Have you browsed for Lego on Amazon or other online marketplaces recently? If you have, you may have noticed the rise of other building block brands. Some of it is kosher, but much of it is low-quality, so as you're searching the best Black Friday Lego deals this year, be very careful of what you're 'adding to basket'.
We aren't saying that you shouldn't buy a brick toy from a brand that isn't Lego. Some of them are great, and you can get some excellent deals if you're willing to shop away from the leading plastic brick brand. But the problem is that many listings of 'other' brick brands are purposefully obfuscated. It can be hard to know what you're buying, the size of the bricks, and, most importantly, the quality.
It's even more difficult because many brands outright copy the set designs made and sold by Lego. Because of that, we've put together several tips to ensure you don't get caught out — and if you do want to buy off-brand bricks, we'll let you know what to look out for to ensure you're buying a decent product.
Best Lego deals this Black Friday 2024
- Read our Black Friday 2024 deals page for big discounts on space gifts
How to spot imitation Lego during Black Friday weekend 2024
- Look for the phrase 'compatible with Lego' in the listing
- Check for an official set number
- Check product images for the official Lego logo
If you search for 'Lego' on Amazon or any other Black Friday storefront, it's almost a dead cert that your results will be inundated with off-brand products. Sometimes there even seems to be more fake stuff than the real stuff. It's because product listings will likely include the word 'Lego' in there, and they'll share the same category and product tags as genuine Lego. You need to be very wary when shopping, then, and ensure you know what you're looking at.
Beware of the phrase 'compatible with Lego' or similar. If you see this phrase, you know you're not buying a genuine Lego product. It simply means that the bricks you're buying will connect with Lego bricks, making them roughly the same size (but not necessarily the same quality).
Check the listing itself carefully, too. Lego branding tends to be unmistakable: look out for the official Lego logo. It's a red square with 'Lego' written inside in a white bubble. The listing should always include at least one package shot where you will be able to see that logo clearly, so look out for it. It's always on the top-left corner of the box. If it's not there, you're probably not looking at an official Lego set.
Another telltale sign that you're dealing with fake Lego is if it doesn't have an official set number. Every single set produced by Lego has a five-digit identifier: the UCS Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder is 75431, for example. Genuine Lego is always listed with this number; you should see it on the packaging images too.
If you do see a number, we recommend cross-checking it on the official Lego website just to make sure. Type the number into Lego's search box, and if it's an actual set number, it'll bring up a matching result.
If you want to buy other brick brands this Black Friday weekend, go for it — but be careful
- Read reviews first
- Check set and piece dimensions
We should stress, however, that not all off-brand brick toys are bad. There has been a huge rise in other brands creating their own building blocks, and they're not necessarily all bad. But you need to know what to look for to ensure you're not going to be disappointed.
There are some very neat-looking sets from different companies out there. We love this astronaut, or this solar system display. The trouble is that they all come from different manufacturers, and so there's no guarantee of their quality.
Buying a genuine Lego set is, generally speaking, a hallmark of quality. You know what you're going to get, and on the rare occasion you do have any problems — such as a missing or broken piece — Lego has great customer service to help you out. No-name brands offer no such guarantee. You don't know the item's quality, you don't know if it's packaged well, and you don't know if there's someone who can help you if it goes wrong.
Because of that, it's more important than ever to check reviews carefully. Read reviews from other sellers, and perhaps do a wider search on the internet to see if there are any reviews on other sites. Be sure to look for reviews where users have uploaded images of their own, because it adds a layer of authenticity. If you're struggling to find reviews, or there's a large amount of negative reviews, that's usually a sign to stay away.
It's also important that you check product dimensions. Other brands may use bricks that are a different size to official Lego products. Micro-scale bricks are popular, for example, so even if the piece count looks fairly high, you might get a finished model much smaller than you were expecting. Check piece count, piece sizes and overall set dimensions to ensure you know what you're buying.
With more 'fake Lego' out there than ever, it's important to be careful. Of course, there's still great fun to be had with other brick brands, but be savvy while shopping and ensure you do your research. If you want genuine Lego but aren't sure that the item you've found is the real thing, always double-check against the official Lego website first.
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