How to upload a BrickLink wanted list and buy the bricks

Before you start

• A BrickLink account. Wanted lists live in your account, so sign in or register first.
• The wanted list file. In a completed design from us, open Shopping exports & project files and download the BrickLink wanted list (an .xml file). It lists every part by BrickLink part number, BrickLink color and minimum quantity.
• A text editor. TextEdit on a Mac (in plain-text mode) or Notepad on Windows is enough; you will copy text out of the file.

Step by step: upload the XML

1. Open the file in a text editor. The first line starts with <?xml version=. That is the XML declaration, and BrickLink’s format doesn’t allow it (BrickLink: importing items with XML).
2. Copy from <INVENTORY> to </INVENTORY>. Select everything from the opening tag down to the closing tag at the end, including both tags, and copy it.
3. Open Upload to Wanted List. Signed in, go to BrickLink’s Upload to Wanted List page.
4. Choose “Upload BrickLink XML format” and paste the text into the box. The other option, uploading a file from your computer, is for BrickStore, LDraw, LEGO® Digital Designer and Studio files, not this XML (BrickLink: wanted list mass upload).
5. Choose the list, check and save. Items without a list ID go to your main wanted list. To keep each build separate, create a new wanted list first, named after the design, and choose it if the upload page offers a list. Review the parts BrickLink shows before you confirm.

Two details from BrickLink’s help worth knowing: if an item is already on the list, the uploaded quantity is added to the existing one, so don’t upload the same file twice into one list; and if an upload fails partway, the whole file is rolled back and the list is left as it was (BrickLink: wanted list mass upload).

What the file contains

Each item in our file has the four fields BrickLink requires for a wanted list: item type (P for part), item ID (the BrickLink part number), color (BrickLink’s color number) and minimum quantity. We don’t set a condition or a maximum price, so both new and used pieces match, and you choose when you buy. BrickLink also accepts optional fields such as maximum price, condition (N or U) and remarks (BrickLink: importing items with XML), which you can edit on the list after uploading.

Part numbers on BrickLink and LEGO® differ: BrickLink uses design numbers and its own color numbers, while LEGO® Pick a Brick uses element IDs. That is why each design comes with a separate file for each.

Buying: Easy Buy or Auto-select

From the wanted list, BrickLink offers two ways to find stores.

• Easy Buy fills carts automatically to buy everything on the list, skipping the store-selection steps. It compares prices and estimated shipping, using the recent six-month average shipping price between the seller’s and buyer’s countries, but doesn’t show you those estimates. It can pick stores with a minimum buy, which may mean adding more to a cart before checkout (BrickLink: Easy Buy).
• Buy with Auto-select gives you more control: choose the lists and items, mark must-have items with the lock icon so only stores carrying them are shown, filter by store location, currency, payment method and condition, then Auto-select the best store or combination of stores, create carts and check out store by store (BrickLink: how to buy from wanted lists).

For a first order, Easy Buy is the quickest way to see a realistic total. If the result spreads your order over many stores or overseas sellers, switch to Auto-select with a store location filter.

Tips for choosing stores

• Fewer stores, fewer shipping fees. Each store ships separately. A list covered by three stores usually costs less in total than the same pieces from ten, even if a few parts cost a cent more.
• Prefer stores in the US. Faster delivery and no customs surprises. Filter by store location in the Buy page.
• Decide on new or used. Used pieces are often cheaper; for a display model, new pieces in the visible colors look more even. The condition filter applies to the whole search.
• Check minimum buys and lot limits before checking out, and read each store’s terms and shipping costs.
• Leave the hard parts for last. If one rare color holds up the order, buy the rest now and look for that part separately, or check LEGO® Pick a Brick.
• Mark the list as filled. As orders arrive, update quantities so a second shopping round only shows what you still need.

If a piece is missing

Our shopping files only include parts we could match to each seller’s catalog, so a supplier export can occasionally miss something. Compare the wanted list with the complete parts inventory in your design, and source any gap separately; keep the same part and color where possible, because a different shape may not fit the instructions. Many builders split an order: the common pieces from LEGO® Pick a Brick and the rest from BrickLink. Our guide to Pick a Brick vs BrickLink compares the two.

If you already own bricks, add your Rebrickable parts list on our builders page to get a list of only the pieces you’re missing.