What is LEGO Bricklink

You have heard about LEGO Bricklink, but what is and what is the difference with LEGO Ideas

While LEGO refers to the manufacturer of the bricks, BrickLink is the massive community-driven marketplace for those products. Although The LEGO Group acquired BrickLink in 2019, they operate very differently in terms of how you buy, what you can find, and who you are buying from.

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1. The Seller: Direct vs. Independent

LEGO (The Manufacturer): When you buy from the official LEGO Shop, you are buying directly from the manufacturer. This is the primary source for currently produced sets and a limited selection of individual bricks through the Pick a Brick service.

BrickLink (The Marketplace): BrickLink is like eBay or Etsy for LEGO. It hosts over 10,000 independent stores worldwide. You are buying from individual fans or specialized businesses who set their own prices, shipping rates, and terms. 

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2. Product Availability: Current vs. Retired

LEGO: Focuses on new and currently in-production sets. Once a set is retired, LEGO typically stops selling it forever.

BrickLink: The ultimate source for retired and rare items. Because it is a secondary market, you can find almost every LEGO part or set ever made, including vintage sets from the 1960s, rare minifigures, and specialized parts no longer in production. 

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3. Pricing and Economy

LEGO: Uses fixed retail pricing. Prices for individual bricks are standardized, and you can earn LEGO Insiders (formerly VIP) points to get discounts on future purchases.

BrickLink: Features dynamic, market-driven pricing. Prices fluctuate based on supply and demand. While common bricks are often much cheaper than on LEGO.com, rare or out-of-production items can be extremely expensive. 

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4. Comparison SummaryFeatureLEGO (Official Shop)

BrickLink (Marketplace)

Seller The LEGO GroupIndependent sellers (Fans/Businesses)

Condition Always brand newNew or used (Clearly labeled)

Selection Current catalog & new partsAll history, retired sets, & rare parts

Pricing Fixed RRP (Retail Price)Market-based (Varies by store)

Shipping Flat rate / Free over thresholdVaries by seller's location & terms

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What is the difference between LEGO Ideas and Bricklink

The key difference is that LEGO Ideas is a platform for submitting concepts for official, widely available LEGO sets, while the BrickLink Designer Program (BDP) is a crowdfunding platform for limited-edition, exclusive sets that are often originally rejected by LEGO Ideas. LEGO Ideas: The Road to Toy Stores LEGO Ideas is dedicated to turning fan designs into official products that are available in LEGO Stores and retailers worldwide.

Selection: Designs must receive 10,000 votes to be considered by a LEGO review board.

Design: LEGO designers often significantly adapt original fan designs to meet strict standards for stability, ease of build, and playability.

Production: These sets are produced in large quantities and often remain in the collection for years.

Licenses: LEGO Ideas allows designs based on existing films or brands (such as Star Wars or The Big Bang Theory), provided LEGO can obtain the rights.

BrickLink Designer Program (BDP): Crowdfunding for EnthusiastsThe BDP gives designs that received 10,000 votes on LEGO Ideas but were not selected for production a "second chance".

Selection: Winners are chosen through public voting, and must then reach a minimum number of pre-orders (usually 3,000) through crowdfunding in order to be produced.

Design: Minimal changes are made to the original design. This often makes the sets more complex and challenging ("MOC style"), but sometimes also less stable than normal sets.

Production: Editions are very limited (often up to 20,000 or 30,000 copies) and sets are only produced once.

Licenses: Only original designs without external licenses (IP) are allowed

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