Legos in bulk?
5I’m all about buying constructive toys for my kids (they’re 1 & 3 right now) since I think it fosters creativity and good thinking skills. Last year we bought them a ton of wooden train tracks that they love. They are both starting to get into Legos when they visit friends that have them. But Legos are so horribly expensive!
Does anyone have experience buying Legos in bulk (used) or even off-brand Legos? I’m considering something like this for an off-brand option.
I’m planning on building a table like this for my kids: 
P.S. Here’s how awesome all of the train tracks look:
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@luvche2, I bought some “compatibile” bricks for my nephew a couple years ago. Can’t recall if they were from Banggood, AliExpress or possibly Amazon Marketplace. Fit and finish was terrible. Compatibility with OEM bricks was hit or miss. Poor guy wondered why I didn’t love him anymore.
Lesson learned… for me at least. So I did my research and came across LEGO “creative building sets”. Since there’s no licensing fees for IP for Star Wars or Marvel or whatever, the price of these creative kits is 1/2 or even 1/3 the cost of comparable brick count for a licensed design.
For example, MSRP for Kylo Ren’s TIE fighter is $80 for a 630 piece count. MSRP for the 585 brick Creative building set is $30. And that’s MSRP. Shop the sales and clearance at big box stores and you can cut those prices in half.
@ruouttaurmind Good to know about the “compatible” bricks, it seemed too good to be true anyway!
I’m really just wanting a whole bunch of bricks for the kids to go wild with and build creatively.
Ditto what @ruouttaurmind said - offbrand bricks are hit or miss, and if you want to save money, buy LEGO kits that aren’t cobranded with some other licensed product. That’s a big part of why they’re so expensive.
Lepin is a cheap knock off. The compatibility is pretty good though. My kids love legos, and even though they cost more I tend to get the name brand as LEGO puts in the design work and then companies like Lepin make knock offs. Find your kid a lego train it’s the best of both worlds. Plus they actually move with power functions. Look on Craigslist or Facebook I tend to find good deals on used LEGO bulk lots or sets
Having sucked it up and bought some of those branded sets for my first kid, I eventually came to realize that the legos very quickly end up in the large communal lego vat anyway. Just get the generic sets and let the imaginations go.
@shahnm I meant generic theme but name-brand lego. None of the kids ever really played with the off brand experiment… They just don’t work the same.
@shahnm Thanks for the clarification - I’m starting to look to eBay for bulk lots!
@luvche21 I wouldn’t trust eBay bulk lots. If you go for one make sure it’s shipped from the US and they have a really high seller rating. eBay is full of knockoffs
@unksol definitely. It’s been ages since I bought anything on ebay anyway. If they end up sending me knock offs, does ebay have a refund guarantee or anything?
@luvche21 ebay is pretty good about helping out if you don’t get what you actually ordered.
Also, check the seller’s ratings and return policy.
No experience but lots of listings on eBay for Legos by the pound or large lots of bulk Lego.
Sets are cool and all but I spent most of my childhood with random piles of Legos and let my imagination run wild. I’m kind of jealous looking at those huge piles on eBay even as an adult.
@djslack ebay bulk and occasionally i’ll see some at a garage sale. Basically when the kid moves out the mom puts them all mixed in a bag or box and sells the lot. Of course my two 20-something nephews are still in to Legos. And when we went to Legoland in San Diego 15 yrs ago we saw just as many adults without kids as with. So those mom-sales are hard to come by.
@mollama Yeah, Legoland is “awesome”. We gave annual passes to the grandkids for the FL one and have been twice (had to go back with the parents this past time since they didn’t go the first time!). Spent a week each time in Orlando (45 minute drive), hit the parks 3-4 times each visit.
They have a great deal on them on Brick Friday (aka Black Friday to non-Lego fanatics). The “Awesomer” pass included the annual pass with unlimited access to the park and water park (with free parking), access to the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussaud’s, and the Orlando SeaLife Aquarium as well as the Lego center in Atlanta. All for $99. Kids/grandkids and grandparents (us) had a blast!
Real Legos or nothing.
These are heirloom quality, hand me down to the next generation toys.
And none of that cheat’n, make the thing on the box cover, crap.
About as far as I’d go is maybe roof pieces, windows, wheels, commodity parts like that.
No single purpose kits or parts. That results in stunted creativity. You don’t want that for your kids do you?
Seriously, wide open builds, limited only by the kid’s creativity rather than copying a photo on a box is the path not only to nurturing dexterity and creativity, but also improved spatial thinking.
My parents would say I got more enjoyment, more hours of fun from Legos by orders of magnitude vs any other toy. I still remember fondly my great aunt who recognized the value of this wonderful tool-toy and loaded my Lego boxes to overflowing.
Bonus: a kid can never have too many of the thin, flat pieces.
@RedOak Thanks for the tips! Looking into some ebay bulk lots to get started. Will have to look for some flat pieces specifically (and doors/windows/etc)
@luvche21 when my kids left the house we “kept their Legos for them” (ha!) We have a 14 gallon Rubbermaid tote full that the grandkids are now playing with. The deal is anything they build on any given visit they can take home. When we get low we have them bring some pieces back to restock the tote.
I was in Nashville this weekend and my granddaughter and I spent a couple hours on the floor upstairs building with the Legos they have at their house (LOTS of them…)
I would also say they are heirloom toys of the first order!!
@chienfou That’s what I’m getting the vibe of on here. Definitely going to start getting some bulk lots and build up a good collection over the years.
That’s the part of parenthood that I can’t wait for - sitting on the floor and creating something cool with my kids. My 3 (almost 4) year old is so close to being there!
@luvche21
During the holiday season, I picked up a 900-pc. Creative set myself from Jet; they were cheaper than at Amazon.
Just remember this @kevlar51 design:
https://shirt.woot.com/offers/watch-your-step?ref=meh_com
@narfcake AMEN… nothing like a Lego block to ruin a 2 AM trip to the bathroom!
I bought a few large flat-rate boxes off Ebay full of used bricks, then bought a box of windows and doors, then a box of wheels and axles. I spent less than $100 for about 5000 pieces and my kids played with them for countless hours and they were able to build some really cool lego houses, cars and other random things. If you’re worried about the cleanliness of used bricks, most sellers claim they sterilize before selling them. We ran ours through the dishwasher before we gave them to the kids (my wife bought a mesh laundry bag specifically for this purpose. I think it was made for bras and underwear?)
We did end up eventually spending an arm and a leg on the featured sets (well over a few thousand dollars now), but we were at least able to confirm whether or not they’d play with them before we dropped the money on them.
@capguncowboy Ooh, that sounds like a good plan - any ideas on the lots I should be looking for? If you don’t mind, I would love a few links for some bulk suggestions, as well as windows/doors/wheels/axles? If there are certain ones that you found most helpful, that would be great! I would really love some bulk bundles to just let them build whatever they are interested in!
My nephew is off the deepend for Legos. Has an entire room full. A quality product to help the imagination bloom.
Every black Friday bulk Lego sets go on sale for the basic blocks very cheap. I know one year I bought the 1200 Lego brick sets for 10 dollars each buying several sets for my house each niece and nephew and a bunch of sets for toys for tots. But every year I get the massive usually walmart loss leader set for toys for tots. For 10 to 12 dollars you are looking at 800 to 1500 legos.
@CaptAmehrican That sounds super cheap for actual Legos! I’ll have to watch out for those sets.
@luvche21 Yeah… that’s crazy cheap… gonna keep my eyes peeled for that one!
@chienfou it sounds too good to be true almost…
Garage sales are a great place to pick up used sets and bulk bricks!
@fastharry was going to add, possibly estate sales as well. However, Legos, like newer flat panel TVs, laptops, and tablets and high quality tools rarely seem to make the sale. Existing owners or beneficiaries don’t want to let them go!
I had the opposite experience of most people here. Maybe it’s changed since I played with them, but when I was growing up I had a barrel of mega blocks and I thought they were great. Not every one fit perfectly, but it didn’t bother me as a kid- I had a whole barrel of them after all.
@SluggerOtoole were those the same size as Legos? I thought they were bigger blocks.
@luvche21 Same size. Mine came in a clear cylinder with a red plastic top and bottom.
@SluggerOtoole I bought my son an Iron man set about 5 or 6 years ago (before Lego licensed Marvel) and it was awful. Everything went together poorly and wouldn’t stay together
@capguncowboy Mine were just the plain blocks and from about 25 years ago. I dunno if the sets are worse or they’ve gotten worse over the years, but I believe it.
I liked the megablocks when I was young, didn’t mind them mixing with the legos. Only difference I remember was the thin pieces, lego are 1/3 the size and the megablocks were 1/2.
@luvche21
BTW… I can’t see your table plan, this is what I get on my screen:
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@chienfou It only shows up for me every other time I visit this thread… weird.
Try the imgur link: https://i.imgur.com/w5KDmVZ
That should take you directly to the photo. I’m looking into something like that. Not sure if I’ll build the drawer or not into it (haven’t done that before). And I might even make it longer, maybe 3 x 2 or 4 x 2 even so that my 2 kids can both sit down together easier, not sure yet. I might end up making a work bench in the garage first though to make this project easier, we’ll see.
@luvche21 NICE! But definitely not enough storage !
(BTW, link is fixed)
@chienfou Yeah, that’s partially why I’m not sure if I want to build the drawer into it - I could just put big plastic tubs underneath too!
Oooh. I have some experience on this topic. This is (part) of my LEGO collection:
You are correct. LEGO bricks are really expensive. The good news? You’ve got time. If you’re patient, you’ll do just fine.
Ebay is a great place to go for used lots. My recommendation is to go for people selling their (or their kid’s) whole old collection, and not for the people that put up large numbers of lots by the pound. The folks going bulk by the pound frequently pull all the really valuable (and neat) stuff out before they sell it to you. Never, ever by lots that are “1000 pieces” or anything like that on EBay. They’re almost always overpriced. You’re getting bulk junk, you miss out on the opportunity to get complete sets, minifigures, etc.
Craigslist can also be excellent. The best lots are the ones where they want you to pick up, because if they’re not willing to put it in a box and ship it, they’re probably also not willing to see what it’s worth online.
If you’re still going the used route, but don’t necessarily want bulk brick, Bricklink is the major 3rd party LEGO marketplace. You can get whole sets, or individual parts, new or used. Depending on what your tolerance is for international shipping and foreign transaction fees, you can get some awesome stuff from Europe.
I don’t buy loads of used brick anymore - but I recommend a smelly-and-inoffensive-smelling antibacterial dish or hand soap. I keep Dial on hand.
If you want new sets on the cheap, Brickset is a great resource: They have a list of discounted sets at several different online retailers.
Lastly, about 3-4 times a year, Target, Walmart and others will have LEGO on clearance in their physical stores to make room for new inventory, so poking your head in the clearance aisle once in a while can be worth it. Brickseek can be helpful here too
The crazy black Friday deals are crazy - and real - but sometimes they only have 20 or 40 of those sets per store, and getting one can be insane.
@redoak is 100% correct. LEGO bricks are heirloom quality building toys. Other brands… are not. Although, some of the stuff can be just fine if your kids have a high tolerance for frustration. This survey of knock-off brands should give you some idea.
In case you got all the way to the bottom of this post and were still wondering why I have all that LEGO - I’m part of an adult LEGO club in NY. Here’s one of our recent shows: https://www.flickr.com/photos/51436400@N05/albums/72157681243747696
Thanks @luvche21 for giving me an opportunity to geek out on LEGO after a hard day at work.
@jwsmart Holy Shit!
@jwsmart yep, that would qualify as fully Lego-geeked out. Nicely done.
BTW, what do you do when you need the guest room for guests?
@RedOak Honestly, they’re lucky if they don’t have to clean LEGO off the couch to sleep.
@jwsmart Man, my grandkids would be SO jealous!
@jwsmart On my way home from work today I finished the most recent Judge John Hodgman where I learned what an AFOL is and that LEGO is the plural of LEGO. I’m guessing you might enjoy it.
@jwsmart @mfladd took the words out of my mouth.
@jwsmart holy moly, that’s an amazing collection! Thank you so so so much for all of the tips. I’m getting more and more excited about this! …and I used to be so much more of a K’nex fan (…back when I thought 10,000 pieces was a lot…)
Do you think used pieces are a decent start for the kiddos? They’re still 1 and 3 years old, so they’re not going to be picky. What’s a decent price per pound for used lots these days? I’ve been seeing a bunch around $10 to $13 per pound.
Any recommendations on types of sets to buy for young kids to get them hooked early? I’m all about creative construction, so I’m thinking to not focus (at least not yet) on specialized sets (like Star Wars), but to just get tons of bricks, windows/doors/wheels, etc.
How many pieces do you think you have?
If you were to start over, how would you start?
@jwsmart p.s. the link to your show looks amazing! I’m sure someday I’ll have a boring library conference in NY, I’ll have to see if your show is still up!
@luvche21 Any LEGO pieces are a good start in my opinion. Like I said - shoot for the ebay lots where it’s a kid or parent selling their entire collection. That way you’re likely to get some complete sets, minifigures, etc. There are plenty of places to get instructions PDF’s or pictures online. Again, I’d go to Brickset. I’m not really sure what a good price per pound is, it’s been years since I bought LEGO that way. $10 seems really reasonable to me.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know I couldn’t care less about LEGO until I got some space sets. https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Space
I think you might just have to buy some small sets in each theme and just see what they respond to…
LEGO also has a “Juniors” line (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Juniors) with some real easy to build stuff. Might be a good way to get started? Creator (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-creator) sets are great too, because they have instructions for three different models in each kit - so you can take the set apart and rebuild it if you want.
3 years old is still really young for LEGO. I’m going to guess they’re not going to really get into it until they’re like 5 or 6. I was 7, I think, before I gave up my big 'ol Duplo bricks.
I don’t really know how many pieces I own. I don’t count. I don’t think a million would be an unreasonable guess.
I kind of did start over. Most adult LEGO fans go through what we call a Dark Age where we fall out of the hobby. Mine was about 12 years starting in junior high. I was fairly immobile for a while after a surgery a while back, and that’s all it took to get my old LEGO collection out of my parent’s attic, and start over.
Shameless plug time - We don’t always have a display up, but when we do, we post about it on our website: https://www.ilugny.org
@jwsmart Thank you so much for all the info and links. I’m looking forward to jumping in!