LEGO Prices Skyrocketing!

The popular brand, LEGO, is known for its creative pieces people put together, and their insane prices for a singular set. They make several building pieces from movies, shows, art pieces, and more. People find it calming to build these sets and explore their creativity. Although LEGO is primarily intended for children, it has gained popularity among adults. Since this popularity has grown among older fans, rising prices have spiked and made it hard for these fans to purchase sets. A sudden increase in prices was unexpected and upset many people. In 2022, LEGO raised prices due to rising costs of raw materials, labor, and transportation. The prices increased because of the global economic climate and to maintain profitability. The increase in the size of sets is a big matter in why the prices rise for certain, bigger sets. These prices can’t continue and need to be managed at a more affordable rate.

With inflation, it is predicted that the prices of LEGO will continue to rise. Everyone knows that it’s a well-known, good quality brand, and with it being a name brand, inevitably, the prices will go up. The manufacturing process of LEGO has very high engineering standards where there needs to be exact precision. Sets are made with ultra-strong thermoplastic with colors that don’t fade. Along with this process, the design team has strict requirements that they must follow. The requirements include a clean concept; no violence, nudity, drugs, or other logos. Other brands, like Cobi, you can see violence with tanks or war planes, which can cause parents to not buy that brand for their kids. LEGO’s play value is also a big factor in their strict requirements, where the sets have to be attractive, fun to build, and have clear instructions. The construction needs to have stability, and the sets can’t have a lot of new bricks. Certain sets are popular because they are based on a movie like Harry Potter, Marvel, Star Wars, etc., and they have an expensive license fee. These famous movies or shows can also be a big factor in why certain sets are more expensive. With sets that have broken pieces, buyers shouldn’t have to buy a whole new set, but just certain pieces.

The quality of LEGO attracts collectors and brings up their prices, but the price isn’t always going to matter to some people. Stephen Wayland, a digital supply chain leader, says, “If you’re really loyal to LEGO, price doesn’t really matter much anymore because you’re going to make your decision more about what they are selling…you’re going to be more motivated to make that purchase based on what the set is versus the price.” Wayland also thinks that adult collectors probably have more disposable income, so it would be common sense for LEGO to charge higher prices to get more out of their customers.

For many people, LEGOs are built for fun and later used for decoration, but there’s more to them than you think. According to Pinnacle Blooms Network, which offers autism therapy, some kids with autism or other disorders can benefit from building LEGOs, but the prices make it hard for parents to buy them. Building LEGOs helps kids with communication skills, social skills, motor coordination, and cognitive functioning. LEGO offers hands-on ways to work with different skills. They are used in speech therapy, behavioral therapy, occupational therapy, and special education. Children with severe autism can benefit from LEGO therapy, as this form of therapy can easily be adjusted and tailored to meet the needs of children.

As a LEGO enthusiast and collector, Leo Vogelsinger says he tries to take an hour a day to build LEGOs because he really enjoys it. “It helps me work my brain in a way academic classes don’t…it’s an outlet for my anxiety. Being creative with LEGOs helps me to get rid of some of that stress.” He agrees that LEGOs can be used as a form of therapy, but with the prices, he feels that the corporation seems to be getting greedier, and that impacts the collectors and people who really enjoy LEGO. “They are exploiting the fact that people will buy LEGO at any price,” he says. There are ways people can try and steer around these prices, and Leo says third-party retailers are a great resource for getting LEGOs cheaper. Online markets like eBay and Facebook Marketplace provide a better way to get LEGO. Vogelsinger highly recommends buying LEGO like this and even says, “I genuinely haven’t bought LEGOs at retail price for two and a half years. I only buy from third-party sellers or at a significant discount.”

If the LEGO prices continue to rise, there are still solutions you can find. Yes, LEGO is a name brand, but you could buy off-brands that are much cheaper, wait for sets to retire so the price goes down, or buy from a third-party retailer. Although LEGO, as a name brand, may seem cool, the prices most definitely aren’t. If LEGOs are an outlet to help kids in ways you wouldn’t expect, then prices shouldn’t be as high as they are.

Sources:

https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/ma/lego-in-therapy
https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/ma/lego-in-therapy

https://www.shopbrickify.com/s/stories/understanding-the-rise-of-lego-prices srsltid=AfmBOorrcBWVpbAb_4PR3WiHaSQrBqOa3swCBhvEvkiD_zPe4mOaMwmY

https://www.shopbrickify.com/s/stories/understanding-the-rise-of-lego-prices?srsltid=AfmBOorrc

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