If your kid likes LEGO toys, you may want to explore the options
available online for adding to your collection. There are many good
sources available, to fit any budget and tastes.
First, the LEGO company’s own web site, LEGO.com. Here you can order
any of LEGO’s current line of sets online. If you participate in their
VIP rewards program, sets brought online will be somewhat cheaper than
they would usually be in a brick and mortar store. LEGO also has its
Pick-a-Brick store online, where you can mix and match individual
bricks to get exactly the pieces you need. Unfortunately their
Pick-a-Brick selection is still rather limited, but they add new parts
all the time.
If you know exactly what you want, and you can’t find what you need in
Pick-a-Brick, another very good source for individual LEGO bricks is
Bricklink.com. Bricklink is an online marketplace where thousands of
sellers offer individual bricks for sale. The site’s catalog system
takes a little getting used to, but once you do, you can find any
element the LEGO company has ever made. Bricklink is an especially good
source for rare or unusual minifigures, as in most other places you
will have to buy the whole set to get the minifigure inside.
If cost is a concern, buying in bulk on eBay is the best way to go.
Sellers on eBay regularly list large lots of random LEGO, left over
from some kid who has moved on from LEGO and doesn’t want their
collection any more. While it may seem like you are profiting off
someone else’s tragedy, this is a great chance to add to your own
collection. The only concern here is that you don’t always know what
you are getting. Look at the pictures closely, as many sellers
mistakenly or deliberately sell bricks made by Mega-Blok or other
knock-off brands as genuine LEGO bricks. Although you can sometimes
find amazing deals by buying poorly-described lots with few pictures,
this is risky. On the other hand, buying from more knowledgeable
sellers may mean that the rare or valuable pieces have already been
picked out. It is best to buy lots where the seller has taken detailed
pictures showing exactly what the lot contains. Be wary of a single
picture of a pile of bricks: some sellers use a stock photo for all
their lots and you might not get what is shown. Bottom line, always
read the fine print, and if you are willing to take a little risk you
can find some excellent deals.
Finally, for the buyer with deep pockets, there is an amazing custom
builder community on the internet. Many people by bulk parts and
assemble their own sets, with customized graphics and designs, to fill
gaps in LEGO’s product line. On eBay you can find everything from
small-town shops for your layout to custom painted minifigures from
movies. There are also several third-party manufacturers who produce
elements compatible with LEGO, especially historical weapons and
minifigures. Two of the best known are Brickarms, which specializes in
realistic minifigure-scale firearms, and Brickforge, which specializes
in medieval weapon and armor accessories. Many of these custom builders
produce products on par with LEGO’s own for quality, and it makes a kid
feel special to have a set that can’t be found at your average toy
store, but they do all share one down side: they aren’t cheap. The LEGO
company’s own products are rather pricy, and small-scale builders have
to charge even more to stay afloat. Still, many of them are good value
for the money.
Before I go, one last tip: you will sometimes see LEGO sold “by the
pound”. To save you some time figuring, a pound of LEGO is about 20-30
pieces. They are surprisingly heavy! Good luck in your searching, and
play well!
)