There are a lot of places you can buy LEGO sets and items these days. It seems like they are everywhere from drug stores to supermarkets to online stores to well the secondhand market (we'll get into that later). For the next few posts I will give some thoughts on where to get LEGO and some things to consider based on the items you are looking for.
So let's start at the most obvious place... buying LEGO from the LEGO company itself. To buy from LEGO itself, you can purchase from LEGO Shop at Home via their web site or over the phone with their catalog. If you happen to live next to a LEGO brand store, you can purchase there too.
Price: LEGO controls pricing on its sets. While they often run sales or have discounts, you are at the mercy of LEGO's pricing plans. Can you get "cheap" LEGO sets from LEGO? That's a matter of opinion... especially since they control the initial pricing which is the basis for all other sales. The LEGO VIP program can help you save money (for more LEGO purchases in the future) or at least give you some benefits to shopping straight from the source.
Product Availability: LEGO controls production. For the majority of items, they have large supplies. However, as has been seen with some limited running sets or very popular sets, LEGO does run out on occasion. If the set is still in production, they will put it on back order for you. LEGO brand stores are usually pretty good at that as well. I'd be curious to know if anyone has experience with LEGO brand stores and back ordered items.
Set Selection: YES. What else can you say about the company that makes the product itself. They have everything. LEGO stores may not carry everything or may run out, but they can order items for you or in the past I have seen them hand out discounted shipping coupons.
Shipping: There is no shipping at the LEGO branded stores, but obviously Shop at Home has shipping cost. Thankfully now you can get free shipping with purchases of $75 or more. However if you plan to spend less than $75, you can expect to pay for shipping.
Customer Service: From personal experience, I've found LEGO Store employees to be helpful and good to work with. I'm sure there are employees that don't represent the brand well, but I have yet to be proven wrong. Any horror stories out there? I have never called LEGO Shop at Home, but have e-mailed. They are quick to correspond and very pleasant with responses. Again, that is my experience only.
Overall: LEGO is a great place to buy LEGO. Sorry, had to say it. They control their brand and obviously they are the place to get things first or to get some sets that are not available elsewhere. In terms of price they have you cornered on some items, but for other items there are better places to look if you'd like to save some money. LEGO has proven to me that they have good customer service and that they care about the customer. I hope they continue to focus on their fans to keep the product top notch among toy brands well into the future.