Ai Weiwei had recently accused Lego of “censorship and discrimination” after the company refused to sell bricks to him for a 2015 exhibition. And according to BBC’s Celia Hatton, it was a controversial move given that “Ai Weiwei had used Lego before. He created a series of portraits of political dissidents that appeared at an exhibition in Alcatraz prison in 2014.” But after people from across the globe donated lego to the artist, Lego “adjusted” its bulk buy guidelines. “Previously, when asked to sell very large quantities of Lego bricks for projects, the Lego Group has asked about the thematic purpose of the project,” its most recent statement said. “This has been done as the purpose of the Lego Group is to inspire children through creative play, not to actively support or endorse specific agendas of individuals or organisations. “However, those guidelines could result in misunderstandings or be perceived as inconsistent, and the Lego Group has therefore adjusted the guidelines for sales of Lego bricks in very large quantities.”
Now, customers who intend to display Lego creations in public will be asked to make it clear that the company does not support or endorse the specific projects. This led to the BBC taking a closer look at why certain companies limited how much consumers purchased, with many giving the same answer. Luxury retailer LVMH has had its Chinese business undermined by bulk sales ferried into the country by so-called “daigou” agents, according to the BBC. It suggested that taxes and currency differences made luxury goods expensive in China, which in turn made daigou agents buy up luxury products in bulk in Europe and sell them on at home. Jean-Jacques Guiony, CFO of LVMH, said: “We’ve placed strict retail restrictions for the amount of products that people can buy. But, when you see someone in a store, you don’t know whether they are buying handbags for themselves or to sell them on to the market in China. We are trying to make sure we are not competing with our own products in the China market, but our actions are not entirely bullet-proof.”
While most of the examples given by the BBC hail from China, The British Retail Consortium’s external affairs adviser, Bryan Johnston, claimed that the risk of selling to customers and having your products turn up in someone else’s store is always high when you sell in bulk. There are, however, ways to prevent this, he said. For example, restricting sales. He added: “In the end, it is up to the individual store. It is in the gift of the retailer to decide on how much they want to sell to any one customer.” Share with your networkThis year, I have been slowly building my first Lego collection. My kids and GeekMom Jenny each have tubs of Lego bricks that belong to them individually. I felt left out after visiting Legoland with Jenny, so I started my own collection. When I started buying, I did a lot of research, so that I could get the most out of my investment in a fairly expensive hobby. The first thing I needed, no argument, was bricks. There are many ways to get a bunch of bricks at once.
I started with the Lego Build and Play Box. It’s a great starter set, highlighted by its large storage box, but I’ve found some cheaper options. Here is a breakdown of the average prices I could find: 884 piece Lego Education Brick Set 779384 = 6.1 cents per brick 650 piece Lego Bricks & More Builders of Tomorrow Set 6177 = 6.3 cents per brick (discontinued and no longer available, as of 11/2016) 1,000 piece Lego Build and Play Box 4630 = 11.6cents per brick 650 piece Lego Creative Building Kit 5749 = 7.1 cents per brick 1,600 piece Lego XXL Brick Box 5512 = 13.4 cents per brick (this one has been discontinued, hence its elevated price) As you can see, the Lego Education Brick Set has some serious bang for its buck. It’s a medium size kit, with 11 sizes and 9 colors. The bricks are pretty basic, but that’s the best place to start. I get the most use out of basic shapes, because they are so versatile. Specialized pieces often have just one purpose, and don’t get used as much.
The next thing I needed was a plate. Plates are the foundation that you build your creations on. It’s possible to build on a table, but plates make the whole experience simpler and more fun. Lego makes two 10″ plates, one in green for general use, and one in blue for water scenes. Generally you can find one for about five bucks. There is also an XL gray plate, which measures 15″, but it runs around $15 right now. I own just one green plate, and it is worth its weight in gold. Honorable mention goes to the Brick Separator. Another thing that is invaluable. Saves me so much trouble when disassembling. Though these are often included in specialty kits for free. The last thing I needed was minifigs. There are hundreds of options. As a matter of fact, according to xkcd, there will be more minifigs in the world than people by the year 2019! Where to start then? This is definitely not a case for the basics. I wanted my minifigs to be special, ones I’d like looking at forever.
Since Rory is my favorite character in (I mean, how could I not like a total dork with the same name as me?), I got the Series 10 Roman Commander (read: Centurion). The kids then surprised me with a pile of parts from old minifigs that they didn’t want any more. This was great because I was able to make a few that I liked, and have the ability to change things up. After that, the sky (read: wallet) was the limit. There are so many themed kits it would take an enormous amount of money to get them all. I suggest ignoring sets like the ones, for example, because the scenes are not versatile at all. This makes me sad, because I love everything. I just don’t have room in my house for a permanent installment of Krang’s Lab, and it’s not fun (for me) to keep building the same thing over and over again. There are a couple of exceptions. If you love one of the kits so much that it’s worth its own place in your home, buy away. GeekMom Jenny has three Lego Architecture sets that have their own shelf in her office.