LEGO Confirms The Chinese New Year Sets Won’t Be Sold Online

LEGO have officially confirmed that the hugely popular Chinese New Year sets won’t be available on the Australian online store.

Both sets (80101 Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner and 80102 Dragon Dance) will only be sold via Myer, David Jones, Specialty toy stores, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Melbourne and the Dreamworld LEGO Store.

I have spoken to David Jones and they have told me they won’t be stocking the item until January 22nd and were unable to confirm if they would be sold online or not.

Myer has not got back to me yet but I have heard that some stores are taking down names. Your best bet is to try the larger stores.

LLDC Melbourne has not started selling the set yet but should be doing so soon. Unfortunately they don’t have a phone number to call. The sets are now available for purchase from LLDC Melbourne, with a limit of 2 sets per person.

Dreamworld has received stock and was selling the sets yesterday with a limit of one per person. I suggest calling the store on (07) 5588 1151 before you head in to check stock levels. These sets are going to go quickly.

You can also try contacting your preferred independent toy retailer and have a chat to them about stock.

For those curious, here’s the official reasoning given by LEGO (paraphrased, not a direct quote). These sets were originally planned for China only, and the production was based around that. Other regions then requested to also stock the sets. As the production had already been finalised the stock was spread among the additional markets without additional sets being produced. It was determined that if the Australian online store was included that there would not be enough product for the original market.

69 thoughts on “LEGO Confirms The Chinese New Year Sets Won’t Be Sold Online

  1. Bradley Mitchell Reply

    Any idea on 80103 yet? They are already being sold on eBay from hong kong.

  2. Magmafrost13 Reply

    Hopefully this doesn’t imply they’re only doing one production run of these, they’re going to be hard enough to get a hold of as is. We can only hope all stores that get them enforce a one-per-customer at the very least.

    • Michael Post authorReply

      I think it’s very rare for LEGO to increase production of a set beyond what was originally planned. Factory time would all be managed and planned out a long way out.

  3. rartelif Reply

    LLDC starts selling today, limited stock 2 each per person, a 40186 freebie is included. Myer Melbourne stopped to take names as they confirmed they will only receive 40 sets.

    • Michael Post authorReply

      I just added that on Facebook but hadn’t updated the article. Thanks for letting everybody know.

  4. JJ Reply

    Lego have lost their he plot…. How many Chinese folk live in Oz???..

    Also.. If they allocate to Australia not enough left for anyone else…. What rubbish..

    This must be their mentality for GWP stock….in Oz…. Eg.. Oz runs out same day, rest of worlds shop at home GWP stock lasts for weeks….

    Lego is treats Australia like we don’t count…

    • Nicole Reply

      Unfortunately we don’t for most retailers, from our own eyes we are sizeable but for global retailers selling to AU/NZ cost a lot in supply chain and then our market is miniscule compared to others. Sad but its actually true

      • JJ Reply

        then close the Australian warehouse if your not going to run it properly….
        never had stock issues when shop @ home was Europe based for Australia.

  5. Mark Reply

    Thanks for the update Michael…as frustrating as it is. They weren’t kidding with the ‘limited edition’ label this time!

    • JJ Reply

      Limited.. Edition… Rubbish….
      If their production run was plans sets on demographic / population… Um… Preety sure China is one of the LARGEST… populations in the WORLD….

      Makes Australis approx 25 million residents miniscule in comparison… I’m. Sure if they got off their politely put ‘backsides’. It would be easy to allocated a appropriate amount to Australia.

      But like what I mentioned earlier… They can’t even get the GWP allocations correct for the Australian demographic….

      As a previous commenter said… ‘farcical’ .

  6. JJ Reply

    You know what… This angers me so much..

    I’m going to say something I’ve never said before… Nor thought I would ever say…. ..BUT…..

    ‘I’ll just buy the LEPIN clone when it comes out” and support the bootleggers if lego keeps this sh.. UP..

    • Marsha Reply

      I agree with you. If Lego can’t be bothered matching up supply and demand I’ll be buying from LEPIN.

  7. Sues Reply

    Thanks for the update Michael, now I’ve organised for my brothers friends wife in HK to get them for me. She was able to order the racing boat and dragon dance, but the dinner set isn’t released yet. I don’t want to think about delivery costs…

  8. Anne Reply

    I appreciate you letting us now. I really want these sets, but I have no idea how I’m going to get them.

  9. Marsha Reply

    Overall Lego is not selling as many sets as it used to. So they ignore demographics and stats from previous years and produce too few Chinese New Year sets to fill demand. I know it’s a family company but are they really that dumb? I agree, it a farcical situation. Don’t they realise that if you sell millions of sets at small price you make as much profit as you do on a smaller run of larger sets.

    • Tim Reply

      Not exactly true – if you have a limit to what you can produce then the sets can take away from profit in other places as you can’t produce the other lines. It is probably just part of their marketing strategy whereby creating a limited product it can drive increased interest in the brand. It is a very tricky strategy to manage as it can backfire easily.
      With the surge of the middle class in China (land of the clone brands) however this strategy can work well as it gives the product an elitist feel and can make it more desirable to those trying to impress and raise their social standing.

  10. CS Reply

    Apparently Chadstone has the 40186 free with purchase does anyone know if Myer is going to get this like with previous years? LEGO Dreamworld didn’t have it as a free gift. It is such a fun pig!

  11. Wt Reply

    Wow just wow. How do they keep stuffing up their production runs for sets like these? To have so few made available to Australia is poor planning. Don’t they ask each market for input before they finalize the size of a production run? That has to be on their minds especially if they have a presence in the country.

  12. Matt Reply

    Not sure when the update to LLDC Melbourne now selling the sets was made to the article, but I was there today (fri 4th) at 3pm and later at 6pm and they didn’t have any at either time. I don’t know if that means I was there prior to the update notice here, or if that instead indicates they sold out straight away.

    If anyone’s interested they did have all the new city and Star Wars sets on shelves.

      • Matt Reply

        Wow, I suspected that was what it meant but wanted to put a little hope out there. The frustrating thing with LLDC Melb is, as you’ve mentioned, they don’t have a phone number so it’s very hard to find information like this. Thanks for the info.

      • Wt Reply

        My wife arrived around 1pm and got our sets. Someone said they were sold out around 3pm. So you can’t have missed by much. I’m going on others messaging so not sure of exact timing…

        • SY Reply

          Hi, someone else above mentioned that they were giving out 40186 as well, did you get that with your purchase?

  13. Jonathan Wilson Reply

    I have no clue what happened after I left but when I was there yesterday Dreamworld seemed to have reasonable stock of both sets.

  14. Brett Reply

    Dreamworld has sets available this morning and I was able to purchase two of each. Thankfully I live in Brisbane.

    • Bradley Mitchell Reply

      How did you manage to get 2 of each? I was told over the phone it was limited to 1 of each set.

      • Brett Reply

        I asked if I could grab two of each and they said as long as you weren’t buying 10 of each.

  15. Marcus Reply

    Just came back from Dreamworld a little while ago, after picking up a set of each. As of 11:30am they still had stock on the shelf, but not that much. Did not ask if they had any more out the back. Would suggest to call first to check if they still have sets and they will take payment over the phone.

  16. Mark Reply

    Just picked up two of each at Dreamworld, couldn’t get them to answer the phone to check stock so took a punt and drove down 1.5hrs, walked in and shelf was full just by the front door. But by the time I walked back out they were all gone, they got swarmed by a large crowd, employee at the door says that’s them sold out now, good timing I suppose!

  17. Yvonne Reply

    I am almost tempted.to support Lepin as well if Legokeep on stuffing up like this. there is absolutely no reward for loyal customers, just like what lego did with re-releasing of Taj Mahal.

    • Michael Post authorReply

      I’m not sure how a re-release of a retired set is a bad thing? Isn’t that a good thing for fans that missed out the first time?

      • Yvonne Reply

        When you have paid $1500 for a retired set and an exact replica was released later, that is a bad thing. I suppose you win some and lose some.

        • Magmafrost13 Reply

          When you cant get a set because you cant/wont pay $1500 for a $500 set then thats a worse thing for considerably more people. If you want to treat Lego like an investment then be prepared for the pitfalls that come with that. Its not TLG’s job to make sure Lego is a good investment, nor should it be.

        • alex ferguson Reply

          Yvonne if you paid $1500 on a set and you were happy at the time to do so then it’s on you. Dom;t blame LEGO for a re-release this is one is on you.

  18. Tom Reply

    Pretty disappointed in how this has all played out. Missed your post yesterday, so missed the stock down at LLDC. Guess I’ll just have to try my luck at the city stores when they get deliveries, but resigned to missing out on this one.

  19. Anon Coward Reply

    Very annoyed as I have just returned from Hong Kong. The sets are available but decided to pick them up here in Oz based on the earlier news they could be bought here.

  20. Coco Reply

    Has Lego ever sucked up to an exclusive set for one country like this before? Although China is a cash cow and many businesses are eagered to dip into the market to make some money, Lego should not bow down to Chain to this level to please the country, it should not be just exclusive to one or few countries! I am not racist as I’m from Hong Kong myself, but I think Lego’s market strategy for these ‘Chinese-focused’ sets is just disgusting!

    • Magmafrost13 Reply

      I think the closest they’ve come, at least recently, was the last wave of the Bionicle revival being exclusive to the US, but that was just because they were selling so poorly that production was stopped early or something.

  21. Michael Reply

    Its sickening to see them pop up on eBay and gumtree marked up so much. The stores should limit one per customer but i suppose its too much hassle for them. Selling through myer, david jones is so old fashioned, they put out stock randomly and usually the big stores only get this stuff. And you can even ring the discovery centre to see if they have stock.
    The lego online store should be the flagship for lego and you should be able to get all the sets that are available from there. They are expensive enough and rarely discounted so at least you should expect them to have the products they produce. If I manage to see any Im happy to pick up extra for anyone in melbourne and sell them on at cost.

  22. alex ferguson Reply

    Just a little bit of feedback for those that do not know. The LEGO shop at Chadstone is run by the Merlin group. There is no affiliation with LEGO group, it is like any other retailer. Hence why you can not get VIP points. They do a great job helping us all with their social media platforms and unfortunately do not have a phone line, Hope this helps

  23. Anne Reply

    Just thought you might like to know – I rang up Lego at Dreamworld the other day and explained that I had disabilities and I was not able to pick up the two exclusive sets I wanted in person. They were very kind and I paid a courier fee and they shipped one each of these sets (I only wanted one) up to me. I’m not sure if this is something they do for anyone, or just something if you ask and mention you have disabilities. I thought it was very kind of them and the sets arrived today.

      • Anne Reply

        Of course I have disabilities. Why would I ask them about it if I didn’t? I didn’t think they’d post, to be honest, but they did.

        • Julian Reply

          Unfortunately I imagine some readers here might take advantage of that knowledge and try to claim the same thing as you. Sad but reality like those who are selling these sets at 3 times the price on eBay.

  24. Rocky Reply

    I rang up Lego Dreamworld yesterday and bought a dragon set of which they took payment over the phone for picking up later this week. The CNY Eve dinner set have apparently ran out and that will be the only shipment of stock they have for this theme in the store according to the staff.

  25. Mark Reply

    I managed to pick up both sets at my local Toyworld today so independents are getting them. The stock they received was extremely limited and they are only calling those who put their name down at this stage.

  26. Rob Reply

    Disappointed to see these sets for sale on an Australian online toy retail site today for twice the RRP. Price gougers won’t be getting my custom.

  27. Michael Reply

    LEGO discovery center chadstone have about 11 new year dinner sets still as of 11.50 am Friday. They are behind the counter. Not dragon race delivered today.?

  28. Sues Reply

    DJ eastland (vic) took my name down and said they hadn’t received a delivery. Myer eastland received 20 and used them to fulfill orders so no stock.

  29. infinitearthelen Reply

    WA wiped out of stock it seems. 5 other people enquiring at the Myer counter at 10 am today.

    2 points:

    1 – in LEGO’s eyes there are no Chinese people outside of Asia
    2 – they do not understand the significance of the Lunar New Year (hint, it is as big as Christmas or Thanksgiving).

    Because 1 – I am Chinese and 2 – there is no point displaying this set after the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, I’m giving the knockoffs my money.

    if it were just LEGO’s usual ‘forced scarcity’ approach, I can understand. After all, they have done it in the past with the policeman and Graves. Why would things be any different?

    But to display a lack of cultural understanding ON TOP of that? You can see the irony of resorting to buying from a Chinese clone in this instance.

    • Magmafrost13 Reply

      Its not even just Chinese people who would want these. They’re really cool unique sets, and chock full of new parts, making them so scarce was such a dumb decision

  30. Rex Reply

    I’m upset seeing all the disgusting price gougers on gumtree and ebay. They are terrible people and need to get the fuck out of our hobby.

    • Alex Reply

      Some dodgy online retailers too, some of which are regularly promoted on this site, charging 100% above RRP.

        • Michael Reply

          http://www.shopforme.com which i found from an ad on facebook marketplace looked like a great place to get lego from in melbourne as it is near me in preston and seems to have great deals on their lego. The ad on marketplace said they had chinese new year sets in and they would be selling them online on the friday and inshore on saturday for $90. Great. Lined up a few other things i liked and was all set to order on the friday and when they came up online they were marked up $50 over the asking. So disappointing. Within 24 hours greed had kicked in. This is not what you expect from a lego site or a fan of lego which most of these smaller shops are.
          Also I mailed a seller on gumtree selling both sets for $400. He said from one lego fan to another. I told him he was no lego fan and he asked what my problem was with his prices. No response required to that I think.
          I did manage to get the dinner set from chadstone. Ive been over twice, all sold out first visit. 40 min trip. This way of selling lego is not good for fans and the lego group really need to rethink this strategy. I think the lego site should be the goto site for all lego products, what’s the point of it if it does not stock everything.
          Really pleased with the set, would definitely recommend but not at the high prices.

  31. Robert Law Reply

    DJs in WA have taken lists. If you are not on the list don’t bother. Okay. Went back home and ordered 2 custom sets for a fraction of the price. Ordered it off a reliable seller stickied on a subreddit of questionable repute. The seller was remarkably easy to deal with. Vote with your wallets.

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