Whether you’re an avowed AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) or just trying to buy a young person in your life a gift, you might balk at the price tags that go with some LEGO sets these days. Aren’t these just meant to be cheap (and educational) plastic toys?
While I wish that LEGO was much cheaper (OK, maybe that would be a bad thing for my floor space), it isn’t just priced this way for no reason. In fact, there are several reasons that factor into high LEGO pricing, and although we might not agree with them all, at least there’s some sort of explanation.
8LEGO Was Never “Cheap” to Begin With
My uncle (who is only ten years older than me) had a decent LEGO collection in the late 80s and early 90s. As the last of his brood, he got a pretty decent deal when it came to toys and gadgets, so that LEGO collection was a source of envy for sure. While LEGO wasn’t as pricey as it is today, it hasn’t been a “cheap” toy for a long time. It’s a premium product in the end, and it makes sense for the basic brick itself along with the design work that goes into each set to result in a higher price compared to other similar toys.
7Plastic Prices Aren’t What They Used to Be
LEGO uses ABS plastic, which is perfect for this purpose because apart from being vulnerable to UV radiation, it’s pretty robust and can be used to make very precise parts. However, theprice of oil, the energy cost of making plastic, and the complexity of supply chains across the worldhaven’t gone down over the years.
In other words, there’s price inflation at work here, and plastics have not been spared, just like any other commodity. Which means that a LEGO set today has to cost more than a similar set from the 80s or 90s.
6Insane Precision and Quality Control
Although the patents on the LEGO connector design have long ago expired, and LEGO “compatible” sets are legal and often cheap, genuine LEGO still boasts a level of precision that no one else can quite match.
LEGO bricks can have tolerances down to 10 micrometers, which is pretty astonishing for an injection-molded plastic brick. It’s not just some sort of flex either. There’s a point to chasing this level of precision. Any variation in brick sizes will add up to errors large enough that large models won’t fit together correctly. However, it’s expensive to make bricks of this precision, and that contributes to the high prices of LEGO. As someone who has tried to3D-print LEGO bricks, believe me it’s harder than it looks.
LEGO Technic Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 42138 Building Toy Set (544 Pieces)
LEGO Technic kits have been always popular with the kids who like not only to pull stuff apart but also to build new things. The LEGO Technic Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a perfect gift for junior DIY geeks who are into fast cars and racing.
5Licensed Sets Jack Up Prices
While LEGO is no longer the only brick company to do this, there’s no doubt that smart licensing agreements are a big reason the company was saved from going under and is making record amounts of revenue. However, in order for you and I to enjoyHarry Potter, The Lord of the Rings,orStar WarsLEGO sets, the owners of those IPs have to get royalties on each set sold.
That’s going to add to the cost of the product, and indeed if you look at LEGO’s in-house sets such as LEGO City, they are much more reasonably priced.
4Bigger, More Complex Builds
As reported viaKotaku, there’s been an online leak of rumored upcoming LEGO Death Star set for $1,000 consisting of more than 9,000 pieces! That’s a record-setter for sure, but it’s just the latest in a long series of massive, complex sets.
This is like a combination of all the things that make LEGO expensive. It’s licensed, it must have taken hundreds if not thousands of hours to design, and you need over 9,000 precision bricks or the whole thing won’t fit together. $1,000 is a large amount of money, but if you actually look at what went into making a set like this possible. well it doesn’t seemthatcrazy if you remember that LEGO and the retailers also need to turn a profit.
3Adult Fans Have Changed the Market
If you’re an adult who likes LEGO and you want to know why it costs so much these days—look in the mirror. LEGO realized that it has lifelong fans, and the scope and price of its sets have grown along with the buying power of those adults.
LEGO still makes sets aimed at children, and those sets are much more reasonably priced. It’s the sets for adult builders and collectors that have the higher asking prices. Those $500 and $800 setssell out in minutes, and they are designed to be displayed after being built. They aren’t playsets, but display sets. Understanding that there are now two broad types of LEGO set helps those higher prices make sense.
LEGO Star Wars Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing
This Star Wars LEGO set offers a nice balance between build quality and price.
2Sustainability Goals Aren’t Cheap
If you check outLEGO’s sustainability pageyou’ll see the company has invested in alternative materials, manufacturing methods that aim for net-zero carbon emissions, eco-friendly packaging, and renewable energy sources. These are good for the environment, but they aren’t the cheapest way to go about making LEGO bricks.
You can’t have it both ways. Either your petroleum-based plastic product tries to have as little environmental impact as it can, or you make things as cheaply as possible, but cause damage to the ecosystem. Whether you think sustainability is a laudable goal or not, it’s going to impact prices.
1They Can Charge It—and We’ll Pay
This last one is probably the most cynical, but the truth is that a company will sell its products for the highest price it thinks customers will accept. Just like any business that makes and sells a product, LEGO’s prices are set to sell the most sets and make the most profits. If no one was buying those LEGO sets going for hundreds of dollars, then there would be no such sets for sale in the first place.
Other LEGO-compatible competitors certainly can’t get away with it, and so, ultimately, the only way to drive down the prices of these exorbitant LEGO sets is to resist actually buying them. Somehow, I don’t see that happening. You may want to trybuying directly fromLEGO, though there are ways to take the edge off the price tag that way. Personally, I’m open to buying used sets, or just waiting to buy that one big holy grail set one day.
LEGO Icons Flower Bouquet
This mixed flower bouquet is a great LEGO set for adults.
