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Let it slide

Well, I think they should be allowed to do it. What should happen is they should lose the business of those people who don't agree with them and that's it. The thing is, come the time when ey are the only ones to have the 41999 in stock and a lot of people "forget" about how much they hate TRU. I for one have purchased items for more than retail, even at TRU several years ago, but even when I realized how much they charged over "retail" I was never angry at them, but at me for not taking the time to research the prices beforehand. And in the cases where I have witnessed or known about a particular business doing something I consider wrong on moral grounds, I have stopped purchasing from them 100%, even when they had a killer deal or whatever. I sold a HH in a damaged box for $200 to a buyer not long ago. If he considered the price was right for him, who Am I to say otherwise?

TRU can do whatever they want just as anyone else can. It's been brought up in these threads many times in the past - obviously if they keep doing it, it must be working to some degree, someone's still paying because if everyone thought like we did they wouldn't achieve even a dollar in sales with those mark-ups. It's up to the buyer to do their research, be an educated consumer, and shop elsewhere. TRU preys on those that either don't feel like doing that research or don't mind paying more for the convenience of not having to. Kind of like paying 1.00 extra for a gallon of milk in 7-11 because you don't feel like going into the grocery store and waiting in a longer line to get the same thing. Some parents like being able to buy all their birthday/Christmas items in one fell swoop and will pay the mark-up. I still think TRU sucks, but I see the other side of the coin. Yes, it is deceptive to a degree, especially when you "change" MSRP....but again, it's on the consumer to research before spending.

Unfortunately, I have to agree 100%. This is very sound logic. I would count myself in as one of the TRU haters, but as you pointed out, that is essentially exactly what I do when I sell my stuff. What's more, as I am in no rush to move inventory I usually post slightly higher than average prices on eBay, and then if I decide I need to move it I will keep the higher prices, but put everything "on sale" @ 10-15% off with the markdown manager. Damn. I am TRU. Thanks for ruining it! -PB p.s. You didn't really ruin it, I've always known this... just never shared my thoughts on it. Glad to see I'm not the only one. Oh, I and this doesn't mean I still don't hate TRU, but I have been know to pull deals outta there on rare occasions, and I never turn away from a good deal.

People in the frying pan don't always appreciate the problems of the people in the fire. People who get stabbed once a month can't bring themselves to be grateful they're not being stabbed once a week like that guy over there. Taxes are bad here, they're just worse almost everyplace else.

I will be getting Dolphin Crusiers, If you need the 6860 Batcave you should pick some up along with the 6864 Batmobile and the Two-Face Chase, as alot of stores are out of them. CHECK OUT TARGET.COM

I like to think I create the "higher" market value first. Ignorance is bliss.

Forums are a medium for people to voice their opinion. I find good deals at TRU, it's a shame other people don't. It's easy to make fun of or criticize them, but all in all TRU doesn't owe anyone anything. I'm sure some people won't be happy until TRU is giving everything away for free and even then it wouldn't be enough.

I like the "Weve Gone Bananas" our prices are now close to MSRP sales TRU has been running.Lol.They do seem to spend a lot of time and advertising convincing you that your getting a good deal when in fact it still isnt.

Resellers don't generally put out multi-page circulars screaming "WHAT A DEAL" about things that are not remotely so. If an item is EOL or hard to find because of a run on stock, resellers are charging market price. Considering that a buyer who's working for it can generally find an EOL or out-of-stock item at what's technically a below-market price from the right reseller, most resellers have more of a right to four-color "WE'VE GONE BANANAS" deal hyperbole than TRU does.

I don't think they price for whatever they want. They price based on what their target customer is willing to pay. And I would take issue with the statement about "dumb" people. As I said before, people close to me and even myself have bought things for more than they are available somewhere else just because At the time the time needed to research the prices was not worth the price difference. Calling that "dumb" is not really accurate.

Toys R Us is like Apple. It use to be the best, but not anymore. On a side not, has anyone ever looked at a whole sale Lego catalog? Using 60002 as an example, Lego.com has it for 19.99. To buy wholesale it is around 12.99, give or take. There is not a large margin for Lego's. Star Wars is even more expensive because you have to pay for the licensing that went into it. I am not defending TRU, I can just see a reason behind it.

You forget some people dont care what a sets retail price is for and dont need to spend hours researching what others are selling it for. DNIM 99.9% people are not as saavy on ebay as you and would explain the many sold listings for much more than was available from other sellers. Most people buying lego for their kids have dispensible income and dont care if it is sold for say 5 or 10 bucks less some where and many well off people wont buy a thing from Wal Mart...They buy in a free market and if buyers dont like it they dont buy. I just thought its funny that everyone marks there sets up above what they paid to make profit but have a problem when a store does it...There selection is a big part of why they can do this. I admitted in the OP the constant price changing and psuedo-sale practices are deceptive but just like the larger Bricklink stores can charge more for the same pieces because they have more selection. If you are in it for the profit hard to fault another seller for charging high prices if anything it only helps. Maybe some buyers compare your prices with TRU and think they are getting a deal...I love reading this site and the people for their differing viewpoints and JAF cracks me up. The TRU customers willing to pay over MSRP for a set are the same customers you are hoping for years from now will do the same thing except buy the set from you...

For toys and everything else. Keep in mind that most of the people who shop at TRUs don't hate it as much as people on this forum do. The typical customer goes in there a few times a year and by making a cost benefit calculation (subsconciously) decide that going to TRU and getting a LEGO at their current list price makes more sense than spending their time looking for a better deal online and such. Hell, some of my family members do this very same thing. Even when I tell them they can get it cheaper from Amazon they end up choosing their convenience is worth more than the price difference. I have no problem with people that think differently at all, but I know that if I feel so strongly about something I avoid it 100%. If I hated TRUs, you would NEVER see me shopping there.

The Mars Mission sets are on the site. They are a subtheme of Space. Here is a link for the Mars Mission sets. Some of the sets are worth a pretty penny if they are MISB.

Now, now -- he's not being sexist at all. It's just like people who don't want African American children to play on their street because it invites crime, or men who keep their women at home (and out of Costco) where they belong for the ladies own safety, or not wanting your son to take up interior decorating or hair styling because we all know what THAT means. FTR, as an official Mom and Costco shopper, I am a speed demon in there, my kids when they were young enough to be in the way rode in an extra cart, and all the blocked aisles I run into seem to be inhabited by men talking about how the little woman needs to know her place.

I don't change my base price just prior to a sale (but the reason I wouldn't consider it is it would be too much time spent for any benefit). However, in our eBay store I do charge higher than average eBay prices in many cases, and higher than average Bricklink prices in most cases, and higher than what people could spend if they went off and bought some kits and parted them out themselves in all cases. And I don't tell my buyers how to go find a better bargain. And, I really wish eBay had a mark UP manager (without telling the buyers that the price had been marked up) so that at hot times of year like Christmas I could raise all my prices across the board as easily as I can currently mark them down. I don't know where that puts me on the DoNot Giant Scale O'Integrity but I'm okay with myself and my dogs still seem to like me.

Sorry I completely disagree with your point because you make it seem like we are ALL jacking up prices on people. Its just not true. Yes, there may be a few people on this site that try to take advantage of buyers, but most of us don't. All of my prices on ebay are fair market value determined by ebay sold listings AND I use Best offer and consistently take less for items, especially on bulk orders. TRU absolutely hands down takes advantage of people who don't know better ON PURPOSE. Thats the difference. I shop there are all the time and I like the place, but their business practices are shady. They can price things the way they want. However, what most people never do is actually change the RETAIL PRICES to make people thing they are getting a deal. Brickshopper - I know you are a big ebay seller and assume you have an EBAY store. When you have a sale, do you change the retail price so it looks like you are having a big one but it is the same price? Justafrog - do you do it? I very much doubt it because to me both of you seem like honest people with integrity. I worked for a company that used stupid high retail prices to make women think they were getting insane deals on cloths with 70% off sales. While a little irritating that people fall for it, the NEVER changed their retail prices. EVER. Since I have watched TRU, the Millenium falcons list price has been 129.99, 139.99, 145.99, 159.99, 169.99 and 179.99. Its shady, bad business and they shouldn't be allowed to do it. If they want to price it at 179.99 forever, I am fine with it. Have your sales, whatever else. Don't try to fleece buyers.

If TLG did make a modular Death Star, I want to put minifigure scale TIE fighters in the Death Star and a whole battle scene that happens at the end of Episode VI. My guess is that there would be around 30,000+ pieces in the set and that it would cost at least $3,000.

What kind of sexist pig would say such things? Yep, it's rather idiotic to imply that a mom of soccer-playing kids is too ignorant to realize TRU has overpriced items.

I wonder if these "sunday shopping moms" who block aisles with their carts are the same uneducated moms of kids who play soccer who are constantly being taken for a ride at TRU???? Seriously, why all the mom bashing? Its kind of lame.

Just wondering is it ok for us resellers to target the uneducated public and gouge them on the secondary market with inflated prices on ebay and amazon but not ok for TRU to do it? I agree with the thought if you dont like it shop elsewhere and they will find the success or failure in their bottom line. Just find it hypocritical for resellers to complain about TRU pricing because they cant wait to get their hands on it to mark it up even more...LOL

Yes but my name is Ashford because my dad lived in miami and choose this name for me

People started lining up at 5am on Saturday. The mall limited the number of people allowed in the store and broke it down into groups of 60. I got there at 830 and was in the fourth group. I was able to pick up 2 store models but I was lucky to get them at all, even being among the first 240 people In the store.The employees were not limiting the number of transactions per guest. I saw the guy next to me do 5 transactions of $100 one after the other on the same VIP card. My cadheier forgot to include the model I my friends transaction and charged me the $14.99 for the model, the manager fixed it when I pointed it out but it makes me wonder how many people didn't get their models or got charged for them. On the malls side of things they had a good idea handing out tickets in groups but the instructions for how to get a ticket and then where to wait in line were not clear leaving many of the customers angry. They put the registration table behind the master builder stage at an in incident entrance to the mall and had nobody near the store directing people, just a long winded sign. They were also not allowing people to wait around in front of or next to the store (they were hoping we'd spend money at the other retailers.) Over all it was a good experience for me, reminiscent of the Beanie Baby days of waiting in line for hours when a shipment arrived. I was on my way home by 11:00 with my Winter Village Market, VW, and my store models. I wish I was able to go for the minifigure set today. Hopefully they'll open another Utah store someday!

This message has been brought to you by your local TRU store manager... On a serious note, I think the majority of members here would agree that TRU is free to operate their business as they choose. The reason why people get upset and "bash" them is when they jack up their prices right before a "sale" begins, so you really are not saving anything. That practice is extremely deceptive, and it relies on the general public not realizing that they are being duped to be successful. I think most people here are smart enough to realize that this is their business model and to shop elsewhere. It's when TRU starts to prey upon the uneducated public such as soccer moms, grandparents buying a birthday gift, or the 8 year old kid who saved his allowance for ten months to buy that TRU exclusive, to make a buck that gets people upset.

For example, to the right it shows my most valuable set, and instead of showing the value for this set NEW, which I have explicitly marked as NEW, it shows the value of the set USED, that makes no sense. Same goes for all prices and the overall value of my brickfolio, and sometimes the value displayed for a set makes no sense at all, for example the value for 79003 is (NEW)

My mistake don't know how that site came up.

I was there today. Didn't know so much people in Utah liked Lego. Hardly made it to be one of the first 300, it was packed. Only got two of the Lego stores though, didn't feel like dropping more than $200. Now back to building the 10143, its a tough build.

Sold 1x LEGO Heroica Waldurk Forest #3858 for $17.99. The turnover was less than 30 days.

Me too. I think the modular buildings are becoming like the 10188 Death Star.

I found a couple of my cats when they were kittens in front of Walmart. I don't know about any deals inside the store but I certainly did leave there to come home with the best 'deals' of my life. :giveheart:

It's all relative. To me and my James Bond lifestyle, 100 million would not be enough.

If anybody wants me to get them the Metroplex for $85, will charge exact shipping, only catch you have to mail me a money order, as I have to keep my paypal transactions under 200, and I still have alot to sell, And I will be sure I get you a mint box, and don,t worry I no how to pack this baby. so let me no or call me. 410-574-6088 after 3-to midnight. Ed