LEGO GWPs (gift with purchase) are getting more expensive, proven by graphs and data

January 17, 2023 | 29

LEGO produces a LOT of GWPs (gift with purchase). The cluttered photo above includes every single major LEGO GWP from 2022. Minus funny things like keychains, blankets and polybags of course.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this trend is going to slow, and even though we’re only 16 days into the New Year, looking at the velocity of January 2023 GWP releases, I think it’s only going to accelerate.

Yesterday, we got a taste of one of LEGO’s most expensive GWPs – 40583 Houses of the World 1, the first of a series of 4 very, very pricey GWPs that have caused a bit of discontentment with LEGO fans. Just look at the discussion of the GWP on the Jay’s Brick Blog Facebook Page.

In case you missed it, 40583 Houses of the World 1 will be available as a GWP when you spend US$250 / AU$400 / £220 / €250 / CAD$350 on LEGO.com from 15 – 25 January 2023.

The deluge of LEGO fan dissatisfaction by this incredibly high threshold (not forgetting 40580 Blacktron Cruiser), then spurred a thought – it does feel like LEGO GWPs thresholds are getting more expensive, and that we’re getting GWPs at a much more rapid rate.

But is it a feeling influenced by conversations surrounding Houses of the World 1 or is it actually backed by data?

I first built a calendar and plotted all the 2022 LEGO GWP releases down, to give us an idea of the frequency of GWPs.

It’s also a nice visual bird’s eye view of the GWPs of 2022, and the months they were released in.

2022 actually started slow, but had an unusually high threshold GWP with 40532 Vintage Taxi (current Bricklink Average – US$30) which many chalked up to it being set at that price to join the Boutique Hotel.

Even the most notable GWP of 2022 – 40567 Forest Hideout (current Bricklink average – US$35) seems like a bargain, with only a US$150 qualifying threshold.

We did get a few months with twin pricey GWPs – May, for Star Wars Day, and the release of Cosmic Cardboard Adventures, and the next being November for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale weekend.

But on average, it was reasonable to expect a GWP every month.

In 2022 – the average threshold for a GWP was US$138 and the median threshold was US$140.

What happens when you plot it on a graph? Here you can cleanly see the peaks and troughs throughout the year, with November’s 40563 Tribute to the LEGO House cracking the US$250 limit (it was AU$309) in Australia.

Editor’s note: Apologies but I missed out 1 GWP in October 2022 – 40562 Mystic Witch which had a purchase threshold of US$100.

Here’s what happens when you add January 2023’s GWPs (the only ones we have this year) to the graph.

Already with the Blacktron Cruiser, it’s surpassed nearly every GWP in 2022 except for the Vintage Taxi and Tribute to the LEGO House, and it’s only January but we already have a set tied with Tribute to LEGO House.

Looking at the trendline, yes, you’re not wrong that LEGO GWP thresholds are slowly getting more expensive. You can’t argue otherwise.

What worries me is what happens when you extrapolate this trendline further, and what the rest of the year will look like.

Another unprecedented observation is the rare of GWP releases is also going up. January has been unprecedented with 3 GWPs on offer in total, which is exceedingly rare.

We don’t know for sure what February will bring, but the rumour mill is swirling with news of a Bionicle GWP, and maybe a Pizza Van GWP to accompany 10312 Jazz Club, and who knows what else!

So not only are GWPs getting more expensive, they’re also getting more frequent – something that we’ll need to factor into our purchase plans this year.

And I think the most important thing I can recommend is… to just disregard and say no to GWPs, especially if they’re too out of your reach, and don’t particularly fit in with your interests or collection.

Seriously, as LEGO fans, we need to get better at avoiding FOMO and learn to let things pass.

We don’t need to collect and have everything because for most of us, it’s not feasible to do so.

One final thought to leave you with on affordability, equity and accessibility, that was mostly spurred on by writing this piece, and 40583 Houses of the World 1

LEGO’s Houses of the World series is meant to pay homage to South American homes and architecture. 

I wonder if South Americans will be able to afford this GWP, and if any thought was spared for the regions of those that inspired the set that might not typically enjoy the same purchasing power, or standards of living that those in the Western Hemisphere do. 

In Mexico (not technically South American), the average annual wage is US$16k according to Statista, which works out to about US$1.3k a month. In Brazil, the average monthly income is about US$484 according to Statista, and in Argentina, it’s about half that of Brazil.

40583 Houses of the World 1 will cost US$250, and LEGO wants you to build the first in a collection of LEGO houses from around the globe with this South American-inspired building kit. In tribute to the buildings of South America.

To get the latest LEGO news and LEGO Reviews straight in your inbox, subscribe via email, or you can also follow on Google News, or socials on Facebook, Instagram (@jayong28), Twitter or subscribe to the Jay’s Brick Blog Youtube channel.