Pick a Brick vs BrickLink: where to buy the bricks for a design
LEGO® Pick a Brick sells new pieces straight from LEGO® at fixed prices, with one cart and one delivery, but not every part and color, and Standard pieces take weeks to arrive. BrickLink is a marketplace of independent stores with almost every part, new or used, often for less, but each store charges its own shipping. For most custom builds the cheapest route is to price both and often to mix them.
Our planning estimate for a house design is about 12–22¢ a piece at Pick a Brick prices: $60–$110 for 500 pieces up to $480–$880 for 4,000, before tax and shipping.
At a glance
| LEGO® Pick a Brick | BrickLink | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sells | LEGO® directly | Independent stores on one marketplace |
| Condition | New | New or used, per store |
| Prices | Fixed per element | Set by each store; vary |
| Range | Current elements only; not every color | Most parts ever made, including many retired colors |
| Upload from our files | LEGO® upload CSV (“Upload List”) | Wanted list XML |
| Shipping | One order; service fee on smaller orders | One shipping charge per store |
| Delivery (US) | About 5 days Bestseller; 28 business days Standard | Depends on each store |
What a design costs in bricks
Before a design exists we estimate the bricks from the size you choose. On BrickLink we use a deliberately wide allowance of 75–125% of the Pick a Brick figure: it is an assumption, not a market quote, because BrickLink prices depend on the stores, the condition and shipping.
| Size | Pick a Brick (estimate) | BrickLink (planning allowance) |
|---|---|---|
| 500 piecesSmall & abstract | $60–$110 | $40–$140 |
| 1,000 piecesCompact & charming | $120–$220 | $90–$280 |
| 2,000 piecesMore architectural detail | $240–$440 | $180–$550 |
| 3,000 piecesDetailed display | $360–$660 | $270–$830 |
| 4,000 piecesLarge display model | $480–$880 | $360–$1,100 |
Once your design is ready, its page estimates the bricks from its own parts list when saved Pick a Brick prices are available for every piece. Either way, the real number is the cart total at checkout.
Why a range? Pieces cost very different amounts. Median US Pick a Brick prices across the colors in our catalog (observed September 29, 2026):
| Part | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Round tile 1 × 1 | 5¢ |
| Tile 1 × 1 | 5¢ |
| Plate 1 × 1 | 6¢ |
| Brick 1 × 1 | 7¢ |
| Plate 1 × 2 | 8¢ |
| Tile 1 × 2 | 8¢ |
| Brick 1 × 2 | 10¢ |
| Slope 45° 2 × 1 | 10¢ |
| Plate 2 × 4 | 14¢ |
| Window frame 1 × 2 × 2 | 20¢ |
| Brick 2 × 4 | 21¢ |
A design heavy in 1 × 1 tiles and plates (detailed facades, wall art) costs less per piece than one built from big bricks, windows and specialty parts.
Pick a Brick: limits to know
- Bestseller vs Standard. Pick a Brick splits pieces into Bestseller and Standard. In the US, LEGO® quotes about 5 days for Bestseller pieces and 28 business days for Standard pieces, and Standard orders have no tracking (LEGO® Help: delivery timeframes, as of October 2026). Of the 9,810 part-color combinations in our catalog, 99% were available on September 29, 2026, and 71% of those were Bestseller.
- Upload limits. When the upload feature launched in North America it accepted up to 400 different elements per file and up to 999 of each (New Elementary, “Pick a Brick: new upload feature now live in North America” (October 2024)). Our upload files are split into batches of at most 150 lines and 999 per element, so upload each batch once and check the combined bag.
- Per-element caps. New Elementary reported in March 2025 that about 6,400 elements in North America came back with a maximum order quantity of 10 (New Elementary, “Pick a Brick USA & Canada: Standard elements are back” (March 2025)). If a design needs more of a capped element, buy the rest on BrickLink.
- Fees. LEGO® adds a service fee to smaller Pick a Brick orders; the cart shows the threshold (LEGO® Help: Pick a Brick service fees).
- Availability changes. Elements come and go; our files reflect the catalog when the design was made, so check the bag for anything unavailable.
BrickLink: what to watch
- Shipping per store. Each store ships separately. BrickLink’s Easy Buy and Auto-select weigh estimated shipping when they choose stores (BrickLink: Easy Buy), but splitting a list over many stores still adds up.
- Minimum buys. Some stores require a minimum order; Easy Buy may pick them anyway, so you may need to add to a cart (BrickLink: Easy Buy).
- Condition and location. Filter by new or used and by store location on the Buy page (BrickLink: how to buy from wanted lists). US stores avoid customs and long transit.
- Several packages. Orders arrive separately, on each store’s schedule.
When to mix both
- Upload to Pick a Brick first and note which pieces are Standard, unavailable or capped.
- Keep the Bestseller pieces in the Pick a Brick bag if the price is right; they arrive quickly from one place.
- Upload the BrickLink wanted list, remove what you are buying from LEGO®, and buy the rest from as few stores as possible. Our BrickLink wanted list guide walks through it.
- Subtract what you own. With a collection, our builders page lists only the pieces you are missing.
Mixing usually wins on time as well as price: you are not waiting weeks for a handful of Standard pieces that a US BrickLink store has in stock. If you need everything in one box with no shopping at all, a kit with the bricks included costs more; our price comparison covers those options. Upload pages: LEGO® Pick a Brick and BrickLink wanted list upload.
Questions
Is BrickLink cheaper than Pick a Brick?
Often per piece, especially used, but shipping from several stores can cancel the saving. Price the whole list on both before you pay.
Why are some pieces missing from my Pick a Brick bag?
Not every part and color is sold on Pick a Brick, and availability changes. Buy the missing pieces on BrickLink, keeping the same part and color.
How long do Pick a Brick orders take?
In the US, LEGO® quotes about 5 days for Bestseller pieces and 28 business days for Standard pieces, as of October 2026.
Can I use other brick brands?
Our files are for real LEGO® parts. Other brands use their own part numbers, so you would match each piece yourself, and a different shape may not fit the instructions.