Death Star, Taj Mahal: reissues to better fight against counterfeiting?

If two sets are enough to confirm a trend, then we can consider that LEGO has decided to take matters into its own hands and reshuffle the cards to satisfy the fans and fight against speculation with in turn the implementation of a strategy to limit the impact of counterfeiting.

I deliberately leave aside the sets which are more reinterpretations than reissues like the references 10240 Red Five X-Wing Starfighter (2013) 75144 Snowspeeder (2017) or 75192 Millennium Falcon (2017), and I keep the few sets that are similar enough to the previous models to consider them as re-releases: 75159 Death Star (2016) et 10256 Taj Mahal. We will also remember the set 10249 Winter Toy Shop released in 2015, which was a reissue of the set of the same name (LEGO ref. 10199) released in 2009.

Obviously, anyone who arrived too late in the LEGO hobby to purchase the set 10189 Taj Mahal (2008) are now delighted to be able to afford this emblematic box at a reasonable price. LEGO makes new fans happy and shows them that their interest in this set has been taken into account.

The and 10188 Death Star will not have been absent from the shelves for long before the 75159 set replaced it: less than a year. Speculators did not have time to take advantage of the void left by the original box in the manufacturer's catalog.

By republishing a set that has become very popular with "investors", LEGO is also sending a strong signal and confirms that it is the manufacturer who controls the market and not the dealers. Today's surprise announcement is, in my opinion, the result of a carefully considered strategy. LEGO kept this set a secret until the end. No teasing, no communication, not even to fan sites or LUGs who are usually the first to know about an imminent new product announcement.

In my opinion, this is no coincidence, it was the most skilful method of catching the secondary market by surprise, without giving dealers time to lower their prices to sell their stocks. This secondary market with its hallucinating prices also maintains the "LEGO legend" and the collector's side of these high-end toys, but LEGO probably also wants to exploit the popularity of certain references and make a more ... financial profit.

If we can legitimately think that LEGO decides to put back on the market some very popular products to cut the grass under the foot to an aftermarket which has taken off in recent years and which provides good margins to the most patient resellers, However, I can't help but think that these re-releases are also a very effective strategy against counterfeiting LEGO products.

The secret behind the announcement of the set 10256 Taj Mahal has no direct impact on the counterfeit market: LEPIN is already copying the Taj Mahal from 2008 and this new official version is perfectly identical to the previous one. There was no risk here that LEPIN would take LEGO by surprise and offer a copy of the set before the official version was actually available.

But the Taj Mahal in LEPIN version is selling well, just look at the number of sales made by the different merchants who offer this copy on Aliexpress to realize it. It takes 200 € to afford a copy of the thing, delivered without box and with instructions in digital format.

By adding € 130, we will therefore be able to obtain an original and official version from November 1, with a beautiful box, a nice instruction booklet and parts made by LEGO ... The difference is almost reasonable, many customers potentials will probably agree to pay the difference to add a "real" Taj Mahal to their collection and not just a copy.

Anyone who turned out of spite to copies of sets whose official versions have become overpriced in the secondary market will now think maybe twice before doing the same for a future purchase.

More than the announcement of the set 10256 Taj Mahal, it is this trend that everyone suspects and hopes that should logically help curb the purchase of counterfeits. Many fans might be willing to wait a few more months to afford a counterfeit set, hoping they don't have to because LEGO is finally offering a reissue at an acceptable price.

If the trend is confirmed, LEGO will find its account in all sectors: fans will be in heaven, the secondary market will emerge from the current speculative bubble which only asks to explode to return to a more reasonable offer and the business of counterfeiting will also be gradually (and perhaps lastingly) affected.