LEGO No Longer Referring Customers to BL

Thor

I had an interesting conversation with my local LEGO Store manager the other day. I visited the store and was helping them separate all the PaM parts the kids had made a mess of when a customer came up and said they were looking for a specific part. The manager and I both knew the part was not offered by LS@H's online PaB. When the customer asked where else he could find it, the manager pointed at me and said "I'm sorry, I can't say, but he can." He then left me alone with the customer and I told him about BO and BL. After the customer left, I asked the manager why he could not suggest this himself. He replied that LEGO corporate had instructed him and all LEGO Store employees NOT to refer customers to BL any longer. He would not elaborate why.

Previously, TLG, LS@H and all LEGO Stores would happily refer customers to BL if they could not provide what the customer wanted. Apparently, this is no longer so. I don't know if this is due to dissatisfaction with BL or TLG's recent clamp down on resellers. It is probably both. But it is interesting nonetheless. And TLG's current non-support of BL is yet another thing to think about if you are heavily invested in selling LEGO online.

Thor

Lawrence

That's interesting, I wonder what the employee would say if you wern't there to help. Whether they would be allowed to say "try eBay" or just "it can't be bought!"

Thor

No, they can't say either. They would just say something like, "I'm sorry, but those parts are only available from LEGO in sets" or "LEGO does not sell those parts individually".

From talking with a lower level employee, I heard (heresay) that TLG is becoming more concerned about the rise in scams, counterfeit "customs" and unscrupulous resellers involving LEGO resellers and online venues such as eBay, Craigslist and (now) BL. Apparently, TLG has received many complaints from customers who mistook such sellers as authorized or supported by TLG. In short, TLG may now be cracking down to protect the LEGO brand image.

Thor

Graham

Last year when I asked for a part they didn't have - I was not offered a "solution" being curious I asked "is there any where else, I might find it" the reply was "well you could try Peeron"!!

I also had the chance to talk a different store manager (back in England), it was only 2 years ago - if you called LEGO S@H for parts they didn't have any longer - they would ask "have you tried Bricklink" indeed it was thru LEGO direct that I actually found Bricklink, back in 2009.

The chat with store manager was similar to yours - it was mainly (actually I believe ONLY) because of all the counterfeit and non-LEGO parts being sold on B/L

Examples "chroming", Also, as much as some folk like them "Brickarms"
also custom parts and stickered replica's, there is a seller in Taiwan actually being allowed to sell "LEGO compatible" bricks on Bricklink

Also from far east sellers selling stolen minifigs - how else would they have over 200 Harlequinn's for sale, but no parts!
Then of course all those "unreleased" HTF parts that apparently come from "leaky" places (LEGO land)

There are LEGO staff on BL posing as buyers (maybe here too) - TLG are getting ready to do some cleaning.

I also know that TLG have no objection to folk buying sets to part out for resale - which was the original MO of B/L

They do not like LEGO franchised toy stores selling on BL - especially sets (example one store had over 80 copies of Minecraft for sale) defeating the TLG per person limit and racketeering (selling at 2x price!)

PLEASE Admin keep this place "clean" - you may end up the only place - time will tell!