Where to buy large quantities of 2x4 bricks

sillysid

I am wandering where I could buy hundreds of 2x4 bricks for the best deal.

dougts

If you are near a Lego store, using the pick a brick wall is probably the cheapest way to acquire these

akunthita

What color? New or used? Depending on that, you have various options; PAB wall, PAB boxes, BrickLink, eBay, etc.

sillysid

I don't care if they are used or what the colour is.

madforLEGO

dougts said:

If you are near a Lego store, using the pick a brick wall is probably the cheapest way to acquire these

PaB as the store is likely the most cost effective way to get brick.
I guess the question is how much 2x4 can you fit into a large cup (Im sure someone here knows the answer to that), you can also buy a box of 2x4 from LEGO stores I think depdning on what they hav for their PaB (im sure why would not mind if you did as well) it is a bit pricey, but if you need a ton it still may be more cost effective as you will not have to pay shipping on it either. and then seeing what shipping and cost would be on a site like Bricklink or Brickowl.


the other option is from Parts direct but price per price will probably be kinda high BUT the shipping is a flat 2.95 (at least in the US)

GallardoLU

madforLEGO said:

PaB as the store is likely the most cost effective way to get brick.
I guess the question is how much 2x4 can you fit into a large cup (Im sure someone here knows the answer to that),)

Approximately 130, 2x4 bricks can fit in the large cup if you assemble them(and you can then pour other small parts in the remaining gaps). very time consuming in large numbers. at the time of my purchase it was cheaper to box the PaB boxes of those and saves a ton of time. (price has gone up since then, im not sure if the value is still better or not) if you need thousands though I recommend you go boxes route as it is a lot less hassle than the cups can be.

Natebw

Why do some PaB stores go by weight and some by cup? Anyone know?

fred67

I don't know any PAB stores that go by weight... I think possibly some LEGOLand and LEGOLand related (Discovery?) centers go by weight, but LEGO stores all use cups.

On a related note, I haven't asked for a box at the LEGO store in some time, but I have heard you can no longer buy by the box, yet I keep hearing people recommending it and saying you can... any confirmation either way? Is it up to the store managers?

Brickarmor

As I understand it, you can still buy cases in the US but not in UK. If you have lots of time, then stacking PAB cups is best. If not buy a case or on BL or maybe eBay.

madforLEGO

Natebw said:

Why do some PaB stores go by weight and some by cup? Anyone know?

If you are buying by the weight, then that is not a LEGO store I believe.
LegoLand Discovery centers, which are not owned by LEGO, have that gimmick, and with the pricing I saw you want definitely want to buy by cup and not weight

Natebw

Tell me more about buying by the case. Is this a normal thing to ask lego store employees for? How much does a case of 2x4 bricks cost in the US. Do you get VIP points?

fred67

I mentioned I haven't done it lately, but I think the price is now something like $75. Last time I bought a box of 2x4s, I think I got around 640.

fred67

Oh, and yes, it should count for VIP points.

allmybricks

If the store will sell one to you (they don't have to), the PaB cases are now $100.

madforLEGO

allmybricks said:

If the store will sell one to you (they don't have to), the PaB cases are now $100.

I'm guessing if you asked for a box of 2x4, they would fall over themselves to get you the box, at least by the LEGO store I frequent

adventure_al

If it's some sort of filler, this won't be a popular suggestion but I know where you can get 1000 studded blocks for £6.99. They are crap and you get what you pay for but ok for Some tasks.

As I've no idea what you are using them for thought if throw that out there.

I should add I strongly recommend buying branded lego but since you did ask for cheap bricks it might be ok for a one of kids event or filler.

emilewski

Or you can use Duplo bricks as filler as they are Lego compatible and put bricks on top.

BuriedinBricks

emilewski said:

Or you can use Duplo bricks as filler as they are Lego compatible and put bricks on top.

I frequently use DUPLO for filler and it works well. However, the cost savings is minimal, unless you manage to score a few well-priced lots from local sales.

sillysid

Thanks for all the helpful comments

prevere

^If you could find a whole bunch of the LEGO Champion game for a discounted price, you'd get fresh new 2x4 bricks in quantity and in amazing colors. It's retired, so it's tougher to find for less than $25 + shipping. A few years back though, Amazon had these for $14 and it was paradise.

Bobflip

If used bricks are fine Bricklink is the cheapest option. I did a search on part 3001 for sellers with 100 bricks or more, and found quite a few selling them from 4p each - that works out at £20 for 500. Smaller quantities had them from 1p.

madforLEGO

Bobflip said:

If used bricks are fine Bricklink is the cheapest option. I did a search on part 3001 for sellers with 100 bricks or more, and found quite a few selling them from 4p each - that works out at £20 for 500. Smaller quantities had them from 1p.

What is shipping for that? Cannot forget to take shipping into account IMO, especially for BL or Brick owl as shipping can vary wildly.
Now with a Box of 2x4s from a LEGO store, you are paying sales tax likely (US wise anyway) but still may be cheaper than what someone may charge to shipping you large quantities of used brick (especially because they are 2x4 and can get bulky if someone is not stacking them)

Bobflip

That's a factor, true. Must also take into account the cost of getting to and from the LEGO Store!

But that said, a box of 640 2x4 from Bricklink would probably be about the same size as a box of 640 2x4 from TLS. I'm fairly sure of this ;-)

The weight, going from Bricklink, will be 2.32g x 640, which gives 1.484kg. I don't know what postage is like in the US, but you could get that package collected from your door and couriered UK to UK for around £10. Factor in another £5 for packaging, and that's £30 for 640, versus about £60 + transport for 640 from TLS (although we don't have that option in the UK).