@Jerry Rubin posted:Come on Marty, how long will you continue to defend Lionel? $600 to $3000 for a TOY Train Engine??? Customers 50 years and older; Pandemic cutting or eliminating people's income; Products made in China; Using many predesigned parts; Over pricing everything they import. And you think they are the customers friend with how fast (slow) they repair defective merchandise? I'm sorry I just think they are heading for disaster.
If you look back at Lionel's history, they were making trains around the time of the depression that were $80! I believe the State Set was very high priced when it came out. They were just toys back then as well. The bottom line is that model trains are expensive. Just because it fits under the category of a toy does not mean its cheap. When my son was younger he was really into Legos. Talk about expensive. Any Lego set with over 100 pieces is $100 and up. The big sets are several hundred dollars each. There is no hand assemblies for Legos. Its all molded plastic. As stated above, people have been predicting Lionel's eminent doom for years. The opposite has happened. Their stater sets are the bulk of their sales. The LionChief line has really gained momentum because of its affordability. I don't find their prices outrageous at all when you look at the big picture. Before the pandemic hit, Lionel was very responsive to warranty repairs and answering the phone. I would give them a break until things return back to normal. They are doing their best in a niche industry.
