Dear Lego

TheDarkness · 2014-08-16T14:26:02.000Z

Dear Lego, I actively love building sets. I love the detail of the minifigures. I love the creative licences. But the world knows you have been charging ridiculous premiums for your product outside the US. The international market has tolerated it for so long. As discussed previously Amazon US has been coerced (whether it be temporarily or permanently) directly from Lego into ceasing international shipping. In recent years Amazon has been a hub for many international buyers to score Lego at cheaper costs than their local retail prices. Yet now the screws are being tightened. Lego has been banning users, placing limitations and now this. I thought it was ludicrous early last year when I legitimately could not buy a couple of Minecraft sets for my son and nephews due to limits. Who would have thought that people might want to order more than 1 or 2 of something right? The lack of discounts for "exclusive sets" is appalling. Let's be realistic, if there was a licence involved there would at least be some justification, however picking and choosing sets is a poor business model. All of a sudden, stores with those sets are not "allowed" to discount? Even stores in Australia are beginning to exhibit "This sale does not include Lego" signs. The war you are trying to wage on resellers is the wrong fight you are picking. Never have I seen a company so determined to stop customers buying their products. It enables customers to purchase items that have been discontinued or unavailable in their area due to the ridiculous restrictions you put in place yet you seem determined to do nothing but obstruct. The irony being your own customer service representatives point to reselling sites like Bricklink and eBay to find obscure parts or sets. Meanwhile, the collectability of some sets continues to diminish as fake minifigures flood the marketplace. Now discontinued sets are beginning to appear. The same collectability you have marketed is now driving counterfeit products, yet what does Lego focus on? Stopping consumers from legitimately buying their product. This isn't about someone coming in and purchasing 100 of one set but restricting customers purchasing abilities. Soon people will prefer to purchase the counterfeit items as a much cheaper alternative. The very marketplace you created and procured with your own product you are now destroying as the counterfeiters pull out a suitcase with 200 Iron Patriot minifigures at $1 each and hock off... whilst Lego stop people buying their product legitimately. Call it a rant, a whinge, a sook. Whatever. The despotism on display is ironic considering how close the company was to closing not that long ago. You are only shooting yourself in the foot. When is pushing your own customers out the door and restricting them from buying a great business model? Clone brands are already beginning to infiltrate the shopping aisles. eBay is flooding with cheap knockoff minifigures diminishing your product. The quality will only get better as they refine their techniques. Perhaps you should be combating those as opposed to loyal consumers purchasing your own product and pushing it to further success. Heaven forbid people actually want to purchase your product.