Lego takes BrickLink marketplace offline after spotting ‘unusual activity’

Lego has halted its BrickLink online marketplace after detecting “unusual activity”, cutting off buyers and independent sellers while it looks into a potential security problem.

BrickLink, frequently called the eBay of Lego, has been down since 8 November. Collectors and enthusiasts use it to trade second-hand sets, buy individual bricks and pick up limited-edition releases.

A notice on the site said Lego wanted a full understanding of what had happened before bringing the service back. That work includes containing the issue, establishing how it happened and checking for any related problems.

Lego has not said whether the platform was hacked or whether customer data has been affected. Nor has it given a new date for restoring the service, having removed an earlier message that said the site would be back on Wednesday evening.

The shutdown is hitting independent retailers and specialist sellers that trade through BrickLink. Some depend on it for their full-time income, and the timing is especially painful in November, usually one of the busiest months for selling Lego parts.

Several sellers have reported sharp drops in revenue while the site has been down, and some are weighing a switch to rival platforms such as Brick Owl and eBay.

A UK seller told enthusiast site Brick Fanatics that orders through Brick Owl had already risen, suggesting a lengthy outage could push more sellers to spread their business beyond BrickLink.

Lego bought BrickLink in 2019, taking ownership of one of the biggest independent marketplaces for its products.

The platform was also taken offline in 2023 after a data breach.

Lego has yet to give more detail on the current incident or say how it will deal with the effect on buyers and sellers.