How to Source Parts for Your LEGO MOC: Complete Guide
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Where to get the parts for a LEGO MOC in 2026, from LEGO's own Pick a Brick and the BrickLink marketplace to parting out current sets, the in-store wall and used bulk lots, with a parts list made first.
To source parts for a LEGO MOC, start with a parts list, then buy each part where it is cheapest to get: specific new elements from LEGO's Pick a Brick on LEGO.com, rare, retired or used parts from BrickLink, and large quantities of common bricks, plates and tiles by parting out a current set. The LEGO Store wall and used bulk lots fill the gaps. One change matters this autumn: in the US and Canada, LEGO's Standard Pick a Brick parts cannot be ordered from November 2, 2026 until early 2027.
Start with a parts list
Every sourcing decision is easier once you know exactly what the model needs. Designing it digitally first gives you that list. BrickLink Studio is free and can send its parts list straight to a BrickLink Wanted List; the LDraw editors such as LeoCAD and LDCad export parts lists too. Our guides to BrickLink Studio and the LDraw tools walk through both. If the design already exists as an LDraw file, the LDraw Model Checker lists its parts with catalog links in the browser.
LEGO Pick a Brick: specific new parts from LEGO
Pick a Brick on LEGO.com sells individual new elements by color and part. In March 2022 it absorbed Bricks & Pieces, LEGO's old replacement-parts service, so it is now the one place to order loose parts from LEGO.
In the US and Canada the catalog is split in two. Bestseller parts ship from LEGO's North American warehouse; Standard parts ship from Denmark and take longer. LEGO said the last day to order Standard parts there is November 1, 2026, and that the remaining parts should return as Bestseller during the first quarter of 2027, with DUPLO elements taking longer. Bestseller parts, more than 10,000 of them, stay available. Outside North America there is no split.
BrickLink: rare, retired and used parts
BrickLink is the largest marketplace for individual LEGO parts, started in June 2000 and owned by the LEGO Group since November 2019. Independent stores list new and used parts, minifigures and sets, including parts LEGO no longer makes. The efficient way to buy is a Wanted List: add every part, color and quantity, then use Easy Buy, which compares item prices and estimated shipping to pick a combination of stores. Our BrickLink buying guide covers store terms, shipping and condition.
Brick Owl is a smaller independent marketplace that works the same way and is worth checking when a part is scarce or shipping from BrickLink stores is high.
Parting out a current set: bulk bricks, plates and tiles
When a design needs hundreds of common parts, buying a set made of those parts is often cheaper than buying them one by one. As a reference point, across 834 current non-DUPLO sets in our catalog the median list price works out to about 10.2 cents a piece as of October 2026. The sets below come in well under that, and they are made of very different parts, so match the set to what the model needs. The breakdown comes from each set's inventory in our catalog.
| Set | Mostly | Cents per piece at list price |
|---|---|---|
| Creative Vehicles (11036) | Bricks 43%, plates 36%, 29 colors | 6.1 |
| Large Creative Brick Box (10698) | Bricks 77%, 33 colors | 7.6 |
| The Milky Way Galaxy (31212) | Bricks 33%, plates 25%, tiles 23% | 6.5 |
| Gustav Klimt: The Kiss (31221) | Tiles 41%, plates 38%, 31 colors | 7.5 |
| Wild Animals: Panda Family (31165) | Plates 53%, bricks 27% | 6.4 |
| Ford Bronco SUV (42213) | Technic parts 89% | 6.9 |
LEGO Classic Creative Vehicles: a box of bricks and plates in 29 colors plus wheels, the lowest price per piece of the current Classic boxes.
The Large Creative Brick Box, three quarters bricks, the simplest way to stock up on basic bricks in many colors.
A LEGO Art set built almost entirely from plates and tiles, the parts a mosaic or a smooth finish needs in quantity.
A current Technic car that is nearly all beams, pins, axles and connectors, a cheap way into Technic parts.
Our guide to the best sets for MOC parts compares more of them.
The LEGO Store wall
Many LEGO Stores have a wall of bins where you fill a container with any of the parts on display for one price. Since early 2024 the stores have used cardboard boxes, in a small and a large size, instead of the old plastic cups, which they no longer accept. What is on the wall changes, so it suits builders who are flexible about exactly which parts they get. Our Pick a Brick wall guide covers packing a box.
Used bulk lots
Used LEGO sold by weight on marketplaces, at garage sales or in thrift stores can be very cheap per piece, at the cost of sorting and cleaning. Expect other brands mixed in and some worn or sun-faded parts. Clean loose bricks the way LEGO recommends: by hand, in water no hotter than 40°C (104°F), with a little mild detergent if needed, then air dried out of direct sunlight. No dishwasher, washing machine or hair dryer, because heat can deform bricks. The Sorting Planner helps plan bins for a large lot.
Which source for which part
- A specific current part, new: LEGO Pick a Brick, or BrickLink if it is cheaper with shipping.
- A retired part or color: BrickLink or Brick Owl.
- Hundreds of one kind of part: part out a current set built from it, or the store wall if it has it.
- A general mix for building: a LEGO Classic box or a used bulk lot.
- A missing piece from a set you own: the Missing Piece Checker gives the element ID to order.
Use Our Tools to Go Further
Get more insights about the sets mentioned in this article with our free LEGO tools