I sell LEGO parts & custom kits worldwide for a living. We recently hit over 1,000,000 parts in stock and have 4 employees! AMA!

What are the legalities of doing this with regards the Lego company? Do you have to pay them any royalties / commission?

Not OP, but as a former (and current) business owner who uses LEGO, I'll add to his reply with:

TL;DR: First Sale Doctrine + LEGO Company's own "Fair Play" policy give OP and anyone in this business a wide road to work in that will not run afoul of the LEGO Company. And as long as custom parts do not violate LEGO-owned patents, they are fine there too.

First LEGO Company has a fair, open, and accommodating legal doctrine called "Fair Play." It outlines acceptable use by people in both non-commercial and commercial cases. See it here: https://www.lego.com/en-us/legal/notices-and-policies/fair-play/ Summary though: don't use our logo or "lego" in a top-level domain name, freely use trademarks in a way that is clear you're not LEGO, disclaim all use of trademarks, and don't reproduce copyrighted items.

Even the above has had exceptions through the years. LEGO allowed scanned instructions books provided items were two years out of production, for many years. They now have a free service offering that on their own site too.

Selling parts, including making custom "MOC" kits is clearly covered under first sale doctrine which states that the person who owns the item can resell it. While a US construct, it is applied in other places. If I buy a LEGO set, I gain the rights to resell its parts or whole. Period. Whether you sell those parts individually or you collect 20 sets and repackage parts from each into one "MOC" kit, there should be no issue under first sale doctrine.

The largest parts market on the internet, called BrickLink, while it operated for years independently of LEGO company, is now a subsidiary of LEGO, having been purchased a few years back. So basically, LEGO owns one of the marketplaces for people who re-sell individual parts that they've sourced from broken up sets and/or surplus in their own collection. LEGO Company's ownership of BrickLink is an implicit rubber-stamp that this type of business is okay by them. (As it should be).

That said, the BrickLink marketplace formerly was wishy-washy on allowing custom or modified parts (ie: engraved, 3d printed) but now under LEGO ownership it is prohibited. https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=103 Making custom compatible parts and selling them on your own market should be fine, as long as copyrights or patents are not infringed. Look at MegaConstrux (formerly MegaBloks) as the biggest LEGO look-alike that is out there making fully compatible parts to the original LEGO system.

The bottom line is OP has nothing to worry about as long as they adhere to fair use, patent laws, and first sale doctrine.

Thanks a bunch for this very detailed comment. It explains everything in more detail, and indeed - one of the reasons why people were not allowed since a long time ago to have LEGO in their BrickLink store name!

There's also BrickOwl which is quite extensive and NOT owned by the Lego Group.

https://www.brickowl.com/

Yup! This came out as an alternative marketplace before LEGO bought BL.

This question always pops up - and has always been in the back of my mind, it can be scary. However, we have never had any problems with LEGO.

We only use original LEGO, and many of our parts come from them directly. We make it clear that we are not LEGO!

I also don't think that we are taking any market from them. It's a completely different market, supporting designers who in turn make people purchase more LEGO - so great for everyone!

Have you ever considered reaching out?

Do you want to be my lover?

OK sorry LOL! - I just read that this comment was in this thread, I thought it was a random comment when I saw it in my inbox. I already do purchase many parts from them directly!

We only use original LEGO

We also use 3D printers to create custom parts when needed

:/

Not sure if you understood what we do with the printers. It's not for replicating LEGO parts, it's for when people come to us requesting something that cannot be done with LEGO. For example, we are currently printing a small part for a Tow Plow company, that they want to make it resemble the original part, which has a very specific shape.

In those cases, we (of course, as requested), are able to design and print that specific part, to combine with the complete MOC! Let me know if you understand what I mean! :-P

Do you make and ship the kits or construct the whole set and send it?

And what is your relationship with the LEGO company?

We do not! We provide the parts for people to build the sets. What a LEGO user enjoys mostly is the building part (at least it's what I like). There is something relaxing and therapeutic about just following instructions and building the kit - seeing all the processes and design choices. It's very cool!

We provide the parts sorted, instructions, stickers, etc. needed for people to build a set, so they just have to sit and enjoy the process. I think in my years only one person wanted to only have the built set.

hahaha just like when you send an email at work with more than one question, you only get one answer back

what about the relationship with LEGO?!

Nothing special! We do purchase a lot directly from them, and of course we sell their product, that's as far as it goes so far!

Do you ever have to turn down any MOC designs just because they are too complex?

Some we do turn down, but not just for being too complex, just that we think that they wont have a market. We have a limited number of slots available, not wanting to overload the site, of course!

For complex sets, check this one out, a binary computer!

Will it run crysis though?

LOL - I can also relate to this comment. I remember when Crysis came out and melted all of our collective computers!

Congrats on expanding the business. It’s a cool one!

Have you ever been to the LEGO beach in the UK?

Thank you for the best wishes! I had no idea that existed.

I just searched it on Google. Is that the one from the LEGO containers that fell to the sea a long time ago? LOL!

The best part is that it was almost all ocean themed parts. Cutlasses, scuba, octopus, etc. Wild.

Hah! The irony!

What made u get into the lego business? And what motivated u in order to be successful?

I used to play with LEGO a lot when I was young, had a bunch. When I was growing up, I also made stopmotion films for Youtube. In that process, I found a marketplace for LEGO (BrickLink), where people all over the world sell and buy LEGO parts.

I bought a few that I needed for videos, and after thought... I could sell too! I started listing my old parts, and when I saw they could sell, I used some money I had saved up from working summers to 'invest' into new inventory. Grew it all from there! Mind you, I think I started 8 years ago? In 2012 I believe. Lots of work!!

Goddamn! Proud of u man! Glad ur successful now :)

Thanks a bunch!!!

Which is you favorite MOC??

I think my personal favorites are always automatons... these are incredibly ingenous MOCs that have inner mechanisms that make them do something cool, for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nwnf0z1j5M

They never fail to amaze me!

That was one calming video lmao. I feel like I just did yoga

Therapeutic! I want to build one and just put a little motor so it goes by itself. I have a small aquarium next to my PC, so it could even fit on top of it!

Do you use some type of mechanism to accelerate the process of sorting the pieces or you do it all manually?

Yes - this 'Sort-a-tron 3000' robot made in Spain. Haha, in all seriousness, no, but I have dreamed of such robots for a long time. Take a part, scan it, direct it to the box.... ahhh would be so great, but most likely cost more than what's worth.

It seems to me like investing in technology and innovating could reduce the number of consumers priced out of your product offerings.

This could be something relatively simple like a product counting machine for the most commonly used bricks to ensure the correct number go into each bag, then you only have to manually put together the less common bricks. Even if it costs €50,000 it could increase your productivity (working 24h), increase your margin (reduce labour) or increase your revenue (reduce your prices in line with your reduced labour cost to penetrate more of the market).

Yes! I am very much into this. It's a thin balance. I am just one guy with a very small company. It's a balance of when to invest, when to set apart for something else, when to invest in inventory/products, what to do with your time (I also have a family, friends!). It is not easy, but I still love it!

We recently got a counting scale (well, two years ago now, time flyes!), and I cannot believe we used to work without it. It's about small but incremental improvements!

vaya maquina!

Jajajaja... como te quedas!

How much you pay your staff?

Ranges from 18-20k€/year (Spain). I've been very lucky in that they are all my friends and our days at work are a blast. I always look forward to the next workday!!

Part time or full time? What country are you located in?

Full time - south of Spain.

So 9.62 an hour. Is that good by you?

Yup! That's great here.

Do you have any MOC car sets? (Like ones that lego sells but with your own choice of vehicle)

We do have many on our site, just search for car. There are also incredible car designers that make a bunch of custom cars for comission. Sp_lineup comes to mind, check out his work on instagram - it's HIGH QUALITY!

Really happy for you that you're able to make this kind of business work. Could you please link to some of the custom bricks you have created? I looked at the website but could not see anything about them. It would be great to hear about the design process for custom bricks, too.

Of course! We got into it recently making custom rims for cars (like this ) and we also started doing it for business. For example, we are in the process of printing a few special snowplow parts for a truck model. I do not have them ready, but I'll post a picture as soon as we get them!

We use regular CAD software and one of us had some 3d modelling knowledge, so we just went from there!

How many pieces of lego have you stepped on in your lifetime?

Work boots required - we don’t want any insurance work claims! 😜

Do you make your own instructions? How do you do it?

Our designers make their own instructions. Usually I believe with Stud.io!

Why do you think Lego is so popular?

I think that the quality, creativity, production, sets, everything go into it. The resale value for sure as well. Licensed also gave them a lifeline. If I recall correctly, they hit a low point before releasing SW sets, and that brought them back.

Where do you source the parts from? Are you ordering direct from Lego? Or are you at the mercy of whatever you can find in bulk from the used Lego outlets?

A lot are ordered directly from LEGO, some from retailers (BF sales are amazing usually), some from other reputable bricklink stores, some from used lots.

How do you justify charging triple (or more) what Lego charges for sets? Cool idea but the prices on your site are outrageous ($1000+ for 3000-4000 pieces is something even Lego could only dream of). EDIT: I was wrong, these MOC prices are normal. I'm just used to buying small batches of extra parts where the cost is less then retail.

Indeed, these MOCs cannot usually be compared to LEGO sets. I can only dream of having a production line that produces 100k of the same set at a time.

When someone orders a large set from us, we have to go and produce the set part by part by hand, then order all the missing parts that we don't have, wait for them to arrive, fill the set. Then, one of us double-checks the set, again by hand, to ensure that all parts are there, pack and ship it (with free - you know, as in somewhat baked in the price - shipping). We also give back 10% of the total sale price to the designer.

It's just a very different process that cannot be compared, with a different market.

I didn't mean to imply a comparison to Lego in terms of production cost, sorry for that. I was thinking more of other aftermarket sites like Bricklink. I can order pieces in the aftermarket for well under $.10 each. But tbh I've never purchased an MOC. I see your prices are comparable to Bricklink for larger sets. I never realized the markup was that high. Clearly I was never in the target market :) Thanks for replying.

Yup! Some are also a bit more expensive since I believe they will almost never sell, so we only make one. We try to make them in multiples, but larger sets are harder. We also have to factor in the time to do all this. We usually target people who want to save that time and get a ready made package. And thank you for asking of course!!

i'm a little confused about the design process. someone that isn't the customer is the one who designs it?

Correct! We have designers and customers. The designers design LEGO sets and sell instructions alone, or come to us for us to sell complete kits of their designs. Sometimes, we also do custom designs for business too!

Does this include Bionicle Parts?

We do have a few Bionicle parts but they are very rare nowadays. People usually do not have a demand for them anymore. Shame - I had a LOT OF FUN playing with bionicles when I was younger!

You guys hiring? This sounds like an AMAZING way to make a living.

Haha, we actually might need to open a new position soon. Everything is growing and I am getting overloaded again, specially in this time of the year. What they say is true, that specially toys make most of it before XMAS!

How do you keep track of all the pieces in your inventory? I bought an unhealthy amount of Lego at the beginning of the pandemic (roughly 100lb/45kilo), sorted through all of them (~5 months) and then catalogued it all on Rebrickable (another ~2 months).

Buff... sorting through used LEGO, and inventorying it has to be the most time consuming task ever!

We do have a custom program, and also the databases on Bricklink and Brickowl to help us. Excel is nice too!

Do you use commercially available storage cabinets to keep track of such vast inventory (which?), or some proprietary system?

Indeed! We use transparent plastic boxes and just number them and keep track on our offline programs. You can look at the 'proof' picture to see those boxes in the background! Nothing fancy really.

You have my dream job. Where do you source those parts?

Haha - well it's a problem since you can't touch the LEGO you sell!

However it indeed is my dream job but more thanks to the people I work with. Every day is fun and I am always looking forward to the next day. And clients are also almost always very chill! I also do not have to deal with the public like a retail store, which would not work for me.

Do you have the axels with a built-in spring suspension like in Extreme Team challenge set # 6584?

6584

Woot, this part?

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=2484c01&idColor=5#T=C&C=5

I have actually never had it or heard about it! Nice!! Always cool to see new parts.

Have you had the chance to compare Chinese "Alibibaba" products like Mould King and whatnot to actual Lego?

I have not personally. LOL 'alibibibibbabababa'!

I did have megablocks when I was younger, but I am not sure if those exist anymore. I have heard from customers that they are different, and I do hate that they are just copying what LEGO and designers do without providing compensation - but I also have to understand that LEGO is very expensive and some people can't afford what they want. It goes to show that there are always to perspectives to a situation.

What are the most common kinds of pieces that you sell? And what are the least common?

Pffff... for common there are many contenders. Just your regular bricks, plates, tiles in the usual suspects, Gray/Dark Gray, Black/white, tan, etc.

Rare parts are cool! We always get excited when we find a new mold/part from LEGO on a set! How about this octopus legs?? https://imgur.com/a/YgF59YX

I love the octo legs, I use them as a stress reliever.... they're very stretchy too

Yes yes yes!! I have them on my desk and love the texture!

Can I ask you about how you choose the companies that deliver orders? Do they charge everyone the same price or do they give discounts for more orders? I'd imagine that if I sent someone a parcel they're going to charge me more than a company sending thousands a year

Do you mean couriers? Indeed, we do have contracts with them. I started with our national post system, but since COVID hit, shipments were a mess and people were having to wait for over a month in transit, so we had to switch to UPS. We also have a contract with them and indeed it costs us less than regular prices.

Thanks. How did you decide who to use? Is there a way to find out the fees they charge

For small volumes I always recommend national postal systems. For larger volumes or very specific shipments, DHL, UPS are king at the moment, I believe. DHL is going very far, very fast.

There are also many shipping agregators that let you create shipments with these companies without having a contract yourself. I know a few in my country, but it may vary by country. They have a contract themselves and let you book the shipments through their contracts.

Do you want to be my lover?

You gotta get with my friends!

How can you create inventory? Do you need to buy different sets at a good price point?

Indeed! One of our main sources is parting out LEGO sets that we purchase at sales, good prices, etc. We also buy a lot of parts directly from LEGO and from other stores.

Congratulations on this accomplishment! I have a few questions:

Do you use an ERP system? What's your shipping program?

I actually just researched them! If you look at my post history, you should see my question! We do not at the moment. I was ' ' this close to signing up for one, as we have to manage three different stores, but none convinced me.

I am using Asana for sharing our tasks, and some excel as well as our own custom LEGO program for inventory management. For shipping we use UPS's own program.

Got any Johnny 5 kits?

No, but here's a cool one!!

https://rebrickable.com/blog/372/moc-review-moc-68629-rjs-johnny-5/

Omg that is so fucking cool, can I buy it? I was hoping this would be something https://ideas.lego.com/projects/f5d60fb3-cfcd-47b9-aaff-53f682d6d217/updates#content_nav_tabs

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/f5d60fb3-cfcd-47b9-aaff-53f682d6d217/updates#content_nav_tabs

Indeed - we can do custom part lists too, just write me an email.

Nice!! The review is on 2022... we'll see!

Do Legos cost more by weight than pure gold?

Good question! Gold is heavy, let me do some quick math.

So one kilogram of gold is going for... 60k$?

8300 of part 4073 in sand green, which is a kilo, had an average selling price of around 4.5$ per part, so around 37k$. Need to find a more expensive, small part!

how much money you make?

I support myself and the people I work with! :-)

When I buy lego sets from lego they always give extra pieces do you also buy these back? I tend to build it once and leave it built, so don’t use the extras

Hah- I guess we could, but they are usually not many! They are usually like 5-10 per set, depending on size. We do take them into account when parting out sets!

On your website there is one called The Save Icon. The save icon is a floppy disk. Was there a specific reason for naming it The Save Icon as opposed to The Floppy Disk?

I am not sure, to be honest. Our designers upload their own MOCs - we review and approve them, so it was their decision. That one has sold more than a few!

How long does it take to prepare/procure the necessary parts as well as on packaging them if the order made were to be a custom one? I'd assume it would take some time?

Indeed. We have a few on stock, but these are few and usually go fast. It really depends on the set. We are working hard to bring down production times but we still need to order a few parts and wait for international shipping, double count it, etc. We used to take 4-5 weeks per set, now it's more like 2-4 depending on the set. Always trying to improve!

How much does it annoy you when folks like me continue to enthusiastically call them "Legos"?

Nothing at all! Hah - as I've said before, I understand why LEGO does not want to lose the trademark from people calling all bricks 'legos', but languages just evolve like that. It's so interesting!

You sell any Lego man legs with a penis on them? I'm asking for a friend.

We use 3D printing to ensure that the customer is satisfied at all times. If a part is not possible with LEGO, we can design it.

Have you watched the show Lego Masters?

Not yet! It's actually about to air here in Spain, an edition made here!

This is very cool! You guys make some kits I've always wanted to have in Lego. Any chance of a Reddit coupon code?

Ah, unfortunately we almost never discount the product, as there is a lot of work going into every set, pay good wages, and we also give back a lot to designers! Everything is expensive unfortunately. Sorry! :-)

No problem, I placed an order anyway. Happy to support you and great to see people doing what they love!

Thanks a bunch!! I am very happy to hear that! <3

What do you think about modern Lego? I recently get back to my sets from childhood as my own kids are old enough to play with it. I thought I would buy some modern sets, but there is such a little selection for the kids. Most of the Lego production nowadays is either for very small kids or for adults.

Some are cool! Which age range are you looking for?

What is the most obscure lego part you have come accross?

It has to be the bionicle LEGO parts. Some have ONE use!! I still love them though.

A few questions

What was your thoughts on the lego bricklink acquisition a while back, would you say this has improved the site? (I’m asking this assuming you operate through bricklink, if you have a website then I apologize)

What types printer/materials do use for the custom parts? Fdm, sla etc

And lastly for the hell of it what’s your favorite lego theme from system, technic and their various action figures lines

That's what I am here for!

I was excited. I always understood it as good - it also meant that they were embracing the secondary market. So far, really nothing strange has happened, so no comment! Happy, as can be!

We use resin printers for the higher quality prints. What those can do is NUTS! FDM for lower quality things, like for our rims, the inner part that goes into the tire.

Technic is currently my favourite. I love building those mechanisms and seeing how they actually work. It's also educational! Shoutout to EXOFORCE and Knights Kingdom! Had a lot of fun with those.

Why wouldn't I just buy from LEGO? What exactly do you provide? Is this legal? Or is this like custom kits you design that are "LEGOs".

We work on custom LEGO part lists for people to be able to build cool MOCs that are different from official LEGO sets. We only use LEGO parts, but use the secondary markets to get the rare parts that are needed and LEGO does not produce anymore, for example. A lot of people also do this themselves, we just provide the kits for people who do not have as much time!

And I also sell the parts separately!

And we only use original LEGO bricks.

Add a parent with a kid just turned 4, I'm now planning to buy some serious Lego. How do I find a fair price per kilogram, or how would you advise me to get a decent batch?

I think second hand markets are your best bet, things like Craigslist on the US. Ebay lots can be good, but many people will be looking at them and will drive the price up!

What do you think about non Lego bricks?

Especially the quality compared to the original.

In regards to quality, I have never actually used any of the current off brand LEGO, but I have got mixed messages from our customers. Most do not like it at all, but some say that there is not that big of a difference, but they still like to support original LEGO as LEGO is more than just about quality.

how often do you accidentally step on a lego brick? if so which brick is the most painful to step on?

This one was not made in good faith.

Your foot must have a hole thought it now! I’m sorry for your loss!

No worries, they just grew scales and now I have crocodile soles.

How do you feel about cheese on curry?

Cheese on everything is an improvement.

Does it bug you when people refer to them as 'legos'?

Not at all! I actually just replied to this comment!

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/qwp0ok/i_sell_lego_parts_custom_kits_worldwide_for_a/hl5mnzt/

Do you find it as infuriating as I do that the plural tense of Lego is Lego?

Haha, I understand their concerns, they do not want people calling LEGO to every brick-like toy, because they will lose the trademark. So LEGO is more like an adjective?

LEGO brick and LEGO bricks. I personally do not mind when people say LEGOs, I think that languages just evolve, but as said, I can understand why they do not want that.

Are you hiring?

Are you located in Alcalá de Guadaira, Spain?

Took my old Lego out of my parents cellar. Had been there for 25 years.

Note lord of hosts got yellow. Or blue turned green.

Any idea how to clean out replace these parts?

Uf, already yellowed parts are hard to clean, and most of the time not worth it. White is most prone to yellowing. I suggest looking at them in bricklink.com and finding replacements!

Ok, that sucks.

Nearly all blue parts of my complete space police set are green now.

And all white plane parts got yellow.

My boys like to play with them anyway.

Yup, yellowing, but at least they are usable. If you do want them, search on the page I sent you, should be easy to find!

holy cow! you have a luck dragon?! I'm sold!!

That model is amazing, and done by a very talented designer, JK Brickworks. You can check him out on youtube, he has such amazing builds!

Whats the weirdest Piece that suddenly went up in Price?

A lot of parts once the set retires go up in price, if they go out of production. 4216 in Sand green is a good one though!

Why is Lego soo expensive?

I believe it has to do with a lot of things. They do a lot of research and development into quality, as it's hard to produce consistent sets at such scale, in multiple factories all over the world. They also have to design every new set, get rights to all the IPs, etc. Many other distribution and marketing costs. Didn't LEGO become the #1 toy brand?

New LEGO molds also cost a lot to produce... I think it's like 80k per mold? There are a few LEGO documentaries on Youtube which show the factories from the inside. I highly recommend them, it's amazing!

Those are quite expensive.

Are you buying bricks at retail prices and then having to mark up from there?

We usually purchase them at a discount and part them out. It's a lot of work and hard to do! Over 10,000 references!

Yeah I imagine Its very labour intensive.

Seems like it would be hard to compete against Chinese brick makers.

I've bought quite a few sets from China and their quality is pretty good whilst being a fraction of the cost of an equivalent Lego set.

Yup! I definitely understand both demographics!

How many lego sets do you buy at El Corte Ingles during the xmas 50% promo?

LOL - MANY. I actually got scared, do you know us? I also feel bad since they use a box per set, and we always have to throw out so many packing boxes...

Why are you OK with putting more petrochemicals in the marketplace? The production of plastics causes the same methane leaks, same catastrophic oil spills, same groundwater poisons from fracking, etc.

We use LEGO bricks that have already been produced, we do not produce new parts. LEGO is also one of the most re-used brands, as people just don't throw them away. Their high quality also means that they can last decades and be playable.