how do you verify if bricks purchased from bricklink are actually real lego bricks

[tihehe]

i know that one should buy from a reputable seller on bricklink, but the pessimist in tells me that no matter how reputable a seller is, they could mix in fake bricks that looks very similar if not the same to the real lego bricks and one wouldnt notice.

i've read an article showing that fake bricks from china also have the LEGO printing on the brick studs.

how do u gain 100% confidence that what u are purchasing from the bricklink seller are genuine lego bricks?

[JopieK]

You then better directly purchase via TLG, but they also manufacture parts in China nowadays.

[AmperZand]

5 hours ago, tihehe said:

how do u gain 100% confidence that what u are purchasing from the bricklink seller are genuine lego bricks?

Some BrickLink sellers only sell new bricks that they part out from sets, buy from Bricks & Pieces or get from LEGO store BAMs and PABs. They will often say in their BL store’s blurb that they only sell new. If they have lots of positive feedback with few or no negatives, you can be sure they are legitimate. It would be impossible to pass off fakes to hundreds or even thousands of AFOLs.

[1974]

6 hours ago, tihehe said:

i know that one should buy from a reputable seller on bricklink, but the pessimist in tells me that no matter how reputable a seller is, they could mix in fake bricks that looks very similar if not the same to the real lego bricks and one wouldnt notice.

i've read an article showing that fake bricks from china also have the LEGO printing on the brick studs.

how do u gain 100% confidence that what u are purchasing from the bricklink seller are genuine lego bricks?

That's simply too pessimistic. A reputable seller (+1000 positive feedbacks) would get booted of BL rather quickly, especially since TLG owns BL now

While there a number of parts that do not have "LEGO" on the studs (mostly because the parts do not have studs), I would not worry

The proper sellers (and to some degree, the proper buyers) on BL are some of the MOST hardcore LEGO users on this planet. And have been for two decades. Fake LEGO (mostly fake prints) get shut down pretty quickly

If the shop/sale/part seems to be good to be true, it's just that. Use your common sense

While you can buy directly from TLG, there's a major ton of parts they do not have and never will. You simply have to buy from BL or much worse, secondhand sales sources like eBay, carboot sales etc

I'd like a link to that article, please

Nothing in life is 100%, not even death. Don't sweat it

However, there IS a rather large elephant in the room and that is studless Technic

Cheers,

Ole

 

[splatman]

10 hours ago, 1974 said:

there IS a rather large elephant in the room and that is studless Technic

I checked one of my beams (aka Liftarm on Bricklink), and there is indeed no LEGO anywhere on the item, even checking in between the holes with a flashlight outside in the sunlight. I actually thought there would be a LEGO mark, as well as a number, but Nope! No markings at all.

Here's a picture of said elephant (not mine): 

😀

[tihehe]

11 hours ago, 1974 said:

I'd like a link to that article, please

its in chinese though

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/gCpE8VnC_ZpGQ5TRWaQSZQ

 

[1974]

6 hours ago, splatman said:

I checked one of my beams (aka Liftarm on Bricklink), and there is indeed no LEGO anywhere on the item, even checking in between the holes with a flashlight outside in the sunlight. I actually thought there would be a LEGO mark, as well as a number, but Nope! No markings at all.

Here's a picture of said elephant (not mine):

😀

Not only do those parts often not have any LEGO markings, several clone companies produce them (often as good as TLG and sometimes with better colour consistency) AND those clone parts seem to be embraced by quite a lot of Technic builders

5 hours ago, tihehe said:

its in chinese though

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/gCpE8VnC_ZpGQ5TRWaQSZQ

 

Interesting ... Thank you

[tihehe]

3 minutes ago, 1974 said:

Not only do those parts often not have any LEGO markings, several clone companies produce them (often as good as TLG and sometimes with better colour consistency) AND those clone parts seem to be embraced by quite a lot of Technic builders 

the irony...i can't entertain the idea of mixing lego with non-lego bricks.

[1974]

The irony is that TLG is currently selling clone parts through Bricklink

Edit : Here are some recent discussions on Bricklink about fake part :

https://www.bricklink.com/messageList.asp?v=c&max=100&q=fake

Edited July 12, 2021 by 1974

[1974]

6 hours ago, tihehe said:

its in chinese though

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/gCpE8VnC_ZpGQ5TRWaQSZQ

 

Hmm, there is some doubt that the article and pictures themselves are fake (read the comment section) :

http://www.brickfinder.net/2020/08/30/fake-lego-imprinted-bricks-found-china/

Brickfinder has a couple of other interesting articles :

http://www.brickfinder.net/2019/05/12/toy-store-found-using-lego-stickers-brick-sets/

http://www.brickfinder.net/2017/01/25/spot-fake-minifigure-just-looking/

[tihehe]

When it comes to stacking bricks it is the same wit original LEGO. If you take original Lego bricks and stack them, no two stacks will be of equal height. Especially if those are made drom different colors. So this probes nothing

really?

[howitzer]

Actually the liftarms also do have markings in them, here's a couple of examples:

These are not too easy to see though, I had to use a microscope to see them properly and to photograph them. So I wouldn't fault anyone for not seeing them.

 

[1974]

You're right and very few actual LEGO parts do not have any markings

But these mould numbers are simply too subtle for most LEGO buyers AND sellers, hence the very danger of non-LEGO Technic parts entering Bricklink

On 7/12/2021 at 1:28 PM, tihehe said:

When it comes to stacking bricks it is the same wit original LEGO. If you take original Lego bricks and stack them, no two stacks will be of equal height. Especially if those are made drom different colors. So this probes nothing

really?

This is true

HOWEVER..

LEGO bricks are made with a (maximum during production) 0,001mm precision and that means if you make a thousand towers with each a thousand 2x2 bricks SOME are bound to be one millimeter higher or lower than some of the other towers

So nothing like in that picture

[KotZ]

On 7/12/2021 at 4:28 AM, tihehe said:

When it comes to stacking bricks it is the same wit original LEGO. If you take original Lego bricks and stack them, no two stacks will be of equal height. Especially if those are made drom different colors. So this probes nothing

really?

1 hour ago, 1974 said:

This is true

HOWEVER..

LEGO bricks are made with a (maximum during production) 0,001mm precision and that means if you make a thousand towers with each a thousand 2x2 bricks SOME are bound to be one millimeter higher or lower than some of the other towers

So nothing like in that picture

1974 is correct. I've opened a lot of of bulk brick bags directly from LEGO and seen a lot be used, but the VAST majority will all be the same height.

 

[dr_spock]

The older liftarms didn't have the LEGO markings.  At least none that I can see on my old 8228 Techinic Crane liftarms.

Buying directly from LEGO is your best bet if you want 100% to be sure.  You may have to modify your MOC design to what's available from the LEGO but purity comes with a cost. 

 

[Toastie]

On 7/13/2021 at 7:13 PM, 1974 said:

0,001mm precision

So no dirt, dust, hairs, sweat, crap allowed! Stacking 1000 bricks for testing - only in a class 7 (and better) clean room, right?) ;)

Best
Thorsten

[1974]

Actually, I pulled _that_ number out of my rear end as I cannot remember the right one

Fact is, that technically yes, no two towers of LEGO bricks will have equal height. But it's not really noticable, not even on a grand scale

[KotZ]

18 hours ago, Toastie said:

So no dirt, dust, hairs, sweat, crap allowed! Stacking 1000 bricks for testing - only in a class 7 (and better) clean room, right?) ;)

Best
Thorsten

I've got this exact issue. I build on my carpet floor a lot, and there's inevitbly hair that gets on the floor, and then they get caught in the pieces and I don't notice until it's too late and then they are stuck there forever.

[tihehe]

On 7/14/2021 at 1:13 AM, 1974 said:

You're right and very few actual LEGO parts do not have any markings

But these mould numbers are simply too subtle for most LEGO buyers AND sellers, hence the very danger of non-LEGO Technic parts entering Bricklink

This is true

HOWEVER..

LEGO bricks are made with a (maximum during production) 0,001mm precision and that means if you make a thousand towers with each a thousand 2x2 bricks SOME are bound to be one millimeter higher or lower than some of the other towers

So nothing like in that picture

so the height difference in the article actually shows that one of the lego stacks is fake?

[1974]

Most certainly

[timemail]

4 hours ago, tihehe said:

so the height difference in the article actually shows that one of the lego stacks is fake?

Not necessarily. It shows one of the stacks is not Lego (or contains non-Lego). Some have called the entire article into question, and since the logos on the bricks can't be seen it may not be fake Lego, but simply another construction block.

[CP5670]

I think this would be impossible to verify for sure. I just assume I have some knockoff bricks in my collection at this point, in addition to fan-made custom parts. As 1974 said, for parts without studs like Technic beams or gears, it's basically impossible to tell.

There is enough variation among genuine Lego parts that they probably differ more from each other than from clone parts. When they first changed the coloring process in the mid-2000s, I thought I was getting fake Lego on Bricklink and contacted sellers about it, until I realized all the parts were like that now. The change they made to the trans plastic recently would also look like a knockoff if you weren't aware of it.

Edited July 26, 2021 by CP5670

[Generaltrons bricks]

I did alot of reading up in the forums in bricklink before i bought a single thing. Its always good to do your research in any field before getting involved.

[Pinnacle]

From my experience, I can tell that most of the BrickLink shops are trustworthy enough.

But indeed, you have to do some research to see if you can trust the shop where you want to buy something.

And BrickLink has a lot of possibilities to do that.