pricey as a result and I'd expect LEGO in the coming years to drastically down size their D2C sets. Seeing that their current line up was probably planned a couple years ago before "inflation".

[@natbarmore]

The 2022 Lego price adjustments weren’t because of 2022 inflation. They were because of 2017-2022 inflation. Lego kept prices basically flat for too long, instead of creeping them up every year like most businesses do. So when they finally decided they had to raise prices, it was a huge jump. I suspect they would’ve had to raise prices either way, but the size of the increases would’ve been less, and they would’ve waited until the Jan ‘23 releases, if inflation hadn’t been so high in 2021-2022.

[@yaqbec23]

Such a great analysis on the current situation. I wish more LEGO KZbinrs (a lot of which are ambassadors) would talk about this, but let's be honest - they won't risk losing the title. Unfortunately, LEGO is a hobby of being careful with choices, as there's too much amazing LEGO sets, costing fortunes. I feel like Rivendell is something I cannot miss, but spending 500 dollars on a LEGO set... I just don't know, hate that feeling of missing out, and I have already missed out on a lot of sets.

[@ThePeacemaker848]

Ya, you really gotta pick your genre and say no to everything else. Collecting can become an addiction just to "get them all".

[@randolphthesilver4245]

Just wait. It takes a while for sets to fully retire, so like the video says wait until it gets discounted or until there is a better promotion, like double VIP

[@BrickTsar]

True

[@LiamRain]

I got drawn in to Lego collecting during COVID lockdowns in 2020. Before I realized, I was buying everything I could find - large and small sets. Anything that I was led to believe is a “store of value.” It took me a while to realize I had developed an unhealthy addiction to purchasing Lego. Ironically, the Lego ambassador videos provided a clear reflection of what the addiction looked like. I started searching for blogs on Lego addiction and realized I needed to stop. It’s a process to recovery. I still watch KZbin videos, but I’m thankful for the literal thousands of dollars in savings every month.

[@Hendricus56]

I'm just glad most sets simply don't interest me that much that I decide to buy them

[@argeebricks9064]

Those LAN people are a bunch of free loaders. They should be fighting for us. We, regular fan can’t afford those ridiculously expensive sets. We should all boycott buying those bug sets IMHO.

[@bigtexas517]

Definitely making too many 400 dollar plus sets without really making them worth higher value

[@LanceClark7]

As someone who just got into Lego city modular builds (and somewhat new to Lego), I’m blown away with how much the retired sets go for. It’s outrageous! And it’s sad, because I would love to own some of the older modular buildings, but I can’t stomach it when I’ve got family vacations/kids birthdays to fund/life, etc. And the fact that Lego retires these buildings sometimes after like 2 years makes you anxious to buy the new ones sooner because you don’t want to deal with buying a retired set for $500-900 when it was probably $199-250 originally.

[@jbill4949]

Supply and demand. As simple as that. Not everyone can have everything.

[@yuotueb]

why do you need the retired buildings? lego has plenty of pretty and expensive sets on the market... if you freely decide to pursue some completionist collecting goal, I don't see how you get to complain about aftermarket prices

[@LanceClark7]

@@yuotueb I don’t need any of them. I would like to have them because I think they are cool. And thanks, I’m aware of the existing sets.

[@skinkwarrior9596]

If you are not adverse to putting in some work you can probably brick the older buildings yourself. Sure you won't get any physical box/instructions. There's some YT videos on bricking modulars cheaper. I've seen Green Grocer and Town Hall at least.

[@mrglide7078]

Yeah, tell me about it. I have every modular except Cafe Corner. Will I pay £1000+ for it now? No chance - I had the chance when it came out and I missed it. It is what it is

[@HuwBricks]

Thanks for making this video, I've been feeling the same way. I work at a toy store that has been carrying LEGO for a few years now and when I do buy LEGO sets, it's usually through the store so I can get a discount. Prices are SO high, and most of my LEGO spending is either from Bricklink or the PAB website and the PAB wall in-store. The amount of sets coming out for the rest of the year gets me excited, but I get sick when I think of how much it would cost to get all the sets that I want. Lately, I've been sticking to much smaller sets because of the price point and sometimes I prefer a quicker build rather than diving in to a 1000-2000 piece build. Still love LEGO, but the retired sets and MOC building has definitely been a higher interest point for me!

[@ValBLdn]

For me it's simple: just collect Lego with one wave's buffer, as sets get discounted so quickly. For example, I'm not going to buy the new helmets now, but I'll probably pick up the old ones and the AT-TE (also on my wishlist) for 30-40% off soonish. You make the hobby 30-40% more expensive, just by getting hyped about buying sets on release day when there is no need!

[@BrickTemplar]

You can use r/Legoleak to figure out what sets are retiring

[@Starfield-Guy]

Yep I didn’t buy the lighthouse, waited 3 months and got it for 30% off

[@brickbanditstudios6037]

Agreed, I bought that Ninjago Crystal King set for $30 off from a Facebook buyer (and walked two and a half hour to the seller’s location to make the transaction), which was a great deal that spending $80 on the set. Also bought an N-1 Starfighter for $40 instead of $60 which saved me $20, better than waiting for it to go 20% off for it to be $48.

[@Reggaetonaldo]

The only sets I tend to go for, as a husband and father of 2 little girls, are more larger display sets. That being said, I don't go for every large set. Besides that, I do buy small sets for my little girls from time to time like any other toy.

[@adamgriffiths4837]

I like how Holly isn't afraid to speak her mind. I tend to get my Lego off third party sites when it's on a deal. Only buy from Lego on release if it's a must set like the rumoured Japanese castle set coming out in August.

[@RichardMontgomeryYT]

THE WHAT?

[@davidcoulter1058]

I think 2020 / 2021 broke the LEGO Group, with the massive jump in revenue due to all the stuff that went on in the world. They seem to be assuming that this rate of growth is the standard rather than a once-in-a-lifetime thing that will not be repeated, and in the chase for high growth rather than sustainable growth they're going after the very wealthy AFOLs who buy the most expensive stuff at the expense of everyone else, including the people who just want nice, smaller, reasonably priced sets which represents most customers; heck, I'm single, live at home and have a good job and I wouldn't call myself a "wealthy AFOL."

[@joevictor53]

Agreed. The thing is they could've gained some new fans from the people that joined the hobby during the pandemic if they focused on that price range. Give us more $100-300 sets. That's what these new fans were buying. The super expensive sets like the Hogwarts Express, Hulkbuster, Rivendell just make so many of us switch off and look at other stuff without even considering them

[@rbtorelli1994]

I would say I'm in the same range as you, decent enough career, my own place, adult money, AFOL. Got into the hobby again during the pandemic and actually bought a few little sets before jumping on a heavily discounted massive Hogwarts Castle. I've loved the thing and probably wouldn't spend the 400 on it initially, but at the discount it was in my price range. My other favorite set that I've gotten are the guardianship, Thor's hammer, the Galaxy explorer, and the new batmobile, as well as botanicals. ALL of those sets are under $200 and I haven't even though about buying anything upwards of $300 until I saw the globe in stores the other day. $100-$250 a set is what I'm putting aside for my budget, but even that feels like a lot when I think about the 3-4 months it would take me to save up for a Rivendell. Definitely not where I want my money going when I flation is rising and the world is open again. I want to be able to afford good sets that aren't going to require completely restructuring a budget to get it.

[@kevinogorman7561]

This is happening across all business sectors that saw a boom in their business during Covid. 2023 is a rude awakening to a lot of these companies in that regard.

[@geekygirl0333]

Lately I've been purchasing a lot of older retired Lego polybags and CMFs that I have missed out on. I find it much more rewarding, affordable, as well as more enjoyable due to the higher quality, than buying modern overpriced Lego

[@IsaiahBuildStuff]

I think that they have made too many sets. LEGO needs to slow down, and hire some MOC builders. Then they might be in better shape

[@ImaginationHobbies]

Yep

[@samdasamoza]

Agree with the slowing down but… thats what they do… most of their designers used to be moc builders

[@bjarne431]

Absolutely, and too much focus on growth

[@DIsturbios1234]

Too many super expensive sets.

[@boulevardbricks508]

Even if people turn to buying more used/retired sets, Lego's acquisition of BrickLink means they can still get a piece of that market, too. From my perspective, when sets were less expensive I was more likely to stray from my core interests and purchase other themes...and that was fun! Now, I'm back to a focus on trains and modulars. (Even then, I'm skipping some sets.)

[@sirw7630]

Good video about something I think a lot of Lego fans have been feeling recently: burnout. From the constant $500 new set release every month to the increasingly manipulative GWPs, I'm souring on purchasing new Lego. Inflation and arbitrary price hikes have become inexcusable - especially for the quality issues! Another aspect is how skewed the market is now thanks to Ambassadors and Lego hoarder/investors. The former can't accurately appreciate a set when the set's price is not a factor and the later only cares about the set as an investment vehicle, not what the build experience is like or who it was designed for. Lego's old school values aren't matching the modern company well and it's truly depressing to witness, because at nearly 37 years old, I can remember growing up with a Lego company that was original, creative, and respectful to it's customers. Never have I seen a better opportunity for a brick selling competitor to step in and convert some dissatisfied fans. Lego won't get better until the market kicks its ass at this point. I'm at a point where I feel more negative thinking about Lego, my long time hobby, than positive. Might be time to move on are at the very least enter a dark age.

[@wladynoszkapitany8277]

Buy Bluebrixx sets, those are very high quality and good creative designs

[@MH-sm5qk]

@@wladynoszkapitany8277 thanks for the recommendation! i do wonder how so many of these toys can look exactly like LEGO

[@BricksAndDice]

Absolutely agree. Lego is actually a worse hobby today than it was in 2011. It's really annoying because with their profits rising, it doesn't seem like Lego will hit any incentive to change. (And who knows, they might do something even worse if they felt like their profits were on the line). Reminds me of the classic economic dilemma: companies see only what is, not what could be. Lego sees the sales they're currently making right now, not the thousands of people such as myself that would buy far more Lego if it was worthwhile.

[@RichardMontgomeryYT]

MY KING I HAVE FOUND YOU IN A COMMENT SECTION LETS GO!

[@billydameron3698]

I used to get the modular buildings faithfully, along with the Star Wars UCS models. However, over the last few years, I have had to dramatically cut back on the sets I purchase because 1- I am running out of space and 2 - they are just too expensive. I have wanted a UCS AT-AT and was so excited when they announced it. My joy however quickly turned to despair when I saw the price point for it, then to see LEGO increase that already expensive set by 50 dollars was heartbreaking. As someone who is autistic, I have found that LEGO helps me deal with my anxiety as well as provide me with focus. It has been a godsend as making friends isn't the easiest for me. No matter what, I had LEGO to look forward to. But at the rate that they are increasing prices, I will need to bid this beloved hobby adieu and look for something that is less demanding on my wallet.

[@Wealth_Wisdom_Discernment]

I’m 100% there with you on running out of space and there are way too many super expensive sets constantly released now. I have to be very careful and only get the ones I most want. I did order the lotr set at midnight, because those are pretty much my favorite movies of all time

[@villelepoaho4105]

This is why when it comes to Lego set reviews, I always watch videos from people who actually bought the sets with their own money. The ambassadors always say that the $500 Lego set is totally worth it, because they didn't pay a single penny for it.

[@diegolorenzo6532]

To be honest this topic is something more youtubers should be talking about, lego prices are getting unaffordable as time goes on and this disconnection between lego fans and ambassadors is ridiculous, I laugh every every time I see someone say "yeah, this set tottaly worth it" every 2 weeks, I mean this is ridiculous, I hope Lego realizes that, at the end of the day, the most important thing is the average consumer.

[@msclrhd]

I like the look of a lot of the sets, but I can only really focus on a couple of themes. I try and stick to a monthly budget, so purchasing the higher-priced sets is difficult. I'm also on the lookout for discounts, so tend to buy most of the sets from places like Amazon. It's also hard coming into a new theme like modular buildings where most of the sets have retired and are selling for huge amounts of money. Even things like the GWP Gryffindor Dorms is selling for 6-8 times a similar set like the Polyjuice Potion Mistake is, so you're better off buying that set and some spare pieces to make up the difference.

[@UwwBlake]

Thank you for calling out LAN members for being out of touch with regular consumers. Been feeling this recently and decided to stop watching sponsored reviews. Tiago is one of the worst at this point.... he recommended buying the foosball table at full price. Appreciate your objectivity! You and MandRProductions are my favorite. Also Just2good.

[@Johann_Gambolputty_of_Ulm]

I think i'm willing to give Tiago a pass, simply because i consider him a "techy guy". His reviews are there to talk about building techniques and style; same like watching a nerdy engineer reviewing a sportscar performance and engine's specs. There are plenty of other factors to reflect, but for this peculiar angle: i have him.

[@joevictor53]

Jang is one of the best for this. He never accepted any free Lego for reviews even from the beginning. I like Tiago's technical videos but not his reviews. Same with Bricksie and Ashnflash's reviews

[@UwwBlake]

@@joevictor53 Yes, Jang. How could I forget to add him. Couldn't agree more!

[@TheRealFeechLaManna]

Tiago is a prostitute and a twat, plain and simple. He and RacingBricks, Emmasauraus and Bricksie, these people are a cancer on the community!

[@alexaceves1836]

They gotta add the pirates themed Lego sets back rather than the most random and most expensive sets they could think of

[@StudSnob]

You and Jang are the only large Lego channels i follow precisely because you are not a part of LAN. A breath of fresh honesty in a sea of fakery.

[@brickbanditstudios6037]

Is Jang still part of LAN? I heard that they’ve tried to offer him free LEGO set for review, but he rejected them and willing to spend his own money on them

[@StudSnob]

@@brickbanditstudios6037 I never heard him say ,,Lego sent me,, and I have been following him for a few years now.

[@tambracarswell9896]

You hit the nail on the head. I’ve become very choosy about the themes I collect and have really dialed it in.

[@3BeatSketcher]

Agree fairly fully with the points touched in this video. Also love seeing someone talking about the ambassador program other than just jangbricks. As an afol in my 30s I have found LEGOs prices and just the massive size of sets to be so bananas that it's literally gotten to the point I don't buy more than one or two sets a year and I have turned to other hobbies as they are cheaper and require less space.

[@rkc62]

Rivendell is already on back order on the AU online store, so maybe they have worked out their customers better than we thought. That said, I used to buy four or five big sets a year, but I've cut right back with the higher prices, and the sheer space needed to display them.

[@EchoBaseplates]

Playsets got me back into LEGO after many years hiatus. The "adult" sets do nothing for me. LEGO needs to focus on the kids again and stop wasting resources on overpriced and massive adult sets. We will still buy the small sets, but they don't seem to get that. LEGO is about quantity over quality now. If they want to keep putting out these big sets just focus on maybe one or two a year and not pump out a gazillion gigantic sets for every theme under the sun.

[@marniejade]

Well said Holly. Other Lego youtubers I follow who are also ambassadors have changed their tone in their videos. One I follow who is an ambassador has gotten every set for the last few months for free, and they crow over how great the set is in one breath, and then how they are spending too much money on Lego in others. Its confusing, frustrating for me and definitely a mixed message.

[@squaresided]

I've got everything I've mostly wanted in my collection. So I'm a tough customer these days. But the $50 to $80 price range is the sweet spot for LEGO I think. Way too many $400+ sets. $250 was the limit really but LEGO pushed that to $300+ nowadays. I haven't pulled the trigger on any promos or x2 sales this year. Plus my rent keeps increasing and I have an older vehicle so I'm saving up just in case. Everything keeps going up in price but my pay check. 💀 LEGO is not the priority atm.

[@tristan7122]

in Germany we say: Lack gesoffen teuer (Bleach-drinking-expensive or something similar to that) because Lego has the audacity to go NUTS on prices since like 2019 / 2020 while lowering their part quality in some sets, which is why most people are getting turned off from the brand and move over to more affordable and higher quality Competitors like Cada, Mouldking, Mega Blocks, Cobi, Modbrix and many more ....

[@DaveDocDIY]

I’ve gotten a lot more selective as well. I think to myself “wow, that looks nice! That would be fun to build! I’ll never know that though!” They’ve gotten out of control with the $500 sets. I recently got the Blacksmith and that was $180. Had my eye on it for a LONG time debating price. Lately I just get SW helmet series and I feel like those are also getting ridiculous. $70 (US) flat rate is ridiculous. I don’t buy that inflation did this. They’re testing how loyal people are. GREAT work on this video!!

[@jackwallis2318]

My favorite part is that you are one of the few influencers who really appreciates and understands store employees

[@legoforestmen3234]

I agree. I've had to seriously cut down on my Lego spending because they made so much that it's just overwhelming, and I'm to the point where I'm almost ready to just stop altogether.

[@pseudoty]

What gets me is LAN KZbinrs that get the sets for free like Rivendell and don’t actually build or review them themselves. One lady had her mom build it and did a bad job at it and really did the set a disservice by displaying it improperly. You could tell there was no love for the set or care for what is a $500 item.

[@___David__]

Also, RE: LAN members: they are just marketing people for LEGO. That's why LEGO doesn't care about giving them information. LEGO wants them to SELL the product. LAN members are nothing but mouthpieces for LEGO's marketing. I never saw a single reviewer who went into LAN who remained as brutally honest as they used to be. And the ones who tried, got kicked out of LAN. The most recent example, to me, was Tiago Catarino. He already had an obvious bias as an ex-employee. So, when he started, he said he didn't want to do things like reviews because it would be understandably hard to be objective about things made by actual friends of his. Well, as soon as he got into LAN, all that went out the window. He became a full-blown apologist for LEGO all to ensure he can keep getting the free sets before time to grow his channel and make money. It's a legitimate business decision. But one I don't support. I prefer integrity. I got massive respect for Justin, for example, when he decided against his best business interest, to drop out of LAN. Integrity matter more to me than you getting a set sooner. On the other hand, I lost all respect I had for Tiago.

[@TheRealFeechLaManna]

100% true. Tiago, Racing Bricks, Emmasaurus, Bricksie, these are just examples although they are among the worst. "LEGO sponsored the set but opinions are my own!" LMFAO yeah right, twat.

[@rexroy5344]

Thanks for speaking on this! I was part of the pandemic wave of LEGO buyers and over the last few years- the financial changes have been such a turn off. It’s great that LEGO has so many collabs but the rate they’re coming out + increasing prices is hard to keep up with. Hopefully something will change.

[@DZstudios.]

Lego is releasing so many cool sets many can’t afford I feel as if even the BTS set is too expensive in some countries. The question is will lego “part out” it’s audience

[@noturbusiness9736]

I don’t have a terribly high budget. I love that all of these amazing and beautiful sets exist, but know that I’ll likely never get most of them. It’s a little crushing when they’re from IPs that I love. When it comes to spending habits tho, now I’m less likely to purchase smaller sets from a particular wave and focus on 1 or 2 large sets for the year. Even if I have funds left over I find myself wanting to hold onto it just in case next years sets have something large that I want more. Like you said there’s a lot of overlap in the IPs among fan base, so I want to know how many average consumers that fall into that category have enough disposable income to spend thousands of dollars year over year. Not only are the prices very high, but it feels like they are pushing out too many ‘good’ products in too short of a time period

[@im_nic]

Not to mention Lego potentially cancelling affordable sets that fans were vocally and predominantly looking forward to, ie the Temple of Doom set.

[@shaunw9092]

Yes. This.

[@SirDanomen]

Don't be excited about leaks, this is definitely on you and not on LEGO.

[@im_nic]

@@SirDanomen Like its fans fault for getting excited about leaks for official sets that Lego decides on a whim to not release anymore?

[@SirDanomen]

@@im_nic Yes, they are leaks. LEGO did not want us to see them yet (or at all).

[@im_nic]

@@SirDanomen ok but what about the countless other sets that have been leaked over the years?? As far as I'm aware this is one of the veeeery few times a set has been cancelled this close to its release. Idk if it's because the set has issues or Lego wants to prioritize more expensive 18+ sets, but to say it's because it was leaked makes no sense.

[@Saraphina6]

I've been wanting Lego for ages and received the Ravenclaw banner set as a gift recently. I had so much fun putting it together! I wish I could get some more sets for myself, but I'm disabled with my only income being disability benefits and the prices are just far too high. I really don't understand why the prices are as high as they are.

[@capybara2671]

The shoe gave us one of the best promos in my opinion.

[@HollyOnFilm]

facts

[@nickiwe89]

Thank you so much for making this video. I think addressing this issue is really important for our community!

[@andrews_lego_tanks_and_more]

The big issue that you kind of touched on was with Lego having changed marketing to appeal more to adult fans it seems the thought process is, "Adults work and can buy bigger sets so let's just make bigger sets since they can afford them" and this is a big issue because no, we can't all afford $500, $600 and $700 sets back-to-back. Lego really needs to start giving more sets for these adult targeted sets that aren't crazy expensive, not to talk down on these sets as the Rivendell set looks amazing and I am looking to get one, but it would certainly be nice getting some of these sets closer to the $100-$200 range.

[@oxy134]

Completely agree, I hate to admit it, but I've had to start turning to some Lego alternatives for some of the expensive sets and out of print sets. They could shift to one big set a quarter and do multiple smaller sets from these themes that build into it.

[@RADkate]

the most shocking thing is the colour mismatch that was unheard off 10 years ago

[@fxpijsfxpijs6598]

What? Color mismatch was always a problem. I'm not here to defend LEGO, they should fix this ASAP, but if you think this is only a problem in the last decade you were probably just unaware of the issue back then.

[@RADkate]

@@fxpijsfxpijs6598 im not talking about the 2004 clour changes, im more talkkng about something like the yellow fiat 500 and yeah i cant remeber any mismatches even lime green was all consistent

[@fxpijsfxpijs6598]

@@RADkate Not talking about the intentional 2004 changes. I'm talking about yellow, dark red, browns... they had issues since the very beginning (except dark red which is a newer color). The problem did get WORSE in the last decade, on that I agree, but it was always present. There's a thread on Eurobricks I believe which lists every problem, I couldn't find it but remember it exists in case you wanna look for it.

[@LEGOGeek382]

I've largely transitioned from buying full sets to buying cool parts and figures on Bricklink. It's partially a space issue, but mostly a "LEGO is too expensive" issue. I'd rather have a minifigure board for $1000 with tons of franchises represented than two sets for $1000.

[@majora56]

I think people have already had that moment where they've realised they've been priced out of the hobby. The question now is how they'll stay in it on the limited budget that they have. I had that moment late last year when they increased the price of the UCS Landspeeder to $369.99, a set which would have cost $299.99 back in 2015. I remember being outraged when the UCS Snowspeeder jumped to $329.99, but $369.99 is too big a jump for me personally. I'm in the fortunate position to have a lot of sets that were on my wanted list prior to this year so I'm now playing the long game and waiting for this year's sets to show up on Marketplace or Gumtree for 30% off. I'm also buying minifigures from sets separately where possible because it's cheaper and more space-efficient. In my view though large D2C sets and their frequency aren't the problem, I'm genuinely excited for Rivendell and I think it is the best set I have seen to date. I'd rather put all my eggs in one basket and get one incredible D2C set than multiple overpriced play-sets. The problem is the price increase itself, when LEGO is so committed to maintaining it's profit margin during a time where inflation is high and most people can't afford to pay for food let alone electricity you know it will alienate a lot of people.

[@ThomasReaper1]

I think LEGO is getting more expensive than ever, which is not good for general consumers or potential buyers. The fact price-quality ratio is very unbalanced is yet another negative factor, it only pushes people away especially with inflation and price increase. They should either slow down with expensive sets or give more affordable products for people with a lower budget. At the end, it really doesn't help them aiming for this "risky road". Being a 20 year old seeking to save money for other things (or traveling in the future), I often buy sets or feel the desire to purchase them. Only going to buy the quinjet and hopefully, if we do get it, the 2nd Marvel CMF. Otherwise, I can't justify spending ridiculous amounts of money even if certain products are good: it just becomes too much

[@peterbumper2769]

For me it comes down to that some of these sets are just too big I like Star Wars, I like the USC sets, but when I saw the millennium falcon, I was left wondering "where will I put it?" Same with the large Hogwarts train I put off buying the Jazz Club until an interesting 'gift with purchase' was an option, but I was a day late and received no gift (I have to travel to get to a Lego store)

[@kennygondales]

id personally rather have a wave of sets for each theme rather than single 500 - 1000 dollar sets. as a kid i was able to get into lego BECAUSE of small 10 - 20 dollar sets. but those are hardly a thing now, and whatever sets there are in that price range generally dont look very impressive

[@ksuper3]

Here in the Northeast of the US, Lego switched to DHL delivery in 2023… I ordered and never got my sets and when I called customer service they said that it’s a widespread issue and DHL is “losing” MANY orders. Cutting back on shipping costs isn’t quite working for them!

[@KingCobraLolcow]

Lego had gross revenue increase 17% this past year and 5% increase in profits. They are doing just fine.

[@AHYL88]

The Foosball Table is heavily reduced cos it's horribly underwhelming and far too small for how much it costs, even at 40% off. The BTS set is horribly priced as well but it will do well easily because the fans of the group will go for it; super fans will buy anything with their name on it. That said, no one is forcing anyone to spend massive amounts on these sets; don't buy something you're not interested in, never wanted or liked in the first place. This is especially evident from a rather stupid Instagram post I saw yesterday where someone really didn't want the BTS set but bought it for the sake of completing the Ideas collection. Which I find a totally unnecessary and pointless exercise. I've moved away from the Creator Expert/Icons cars, skipping the constantly reduced Chevrolet Camaro set as not only is that originally more expensive than past sets of that line by a massive 25% (past ones, the Mustang and the 911, were £120 but are now £150, while the Camaro launched at £150), it also has cut corners like a lot of stickers. Stickers I'm normally fine with, but undermines the Camaro set's higher price when the past two had a lot of prints, one of which had NO stickers. Speed Champions and Creator 3-in-1 are pretty much the less affected themes for me; sets in the former range have had a slight price increase in the UK but not too severe compared to other countries, and discounts are highly likely if willing to wait as they're so widely available. The best tactic is to play the waiting game for some of the stuff you want; Technic sets here get discounted very severely and quite quickly most of the time, as does the odd Star Wars set like the Inquisitor Transport Scythe which I got for 39% off after only three months on sale.

[@joevictor53]

The Creator Expert/Icons vehicles are my favourite line and I'm still collecting them but now I'm waiting for offers. I got the Vespa for £60, Camaro for £95, T2 for £110, Ecto for £120, Pick up Truck for £80. A few years ago, I was paying full price on day one for sets like the London Bus, Aston Martin and Mustang but I'm not anymore.

[@AHYL88]

@@joevictor53 Nice stuff, the only one I have in your list is the Ecto-1, which was slashed down severely to just £86 on Amazon for one time only (you had to be on the ball and super quick on it). The Vespa I'm keeping my eye on though. The Camaro I'm skipping, as well as the theme outright as it's looking rough with what's to come; there's supposedly another Chevrolet, the Corvette C1, which is said to be $150 for just a little over 1,200 pieces which doesn't sound great (unless it's equal size to the others we have right now). And there's wide reports of the classic Land Rover Defender to be priced very steeply at a claimed $240. That's pretty much why I'm moving away from the theme, if this is the direction it's going; the Ecto 1 made sense cos it is absolutely massive and filled with a ton of stuff but it stings to have this Land Rover potentially be more expensive than the Technic one (which got heavy discounts during its time) and may not even be the same size.

[@Hello_Grace]

I may have to follow the tips of some afols about only buying one lego theme. Because as soon as you branch out to other themes, you’re more likely to spend money. And staying within one theme will help you stay in your budget.

[@brickbanditstudios6037]

For me, I went over on my own budget to spend on Ninjago, Marvel, Star Wars. All from the most part (possibly Monkie Kid soon). I god my budget managing is a little too excessive 😅

[@levisingleton4921]

I'm fighting a war on two fronts. Not only the money fight, but also the battle for space.

[@wurzelbert84wucher5]

If they want to bring me back to Lego, they need to reduce the prices drastically. I am not willing to pay more than 150 to 200€ for Lego. In the end every set gets boring if it sits in your shelf for month.

[@bendermcbenderson]

It’s funny that Lego can only understand inflation from a companies point of view and never an employee or consumer. Inflation is high for us as well and we can’t afford unnecessarily high priced items.

[@republicattak]

Thank you for your video, resumes quite a lot what I can observe and speak with friends.

[@legodobby0693]

LEGO is so out of touch with their fans

[@thesilentantagonist9776]

I recently got into Lego about two years ago. My spending has completely stopped after the price hikes. For one, I am out of room and another since the inflation increases, buying new sets just are not worth it anymore. Don't get me wrong. I have had my eye on a lot of the $500 plus sets, but do I really really need them? I am leaning more towards, no.

[@bigtexas517]

I’ve had to mostly stop buying anything but Star Wars, I buy a D2C set from another theme from time to time, but it’s too expensive to buy every set I want

[@edfr5002]

I live in an area that is economically depressed and people's money is being sucked away by so many things like over priced insurance and medications. This is reflective in the stores as no one locally, not even Target and Walmart, will stock any Lego that is priced over $120 and the $120 are sort of rare. I'm an AFOL in a LUG and I have access to discounted stuff and because of the pricing, I am now pulling back from buying kits and focusing more on buying bulk purchases through other programs so that I can create my own creations and not worry about the new sets. When your collection is as huge as some AFOL's are, people just bulk buy the unique or new parts in new sets and just recreate them from instructions online for fractions of the price of the boxed sets.

[@Weeeee75]

Really liked your video. I agree with you 100% especially when it comes to the ambassador program the KZbinrs that receive the sets I do enjoy, but it also comes across as fake and in genuine of how they truly feel about the set possibly because they’re afraid of the backlash from Lego.

[@teeganreed7989]

Great job Holly! What you’re saying is so true and relatable! Thanks for putting this out.

[@janieisbored]

I’ve cut down on Lego purchases and have started to budget myself. I’m not sure how much I’ve spent but I’m very close to my $100 VIP voucher so I need to slow down. My absolute limit for price of any single set is $200 but I’m super picky about it. I usually buy during double points only for sets that I know won’t end up discounted at other retailers. Of the sets I do get, I buy either 3-in-1 or sets with lots of rebrickable mocs. My most recent sets are the medieval castle, galaxy explorer, and the blacksmith, all sets that have multiple builds or mocs available so that whenever I get the “itch” I can go build something I already own or do it for cheap via purchasing someone’s moc instructions.

[@BrightestWitchBricks]

Love the look and subject of the video Holly! Oh man, no GWPs for employees?? Jeeze Sooo curious to what happens with LAN in the next 3 years

[@ChilliChickenDry]

LEGO fatigue is real. I’ve definitely slowed almost stopped. The pricing now is ridiculous and I feel LEGO has strayed from their roots and what had made them successful and their product prestigious.

[@DerDudelino]

I really like LEGO and loved the Rivendell set. But come on, their margins must be insane - like I am sure The Razer Crest easily makes them 60 percent margin (10 percent per set goes to Disney/LucasFilm for the Star Wars license), since it's basically just a blown up version of a very standard Star Wars fighter with nothing special about it. Rivendell was special and has a lot of specifically designed pieces, so I'm fine with the 500 bucks price tag but the Hulk Buster? 300 would be even too much. It's fine that LEGO is an insanely rich high-growth company, but we are just talking about plastic here - this stuff costs very little to produce.

[@arikafek]

finally some truthful criticism of the lego brand which is so much overdue. they seem to be out of touch with way too many sets coming out, alongside a way too expensive pricetag.

[@samuelbenton469]

The prices of these sets is incredibly over priced for how much is actually takes to make these sets. I can't make myself spend 500$+ "usd" on one single lego set. 500? Even saying it out loud sounds crazy

[@palpee8820]

Recently 2 times just within 6 months the sticker pack was missing in the set. (they were both 100 dollar sets) This has never happened with any of the Lego sets I have gotten before, it’s only now that I have found errors and missing pieces but yet there still increasing prices while the Quality drops.

[@AlecFortescue]

Being a broke student I actually hate how much LEGO is doing this year because there is so much I am going to have to miss out on a lot of stuff whereas over the last three years I was able to get every single Star Wars playset save for AT AT ucs.

[@Eonsplay]

I live in Brazil, I would love the new Rivendell set, but it costs twice as much as my rent, and half the price of the lawyer I had to get in order to get an expensive medical treatment, I really hurts how obscenely high the price has got on this hobbies I love so much ever since I was a baby (my dad bought my first Lego set before I was born).

[@lexthechexmex9974]

The main problem I have with these expensive sets is that despite the fact that some of them came out recently, they are almost immediately retired or "hard to find" as the website says. With so many expensive sets, it's impossible to get more than one sometimes.

[@crawfr3]

This resonates with me. They are pushing the pace too aggressively

[@TheNazreth]

Misprints, missing pieces, manual errors, different shades of the same color (ie. Technic Sian mode), cracking of 2-3 year old pieces (cheese slopes...) + peeling of stickers.... I have a significant collection and the quality drop is pretty obvious when comparing sets from the 90'ties to the current ones. The last set I bought was the big DeLorean and since then I have not bought a single Lego box. It became too expensive in relation to the quality.

[@seanrea550]

There is another aspect to look at beyond price point and that is set size. I have to consider if I have room to put the set and for a separate theme it means a separate display space.

[@christianrisk]

I know I used to get every set I'd want within the first month or so, even if I only wanted a specific figure and didn't care about the rest. I've definitely cut back a lot and really only plan to get any if there's a good GWP (fingers crossed for May but I'm worried for the threshold) or if it's a good deal. Also, with WhatNot having jumped in popularity, there's really no need to buy a whole set for a figure when I get wait a week or two and just get the one figure I want and save on spending

[@darthlego3664]

100% agree about the LAN....I dont watch their reviews anymore. Im a typucal midlife Adult, mortgage, kids through uni....$$ are tight, and Lego is a luxury I cant afford/justify. I love the Rivendell and UCS sets....but way wsy outta my price range

[@trainwrecka]

This hit the nail on the head. I miss the days where the most expensive sets were $100

[@duckseverywhere7087]

I honestly miss the early-mid 2010s. We had the Lotr-theme one of my fav Lego themes to date. Lego Star Wars was in its golden age. They actually made DC-sets, even non-Batman ones. The sets also were a lot more affordable. Now, even a lot of the playsets are pretty expensive. Its become less of a toy and more of a luxury-product.

[@Daniel-ll7hj]

What website do you find those 100 points for 120 dollar off Lego loop coaster

[@Xterminator]

I was a LEGO store employee up until very recently. I have to agree 100% with everything said in this video. The product is becoming honestly outrageously expensive on it's higher end sets and focusing too heavily on doing too many of those releases. Speaking to the bit about not giving employees better benefits and incentives, that is honestly part of why I quit. Now don't get me wrong, they are NOT a bad company to work for and better than most other retail jobs, but things certainly went downhill from when I started there several years ago. The worst part is how often the excuse of "They give such an amazing discount to us" was used to justify the poor pay and other issues. In addition, especially as of late, with them releasing so many of these huge expensive sets or poorly executed sets, they put way too much responsibility and expectations on the store employees to help those sets sell well. Like every day we were told all these things we needed to do to try and help incentivise people to buy these sets that weren't selling well. When really the issue was the set/price itself, not the lack of marketing etc.

[@MrStars-bj9yf]

I really think that LAN needs to be restructured by a LOT. I feel like the LAN should be a way for the voices of the community to be heard, but its just become promotion for LEGO.

[@arghjayem]

00:40 It’s not just that TLG are pushing fans too far….it’s also things like inflation (which is at record levels in a lot of countries right now), TLG hiking up their prices using inflation as an excuse and finally the fact that in a lot of countries most people’s pay isn’t rising with inflation and in some countries (the U.K. in particular) wages haven’t really risen in over a decade ergo the spending power isn’t there. But yes TLG aren’t exactly hitting the spot with a lot of fans particularly on the big sets.

[@chuckiep268]

I’ve lost faith in Lego. Raising prices because of “inflation” cutting corners and quality control. It’s called greed! I’ve only bought one thing this year and don’t want anything anytime soon. Building Mocs with used legos is what I’m doing now.

[@voidlazar9912]

This is why Bionicle needs to make a comeback. They would be cheaper and also extremely popular.

[@HollyOnFilm]

Honestly I think it would be super expensive cause they'd make a lot of new moulds and then pass that cost on to the fans instead of absorbing most of it

[@UtarEmpire]

On the US side, I thought that the year and a half or so leading into the pandemic was pretty good LEGO-wise, my general pattern was I would tend to get the modular building at the beginning of the year and that would be among the only sets of the year that I would spend $150 or more on, while everything else that I wanted tended to go on discount on Amazon or at Target if I was just patient and waited for a couple of months. I bit the bullet at the beginning of this year and got the Lion Knight's Castle and I do believe that that was the first time I had ever spent over US$300 on LEGO for a single set. And I am also a massive LOTR fan and in fact was drawn out of my "dark ages" with the original line ten years ago, but I really cannot stomach paying that much - again! - for a single set just two months after I got the castle. This, incidentally, is from someone who is fortunate enough to have a stable career and relatively few financial obligations. The proliferation of gigantic D2C sets has been turning me off for a while now, even without going into any of the specifics of the questionable ones that have been dumped out onto the market in just the past year. It's pretty crazy in my opinion.