[Karellen]

> brands like Lego have evolved, are insanely expensive (>$100)

I thought that Lego prices had remained pretty steady over time.

https://realityprose.com/what-happened-with-lego/

OK, that study was published 10 years ago, but I haven't noticed any huge price hikes in the last decade for comparable sets. Yes, there are some bigger sets now than there used to be, but the small sets haven't gone away and are still there too, at what seem like reasonable (to me) prices. And while sets based on licensing deals (e.g. Marvel/Disney) are a bit more pricey than their own in-house ranges (City, Creator, Friends, Ninjago, etc...), again it doesn't seem like a huge gap?

[suzumer]

While price per piece may have remained relatively constant, Lego has been pushing out more and more expensive sets. I remember when the most expensive set was the 400 dollar death star, and that was the only 400 dollar set. Now, there are 26 sets that are 400 dollars or more, with 7 of those sets being 600 dollars or more, and the most expensive set being 850 dollars. All of this to target more adult fans of lego.

[Karellen]

Note that the $400 death star (set 10188) was released in 2008, and $400 in 2008 dollars is worth $570 in 2023 dollars.

https://brickipedia.fandom.com/wiki/10188_Death_Star

https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/2008?amount=400