The demise of Death Star 10188?

[mrfootball]

Got the new Spring 2011 catalog. Death Star featured on page 9, still "Hard to Find" but no longer says "limited quantities" as it did in the Winter catalog.

Ps- the MF is regularly selling for over $1000 on Ebay and listed as high as $1500

[cbaker1974]

S@H is limiting orders on the Death Star. I put in an order for 5 of them (my work buddies saw my lego catalog on my desk and some of them geeked out over it and wanted in on it when i told them it was being discontinued) and they limited the order to 2...with this note:

"We appreciate your interest in ordering large quantities of a particular product. However, in our efforts to be fair to all consumers and children who order products from us, we do have to set a limit of 2 per customer or household on certain items. Since your request exceeded this limit, we have changed your order quantity to 2 of Item #10188 Death Star (TM) to ensure availability for other LEGO Shop at Home enthusiasts.

We thank you for ordering through the LEGO Shop at Home Service and look forward to offering you another opportunity to order later on in the season, based on what our inventory situation is."

[gabriellee11]

77 left at amazon.com...they are selling fast!!!

[BrickUpdate]

Regarding future prices of Death Star: whenever it sells out everywhere, the prices on Amazon resllers, BrickLink and eBay are instantly around $500. This is without it being "retired" - simply unavailable. I think that once it is actually gone for good, it will instantly be $600, and once the holidays come around, closer to $800.

Look at the modular buildings. When Green Grocer retired, it instantly doubled in price on the second hand market, and is currently SELLING for double or more. Then, each older retired set, went up in price another 50%. So Cafe Corner was selling for around $450, and now they are listed for around $600 or something.

Is it tulip mania with some of these sets? Perhaps. I do think the Death Star is special because is is a well regarded set, has tons of minifigs, and is one of the most classic icons of the Star Wars culture. This set appeals to a wider audience, and a bigger collector audience than just a modular building. Non-LEGO fans buy this set because they are Star Wars collectors.

Just my thoughts. Thanks everyone for all the updates on this! Mine is in the mail on it's way to me.

[eriochrome]

It should be noted that the Death Star is still in the spring shop at home catalog.

[BrickUpdate]

Also, Amazon now has 326 of them in stock!!!!

I'm guessing these will likely be mostly available from now through the summer, with them starting to run out in the early Fall. Who knows. Like all things LEGO, it's fun to guess!

[stevenli]

Yep....Amazon does it again...warned about being cautious of this being 'discontinued'

[vynsane]

Is it tulip mania with some of these sets?

Are you referring to the Danish point of origin with the remark about tulips? Because that's really more associated with The Netherlands.

[sidersdd]

Is it tulip mania with some of these sets?

Are you referring to the Danish point of origin with the remark about tulips? Because that's really more associated with The Netherlands.

I think it was more of a metaphor for the crazy inflated prices. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hopefully there isn't the equivalent crash as with the tulips. ;)

[vynsane]

Ah, see, I went too literal with the reference.

[slacker]

It's still on the spring catalog I just got in the mail.

[Ice]

Merged topic with 10188: Death Star.

[vynsane]

This topic has GOT to be in first place for 'most merged'.

[BrickUpdate]

With regards to my "tulip mania" reference, I simply meant that for some of these after-market prices, such as the modular buildings, I am wondering if they are over-inflated, that too many people are getting caught up in it, and that these prices are not sustainable.

For example, Green Grocer prices more than doubled in the aftermarket when it was retired. Compare this to other classic older sets or Vikings sets for example, etc - things that can still be found for about their original msrp price even years later.

I DO think the Death Star price will jump in the aftermarket, and I think that it is such an amazing and unique set that the higher prices will be sustainable.

Amazon now has 463 in stock - so it looks like the Death Star will be around for awhile!
Thanks everyone.

[stevenli]

463. Lol. So much for running out anytime soon. If Amazon loaded up, S@H probably has a ton too...well enough to last until the holidays I bet.

[ncbarrett]

My thought is, there is no reason to assume Death Star, which is apparently still selling well, will not be around for quite a while longer.

You know they make a bunch of $$ off this set.

[stevenli]

They make $$$ off most sets. It benefits Lego to discontinue sets and bring yet another version to market. AT-AT is a wonderful example of this. AT-ST, MF, and even Death Star.

[ncbarrett]

They make $$$ off most sets. It benefits Lego to discontinue sets and bring yet another version to market. AT-AT is a wonderful example of this. AT-ST, MF, and even Death Star.

Yes, but they are still making the X-wing 6212 that was released in 2006.
5 years is longer than any other set I know of.

[BrickUpdate]

Happy to share that the LEGO Death Star has been successfully snuck into my home without my wife noticing. All is right with the Empire!

[ncbarrett]

Happy to share that the LEGO Death Star has been successfully snuck into my home without my wife noticing. All is right with the Empire!

Unless of course its a trap and the wife is fully operational!