Online LEGO® Stores: The Ultimate Destination for LEGO® Fans

Mar 07, 2023

Online LEGO® Stores: The Ultimate Destination for LEGO® Fans

Introduction

If you're a LEGO® fan, you're in luck! The rise of online LEGO® stores has made it easier than ever to find and purchase your favourite LEGO® sets and accessories. In this article, we'll explore what an online LEGO® store is, the benefits of shopping at one, and some of the best online LEGO® stores available.

What is an online LEGO® store?

An online LEGO® store is a website that specializes in selling LEGO®® sets, minifigures, loose parts & pieces and accessories. These stores offer a wide variety of LEGO®® products, from the latest releases to rare and hard-to-find sets. Some online LEGO® stores even offer custom LEGO® sets and minifigures that you will not find anywhere else.

Benefits of shopping at an online LEGO® store

Shopping at an online LEGO® store has many advantages over visiting a physical store. Here are the most significant benefits:

  1. Wide selection of products

Online LEGO® stores offer a much wider selection of LEGO® products than traditional brick-and-mortar stores. You can find everything from the latest LEGO® sets to rare and hard-to-find sets that are no longer available in stores.

  1. Competitive pricing

 Online LEGO® stores often have lower prices than physical stores. This is because they don't have the overhead costs associated with operating a physical store, such as rent and utilities.

  1. Convenience

Shopping at an online LEGO® store is incredibly convenient. You can browse and purchase LEGO® products from the comfort of your own home, and have them delivered directly to your doorstep. Online LEGO® stores offer the convenience of 24/7 shopping. Customers can browse and purchase LEGO® products at any time of day or night, without having to worry about store hours or availability. Since all stores are just a click away, almost anything that exists is available for purchase, somewhere...

  1. Exclusive products

Some online LEGO® stores offer exclusive products that you won't find anywhere else. These might include custom LEGO® sets, minifigures, and accessories.

  1. Customer service

Online LEGO® stores typically have excellent customer service. If you have a question or need assistance with your order, you can easily reach out to the store's customer support team for help.

Best online LEGO® stores for LEGO® pieces

Here are some of the best online LEGO® stores to check out:

  1. LEGO.com

LEGO®.com is the official online store for LEGO® products. It offers a wide variety of LEGO® sets, minifigures, and accessories, as well as exclusive products that you won't find anywhere else. The site is easy to navigate, and customer service is excellent. The website has a store dedicated to parts and pieces called Pick a Brick. Here you can find a vast selection of loose LEGO® parts. You can combine the parts and pieces with sets and you might get a free gift on top of your purchase. The two main disadvantages are:

  1. LEGO® pieces are a bit more expensive on the Pick a brick site than on most of the competing sites.
  2. If you buy pieces not labelled Bestseller, it might take a while for them to arrive.

In short, it is convenient, trustworthy and easy. You might have less choice and prices are a bit higher.

  1. Bricklink

BrickLink is a marketplace where you can buy and sell LEGO® products. It has a vast selection of products, including rare and hard-to-find sets. BrickLink also has an active community of LEGO® fans who share their creations and offer advice. The LEGO® company owns the Bricklink marketplace. The selection of parts, pieces and accessories is vast. The main disadvantage is that you most likely will have to buy from many different sellers to get all the pieces that you want and that can increase the shipping costs dramatically. THe Bricklink website is also not so appealing. Bricklink is also the go to place for information about LEGO products. It has a huge database of information on LEGO pieces and LEGO Minifigures.

  1. Brick Owl

Brick Owl is another large online marketplace for LEGO® products. It has a large selection of products and a user-friendly interface. Brick Owl also offers seller ratings and reviews, so you can buy with confidence. The site is a lot smaller than Bricklink and a lot of sellers sell on both the sites.

One major difference between the two sites is their user interface and overall design. Bricklink has been around longer and has a more established look and feel, with a focus on providing a comprehensive database of LEGO® products, whereas Brickowl's design is more modern and streamlined, with a focus on providing a faster and more intuitive user experience.

In terms of inventory, both sites offer a wide variety of LEGO® products, but Bricklink has a more extensive selection of rare and hard-to-find items. Bricklink also has a more active community of sellers and buyers, which can make it easier to find specific items or get advice on purchases.

Another difference is the pricing structure for buyers and sellers. Brickowl is a bit cheaper for sellers to use so the might price their products cheaper. We have not verified if this is actually the case and there is probably not a straightforwarth answer for this.

Ultimately, which site you prefer will depend on your personal preferences and needs. If you're looking for a more established and comprehensive marketplace with a wide selection of rare items, Bricklink may be the better choice. If you prefer a more modern and streamlined user interface with lower transaction fees, Brickowl may be the better option for you.

  1. Amazon

A bit surprisingly amazon.com is also a great place to find loose LEGO®  pieces. It also has a vast selection of sets and accessories, and you can often find LEGO® sets at very competitive prices. So, you can combine parts and sets to get a good deal on shipping also. With Amazon Prime, you can also enjoy free two-day shipping on eligible items in the USA. For loose LEGO pieces however, Amazon.com might not be the cheapest option.

Amazon can be both better and worse for buying loose LEGO® pieces, depending on your specific needs and priorities.

On the one hand, Amazon offers a large selection of LEGO® pieces from a variety of different sellers, which can make it easier to find the specific parts you need. They also offer fast shipping and reliable customer service, which can be helpful if you need your pieces quickly or if there are any issues with your order.

On the other hand, Amazon's selection of LEGO® pieces may not be as comprehensive as other specialized marketplaces such as Bricklink or Brickowl or speciality LEGO® pieces stores. Additionally, since Amazon is a general marketplace, the quality and authenticity of the LEGO® pieces you receive may not be guaranteed, as sellers may not be experts in all things LEGO or may not have a deep understanding of the different variations of LEGO® parts.

However Amazon has implemented various measures to address the problem of authenticity of LEGO products, In recent years authenticity problems have been dealt with  by Amazon in our opinion and it would surprise us if you would buy products that say they are authentic LEGO® products and that that would not be the case.There still is the problem of products that look like they are LEGO products but do not say they are LEGO products. So it is a case of reading the descriptions and the feedback of the sellers before you buy.

If you're looking for a wide selection of LEGO® pieces and don't mind potentially paying a higher price, Amazon can be a good option. However, if you're looking for a more specialized marketplace with a deep selection of parts and a community of LEGO® experts, you may want to consider other marketplaces such as Bricklink or Brickowl. Additionally, if you're looking for rare or hard-to-find LEGO® pieces, specialized marketplaces may be a better option.

  1. eBay

eBay is another excellent online marketplace for LEGO® products. It has a large selection of products, including rare and hard-to-find sets. However, you'll want to be careful when buying from eBay to ensure that you're getting a legitimate product.

What are the advantages of ebay.com over other marketplaces?

  1. Competitive pricing: eBay is a highly competitive marketplace, which can lead to lower prices for LEGO® pieces.
  2. More flexible payment options: eBay offers a wide range of payment options. This can make it easier for some buyers to make purchases, especially if they do not have a PayPal account.
  3. eBay has a high level of buyer protection, which can help to ensure that you receive the LEGO® pieces you ordered in the condition described by the seller.
  4. Additional products: eBay also offers a wide range of other products, including used and new LEGO® sets, as well as accessories and books, which may not be available on other sites..

What are the drawbacks for buying on ebay.

  1. Quality and authenticity: The quality and authenticity of the LEGO® pieces being sold on eBay can vary greatly. Some sellers may be knowledgeable about LEGO® and sell authentic pieces, while others may not have a deep understanding of LEGO® and sell low-quality or counterfeit pieces. This can make it difficult to ensure that you're getting genuine LEGO® pieces.
  2. Incomplete or incorrect orders: Since eBay is a general marketplace, some sellers may not be specialized in LEGO®, and may make mistakes when packing orders or may not be familiar with the specific pieces you need. This can result in incomplete or incorrect orders, which can be frustrating for buyers. This can specifically be the case while buying from nonprofessional sellers.
  3. Since eBay is a huge marketplace with an enormous amount of offerings, it might be a challenge to find the exact LEGO® part you are looking for.
  4. As Ebay is an expensive site for sellers, this can result in that it might be difficult to find the pieces you need in the specific quantities that you need at a good prices.

So in short, there is a lot of interesting stuff to find sometimes at surprisingly good prices. It might take some effort to find what you want.

  1. Speciality stores for loose LEGO® parts & pieces

Advantages of online speciality stores

Specialty LEGO® stores that sell loose parts and pieces have several advantages for LEGO® fans and enthusiasts. Firstly, they offer a wider range of options for customization and creativity. With the ability to purchase specific pieces, fans can build their own unique creations or modify existing sets to their liking.

Secondly, buying loose parts and pieces is more cost-effective than buying entire sets. Instead of buying a new set just for a few specific pieces, fans can purchase only the parts they need to complete their projects or to expand their collections. This is also true for individual Minifigures. If you are collecting for example all the LEGO® Harry Potter Minifigures, it would be very expensive to buy all the sets that have Harry Potter Minifigures.

Thirdly, specialty LEGO® stores that sell loose parts and pieces often have a more extensive selection of rare and hard-to-find pieces than general retail stores. This is especially helpful for collectors or builders who are looking for specific pieces to complete their collections or to build a particular model.

Fourthly, authenticity: These stores typically have systems in place to ensure the authenticity of the LEGO® pieces being sold, as well as policies for handling any issues that may arise with orders. This can help to ensure that you're getting genuine LEGO® pieces from reputable sellers.

Finally, these stores often have knowledgeable staff who can provide assistance and advice on building techniques and piece selection. This is particularly helpful for beginners or those who are new to the LEGO® hobby.

What are the drawbacks of using speciality store?

  1. Sometimes higher prices: Specialty LEGO® stores may charge higher prices for LEGO® pieces than other marketplaces like eBay or Bricklink. This is because the sellers are often enthusiasts who have invested time and money in building large inventories of pieces, and may place a higher value on the pieces they sell.
  2. Limited inventory: While specialty stores do offer a wide selection of LEGO® pieces, their inventory may be limited compared to general marketplaces like eBay or Amazon or Bricklink. This is because the sellers are typically individuals or small businesses rather than large-scale businesses. The counter argument here is that although eBay etc offer a lot of options, you might have to buy from different sellers which complicates the buying process a lot.
  3. Shipping costs: Some specialty LEGO® stores may charge higher shipping costs than other marketplaces, especially if they're located in a different country. This can make the overall cost of buying LEGO® pieces from these stores higher than other options.
  4. Complex ordering process: Specialty LEGO® stores can sometimes have a more complex ordering process than other marketplaces, as the sellers may have their own preferred methods of communication and payment. This can make it more difficult for buyers to place orders. Although with the advances in ecommerce software like shopify.com and Bigcommerce.com, in recent years the ordering process might have become simpler than say bricklink.com
  5. Limited buyer protection: While specialty stores do have systems in place to ensure authenticity and handle issues with orders, the level of buyer protection may be lower than on other marketplaces. This is because the sellers are often individuals rather than large-scale businesses with dedicated customer service teams.

In summary, specialty LEGO® stores that sell loose parts and pieces provide a wider range of options for customization, are more cost-effective, have a more extensive selection of rare pieces, and offer helpful staff who can provide advice and assistance.

So, what are the best options for speciality LEGO® stores?

Since we wrote the article and did the research, allow us to plug our own dedicated online LEGO® store for loose parts and pieces: www.choose-a-brick.com. and for loose LEGO® Minifigures.

Conclusion

If you're a LEGO® fan, shopping at an online LEGO® store is a must. These stores offer a wide selection of products, competitive pricing, and exclusive items that you won't find anywhere else. So whether you're looking for the latest LEGO® sets or rare and hard-to-find products, be sure to check out some of the options mentioned above and give www.choose-a-brick.com a try. It is likely that as a LEGO fan you will use most of the provided options one time or another since each have their specific advantages and drawbacks.

 

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