The data in the graph from this next post shows an inflation adjusted per brick price of .40 USD in 1980 vs a little above $.10 now. Perhaps more interesting is the cost per gram analysis which also shows a large drop.
I think people tend to romanticize the past and underestimate the effect of inflation across decades. One thing that may contribute to the idea that Lego is now too expensive is that the average sets seem to be larger and more complex now. Even if the bricks are cheaper the sheer quantity of them will inherently raise the set price. That may explain why the data in the Reddit post shows average median set cost having risen even while per brick cost has decreased.
Tip: Look for someone selling their grownup children’s Lego collection. I recently found a couple selling their children’s old Lego collection in Facebook Marketplace. I got an enormous bag of them for just a few bucks. It was a headache to filter out the garbage in them (small non-LEGO toys, unique pieces that were not really useful, a few mixed mega blocks, broken pieces, etc) but it was worth it, my children love them!
That's a common refrain that frankly just isn't backed up by analysis of the inflation adjusted price of Lego over time.
https://www.pricing-evolution.com/p/surprising-trends-in-leg...
The data in the graph from this next post shows an inflation adjusted per brick price of .40 USD in 1980 vs a little above $.10 now. Perhaps more interesting is the cost per gram analysis which also shows a large drop.
https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/15flwte/is...
I think people tend to romanticize the past and underestimate the effect of inflation across decades. One thing that may contribute to the idea that Lego is now too expensive is that the average sets seem to be larger and more complex now. Even if the bricks are cheaper the sheer quantity of them will inherently raise the set price. That may explain why the data in the Reddit post shows average median set cost having risen even while per brick cost has decreased.
Tip: Look for someone selling their grownup children’s Lego collection. I recently found a couple selling their children’s old Lego collection in Facebook Marketplace. I got an enormous bag of them for just a few bucks. It was a headache to filter out the garbage in them (small non-LEGO toys, unique pieces that were not really useful, a few mixed mega blocks, broken pieces, etc) but it was worth it, my children love them!