Finding Rare LEGO Parts: Alternative Sources and Tips
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For one specific LEGO part in one color, BrickLink and Brick Owl have the widest choice; LEGO's Pick a Brick sells current parts new, and its replacement service covers pieces missing from a set. This guide covers each source, the Pick a Brick change in North America, and when buying a whole set for its parts makes sense.
For one specific LEGO part in one specific color, the online marketplaces are the place to start: BrickLink has the widest choice, and Brick Owl is the main independent alternative. For parts LEGO still makes, buying new from LEGO's Pick a Brick is simpler, and for a piece missing from a set you bought, LEGO's replacement parts service is free. Buying a whole set for its parts only makes sense when that set happens to contain what you need.
BrickLink and Brick Owl: the marketplaces
BrickLink started in 2000 and has been owned by the LEGO Group since November 2019, though the stores on it are independent sellers. Search by part number and color, add what you need to a Wanted List, and let its Easy Buy feature suggest a combination of stores to fill the list with fewer orders. Check each store's terms, shipping and the condition it lists for used parts.
Brick Owl describes itself as the largest independent LEGO marketplace and works the same way: search for a part, choose a store and order. Checking both is worth it for an uncommon part in an uncommon color.
See our BrickLink buying guide for how to use Wanted Lists well.
LEGO Pick a Brick: current parts, new
Pick a Brick is LEGO's own shop for individual parts that are in current production. LEGO merged its older Bricks and Pieces service into Pick a Brick in 2022. In the US and Canada, LEGO is moving Pick a Brick to the same setup used elsewhere: the final day to order Standard parts through the current setup is November 1, 2026, and those parts are expected back as Bestseller parts during Q1 2027, with DUPLO elements returning later.
In LEGO Stores, the Pick a Brick wall lets you fill a cardboard box with loose parts at a fixed price per box. Our Pick a Brick wall guide covers how to pack a box.
LEGO's replacement parts service: missing pieces
If a piece is missing from a set you bought, use LEGO's replacement parts form. You need the set number and the part's element ID, which is printed in the parts list at the back of the instructions. To find exactly which pieces are missing from a set you own, our Missing Piece Checker walks through the set part by part, flags look-alike colors and gives you the element IDs.
Buying a set for its parts
A set is worth buying for parts only if its parts list matches what you need. Our catalog's inventories, as of October 2026, show how different current sets are:
- LEGO Art sets are plate and tile heavy. Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers (31215) is about 39% plates and 35% tiles across 2,615 parts, and Claude Monet: Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies (31220) uses 40 colors across 3,179 parts.
- The Large Creative Brick Box (10698) is about three quarters bricks, in 33 colors.
Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers, LEGO Art: in our catalog's inventory, mostly plates and tiles in 24 colors.
Claude Monet: Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies, LEGO Art, with parts in 40 colors in our catalog's inventory.
The Large Creative Brick Box: 790 pieces, mostly bricks, in 33 colors.
Our best LEGO sets for MOC parts guide compares more sets by what they contain.
Offline sources
- LEGO User Groups: members often trade and sell parts; see our guide to LUGs.
- Conventions: fan events often have vendor halls selling loose parts; see our conventions guide.
- Used bulk lots: garage sales, thrift stores and classifieds can turn up older parts. Expect to sort and clean them; LEGO's own cleaning advice is to wash loose bricks by hand in water no hotter than 40°C.
Related guides
Use Our Tools to Go Further
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