Today is the official day when the holiday season begins (at least in the USA), which of course means that retailers are all competing for your attention and wallet. From a LEGO fan’s perspective, this is an excellent time to pick up LEGO sets as gifts for kids, relatives, friends, and even yourself. Here we will look at some of the best places to shop for LEGO, as well as what to look out for during your LEGO shopping mission. 🙂
➡ LEGO Stores & Online LEGO Shop: LEGO stores carry the full line of currently available LEGO sets, and if you have one near you, I would definitely recommend checking it out. There will be various promotions until Christmas, so keep an eye out for announcements. Right now LEGO is offering the free exclusive LEGO Snowglobe with orders over $99. If you don’t feel like fighting the crowds, or you don’t have a LEGO store near you, the Online LEGO Shop carries an even larger selection, free shipping on all orders this weekend, and lots of items on clearance sale. And of course, if you are a LEGO VIP member you will earn points on all of your purchases, or you can redeem your VIP Points you have been collecting. Also, a good number of the 2017 LEGO sets are already available, including LEGO City, LEGO Technic, LEGO Dimensions, and more. Below are some important links:
- ONLINE LEGO SHOP HOMEPAGE
- ONLINE LEGO SHOP SALES & DEALS
- ONLINE LEGO SHOP HOLIDAY GIFT SHOP
- 2017 SETS & OTHER NEW SETS
➡ Toys’R’Us & Other Toy Shops: Toys’R’Us usually has the best selection of LEGO sets – not counting LEGO stores – and they often carry new releases early, not available anywhere else. The issue with Toys’R’Us and toy-shops in general is that they take advantage of unsuspecting customers by significantly inflating prices. They will advertise all kinds of sales, but with their inflated prices, those so-called sales end up being worse than just shopping at a generic retail store or directly at LEGO. Having said that, the numbers sometimes do work. The key with shopping at Toys’R’Us is knowing the original prices sets should be selling for. Take a calculator and do the math before being swept away in the shopping excitement.
➡ Wal-Mart, Target & Other Retailers: These are the generic big-box retail stores. They usually have a good LEGO selection, their prices aren’t inflated, and they often have great deals around the holiday season. One tip I would give is that don’t take the shelf-prices for granted. They often have sales going on which are not yet marked on the shelves, especially around this time of the year when stores are so busy. Take items up to a price-checking station to get the most current price. Wal-Mart and Target often have steep discounts somewhere in the 25-50% off range.
➡ Amazon.com: One of the best places to shop for LEGO in general, and definitely around the holidays, is Amazon.com. Their prices are excellent as they like to undercut – or at least match – everyone else. And they also offer free shipping on all orders of $49 or more ($25 or more for books) Always look for the Eligible for Free Shipping icon in the item description. These are items shipped directly by Amazon. (Amazon also has affiliates and their shipping may not be free.) Amazon has dedicated LEGO store section, with all the currently available sets: VISIT THE AMAZON LEGO STORE
➡ Other Online Shops: Toys’R’Us, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. all have online shops as well. During the holidays they usually offer free shipping and the same or larger selection than at their retail locations. Sometimes they also have online-only deals. You can sign up for email alerts to get updates on the latest offers. Amazon, Toys’R’Us and Target tend to go into a price-war with each other during the holiday season, which is of course good for shoppers.
➡ Shopping for Retired, Used & Bulk LEGO: If you have your eyes on a retired LEGO set, or just want to pick up some used or bulk LEGO, eBay.com and BrickLink.com are the best place to shop. Always check the seller’s feedback and ask questions before making a purchase. One thing to remember when shopping on eBay and BrickLink is that these are usually small hobby sellers who will need to pack and ship your order in their spare time. Place your order at least two weeks before Christmas to make sure the package arrives on time.
And that pretty much sums up where to go LEGO shopping. If you already know what you want to get, shopping online is the usually best and most convenient option. Most retailers will offer free shipping, or a very low shipping threshold, during the holiday season to encourage online orders, and they usually offer the same specials online as in stores. Also, when shopping with online retailers like Amazon, you can pick up other non-LEGO items at the same time. Having said that, it is worth checking out stores with LEGO displays (official LEGO stores, Toys’R’Us, Target, etc.), because even with seeing pictures online, there is nothing like seeing a LEGO set in person. Sometimes you may not be interested in a set you see pictures of, but you fall in love with it after seeing it personally. Other times it is just the opposite. However it is best to do window-shopping for LEGO during the quieter times.
Hope this guide helps you a little in your holiday LEGO shopping. If you would like to add your own LEGO shopping tips feel free to share them in the comment section below, along with any great deals you run across between now and Christmas. Happy huntin’! 😉
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
- Best LEGO Sets 2016 Christmas Shopping Guide
- November 2016 – New LEGO Sets & Promotions
- LEGO Sets Retiring Soon and Sales & Deals
- Largest Exclusive LEGO Sets 2010-2016
- Recent LEGO Sets on Sale on Amazon!
LEGO SHOP IN USA: Online LEGO Shop USA
LEGO SHOP IN CANADA: Online LEGO Shop Canada
LEGO SHOP IN UK: Online LEGO Shop UK
The online shop is having some sales showing already. Do you know if there is going to be more on cyber Monday?
Gize, I’m not sure. Previously LEGO used to send us a long list with all the sales that go live on Monday, but we haven’t received anything so far. It seems like this time they spreading the sales out more throughout the weekend and probably on Monday. I did get a notification that in the UK they will have a few additional sets 20% off, so my guess is that the US shop might do something similar.
Keep in mind that shipping is free on all orders right now, so even if they add more sales later, you can just place a second order later. 😉
Guys, there are some great sales on amazon. Star Wars, Ninjago, City, Creator, Friends and more. Around 40% off is what I have seen.
Yeah, I saw that too! Looks like they want to be everyone this year! 😀
I’d rather stay in the holiday glow than shop.
Oh, yes, that works too. I do all my shopping online, so it allows me to shop and glow at the same time. 🙄
Just wanted to mention that the most interesting deal on the US Lego.com site is the Pet Shop 10218 for $119.99, usually $149, and listed as Retiring Soon. People have been expecting this to be retired for a while — looks like it’s finally happening. Your best (and last) chance to get into the yearly “module buildings” at a great price!
It is listed as BackOrdered meaning it won’t ship right away, but it WILL ship; currently it says expected to ship Dec 11. This might change, or it might even go completely out-of-stock.
No double-VIP points this weekend, but you DO get the special Snow Globe holiday promo item.
Pet Shop is 2032 pieces. Even if you have one, there are various “tricks” — one is to build a “mirror-image” and then place it side-by-side with another one. And of course by using other colors for the main exterior wall blocks, you can mix-it-up a bit too. (and no need to keep the word “PETS” on the sign you can be creative there too — besides, we should all be adopting pets from shelters anyway!) Happy holidays everyone!
Oops, meant to say “modular buildings,” not “module.”
NEVER MIND.. I THINK IT JUST SOLD-OUT! I didn’t even get my order in. It said “an error has occurred.”
Sorry to keep replying to myself (I don’t think I can edit). Lego.com now says “sold out” but Amazon does still have it available for the same price — no free snowglobe or VIP points, though.
Yeah, those who want one should definitely grab it. BTW, you are welcome to comment and update as much as you want. Right now all of us are looking for sales and bargains, so posts like yours are very valuable. 🙂
Yes, someone else mentioned about this deal in the other thread as well. But as you said in your updated comment, it is now sold out at the Online LEGO Shop. What a gem! 🙂
last post on this.. I promise! It came back and now is available to order again on shop.lego.com.
I just got home – 6 PM EST – and now it shows as completely sold out. No backorder. I guess that’s the end of this lovely set, after a long and wonderful life. I hope those who wanted one were able to get it.
For those in the UK there are some reasonable deals on amazon but also I think Very and Smyths toy shops are running promos. As always a good site to check is “UKHotdeals” and search for lego
Happy hunting!
Thanks, Tom! Happy hunting to you too! 🙂
I have some LEGO shopping info for US shoppers:
I was at a store called Five Below (everything is $5 or less) today, and there was a ton of Dimensions Fun Packs there – $5 each! That’s better than LEGO’s current sale price ($6). They’re also available on their website. They have most of Wave 1, and they don’t get much cheaper than that. Hopefully that’s helpful to someone. 🙂
I was foolish and didn’t get Gimli there, who I’ve been hunting for all year. For some reason I thought I could buy Helm’s Deep instead soon…. 😕
Also, my 70588 TNT arrived via mail truck today. I don’t know when I’ll be able to build it, but hopefully that will be tomorrow.
Oh, you got the Ninja Tumbler! Let me know how you like it once you had a chance to build it. I have been working on some of the 2017 Batman Movie sets. Some really interesting new parts! 😀
Nice find on the Dimensions packs and good price! Thanks for sharing!
I’ll probably start the Ninja Tumbler tomorrow. It better be worth it, for all the trouble it gave me. 😀
You have some of the Batman Movie sets? Cool, will you be reviewing them? I’m very interested in the Batmobile, so I’d like to know what people think of it. It does have so many awesome parts, although as far as I know the only 2017 new ones are the windscreen and the rudder piece… unless you have found more that weren’t in the images. 🙂
I built the #70900 Joker Balloon Escape, the #70901 Mr. Freeze Ice Attack, and #70911 The Penguin Arctic Roller. The first two can be attached and a third set goes with it, the #70910 Scarecrow Pizza Delivery. All of these are fun, but small. My favorite is the mech in #70901. I was actually thinking of you when I built it. It has a one-piece cockpit that I haven’t seen before, with ball-joint attachments. Also a technic piece with three ball-joint balls. Are those new?
The #70911 was a total surprise (it was a gift from LEGO). Not even leaked images yet, but it looks amazing. (I’m not allowed to share images until the 1st of December.) It basically looks like an old Rolls Royce. The body is white, with black sides and black roof. The hubcaps and some of the details are gold. The front fenders are made of white hot air balloon pieces. The curves on the sides look absolutely stunning. However the vehicle doesn’t look very good from the top because the windshield and the driver area is only for studs wide, so there is some strangeness going on as far as proportions (28 studs long and 8 studs wide, and driver section is 4 studs wide). But from the front, side, and back it looks amazing. 😀
Yes, the one-piece cockpit is new, I watched just2good’s review of 70901 recently and he mentioned it. I’m interested in what the part looks like on its own, since such a large special mold will probably have limited applications.
The Technic piece is not new, if this is the part: https://brickset.com/parts/6055629 It’s been quite rare, so it is easy to mistake for new, but in 2017 it comes in all the Nexo Knights Battle Suits sets. Hm…. I just realized, it looks like that new cockpit piece is used on all the Battle Suits! Their design looks almost the same as Mr. Freeze’s mech, with the extra new armor piece in front. Fascinating. 😀
I’ve been waiting for weeks for images of Penguin’s Arctic Roller, but I suppose I can make it till next Thursday. From your description of 28×8, it seems about the same size as the Joker’s Lowrider. The hot air balloon pieces as fenders is interesting. I’ll have to wait for pictures though to see about the cab section. 4 studs does seem odd, but perhaps it was restricted by the car’s construction? Overall it sounds cool. 🙂
I like the cockpit piece because it really gives a solid core to smaller mechs. While the use is limited, it does make mech-building much easier. You basically just hook up some legs and arms and you are ready to go. I will start posting reviews of the sets at the beginning of next month, and I will make sure to take pictures of new parts separately. Yes, you are correct about the one with the three ball-joints. That’s exactly the one.
Yes, the Arctic Roller is about the same size as the Lowrider. However the lowrider has better and more realistic proportions. The Arctic Roller kind of reminds me of a LEGO steam train from the top, but it looks like a Rolls Royce from the size and front. It’s hard to explain.
The reason for the four stud for the driver section is because the curvy shaping of the sides shaves off an entire stud on each side, and while the front half of the vehicles is eight studs, the back half is only six. Like if you look at this image, ww4.5mpx.com, see how there is that lighter gray curvy section at the back half of the cab’s sidewall? On the LEGO model that curve was achieved with white 1x3x2 inverted arch bricks over the black cab area. So they shave off two more studs from the already narrow back. BTW, the shaping of the vehicle looks quite similar to the image. Except that it is mostly white with a bit of black, and there are four wheels at the back, and it can only seat one minifig. 🙄
What would you choose?
Arctic base camp for €60,- or cafè and bike shop for €60,-?
(my public transport colors are dark red and bright orange)
Gosh, that’s a hard choice! I LOVE the Arctic Base camp, and I converted mine into a space station. 🙂
And the Café & Bike Shop is one of the best of the smaller Modulars. It looks great as it is, and there is so much potential for customization.
I guess I would say that if you have plans to use the Arctic Base Camp as is, or convert it to something else like I did, or have plans for the specialized parts in it, then go with that one. If you would like to expand your LEGO City with a couple of very nice buildings, then the Café & Bike Shop is an excellent choice. I know I’m not helping, because I’m basically saying to buy both… 🙄