It seems like every year retailers push the Christmas shopping season up more and more. If Halloween isn't careful, they might start playing 'Silver Bells' in October. Christmas also means that retailers are competing for your dollars, and this year is no exception. I've already begun to see the 20/30/40% sales on LEGO, as well as the infamous BOGOs. I'm certain Amazon will start having their 'gold box' daily deals any minute now. So what is a thrifty parent or collector to do? I'm going to do something a little 'unorthodox' here. I'm going to recommend you visit other LEGO sites...
Although the command center is staffed with my minifig minions, I'm the only purveyor of news on the site (not counting Cygnetron). It's for this reason that I just can't compete with the legions of forum members who post every little sale they come across. With that said, I would recommend checking in regularly with Toys N Bricks and FBTB.net for sales in North America, Brickset for deals in the UK, and Bricks Down Under in Australia. I'm certain there are other regional sites and blogs that cover your area, but I've found 99.9% of the sales and deals come through these sites. I will continue to mention certain pieces relevant to the LEGO minifigure universe, but some of these deals can pop up fast and go out faster than I can keep up with. Also, check in with these sites directly, as RSS feeds can be delayed. So much so that certain deals may be gone by the time you see them in your feed. Now, speaking of minifig related deals...
Toys R Us (US) re-released the LEGO Star Wars Chrome Stormtrooper polybag last night...and they were promptly snatched up online (see what I mean!) The website currently lists them as being in stores, but won't do a store location search for you. Listed at $2.99 USD, this may be one of your last chances to pick one of these puppies up.
Toys N Bricks is reporting that Wal-Mart (US) is putting LEGO Prince of Persia sets on clearance. Some fantastic figures and accessories for the collector or customizer. Some discounts have placed the Desert Attack set as low as $3.00 USD! The catch? Wal-Mart must apply some scientific algorithm to determine how to price clearance items. The deals vary from store to store, but at such deep discounts, it's worth a quick trip. Thanks to Toys N Bricks for the news.
I've mentioned over the past couple days that FireStar Toys has some new product in stock including the new Hazel Fantasy custom accessories, LEGO Harry Potter minifigs, and even a new Dr. Who custom. This is currently the only place where you can pick up new Hazel Fantasy product, although they should be available soon through the Amazing Armory website and United Armory. UK based FireStar does ship internationally so there are no issues there. If you needed yet another reason to check them out, you can use coupon/voucher code 'KV882256' to get an additional 10% off your order now through January 2011.
Even LEGO.com is getting in the Christmas spirit! They continue to offer double VIP points and free shipping or orders above $99 USD through December 14th. I also noticed that you can receive an extra bonus of 50 VIP points when you buy the LEGO Kingdoms King's Castle before November 12th. So head on over to the the LEGO Holiday Gift Shop
today. Do remember that an order that originates from the site earns us a small commission, which we will use to help extend services and bring new content. Just click on the banner at the top of the page or the link above.
That's all for now. Happy Holidays and let the LEGO sales and deals season begin...
Cygnet
Minister of Information
Ugly Duck Command Center
Minifig Nation
