Comparison of Lego prices between USA and other countries

[JCool]

When I was traveling in Brazil a couple years ago I stopped into a local toy store at the mall. The prices for Lego were astronomical. And I don't use that word lightly. Compared to the US price, the shelf price down there was easily 2-3 times more expensive! All the more reason to not complain about being a US customer. The prices are still very reasonable, and if the product is that good, wouldn't you be willing to pay more for it anyway?

[Ye Olde Republic]

As long as my prices don't go up, I'm just going to sit here with my mouth shut. I know, wierd right?

[Legoorci]

Does anyone knows how Lego prices are in Asia?
And if Lego makes more profit in Germany (and I think they do), why does/did Lego produce sets (e.g. Avatar, Ilove the sets but can't get any except at Bricklink for too much) just for the American Market ?

[Bluesecrets]

And if Lego makes more profit in Germany (and I think they do

This is where I think your assumption is wrong. If your economy and value of money are higher than that of the US, then they are not making more profit.

[wobnam]

why does/did Lego produce sets (e.g. Avatar, Ilove the sets but can't get any except at Bricklink for too much) just for the American Market ?

Some themes are simply not popular enough in Europe to make it worth marketing here. I believe this was the case for the later Batman sets.

[WhiteFang]

Does anyone knows how Lego prices are in Asia?

LEGO prices in Asia is 2.5 times (average) more expensive by comparing with the United States.

[davee123]

And if Lego makes more profit in Germany (and I think they do

This is where I think your assumption is wrong.

Granted that statistic is a few years old, so it may have changed since 2005, but that's been true in the past. I was confused by it in the annual reports, but I had a LEGO employee explain it to me (circa 2005 or 2006), and he confirmed that indeed, LEGO made more PROFIT in the German market than in the US. Germany supposedly was their highest profit country, and had been for quite a while. Effectively, I was told that LEGO treated the US as growing market, and they didn't want to lose its large potential, but that they sold LEGO in the US at a very slim profit margin compared to elsewhere.

Of course, 2005/2006 is when Jørgen Vig started making pretty large changes to the company, so it's possible that things have changed in the interim-- but certainly it's been the case.

DaveE