Over the past decade, the popularity and demand for LEGO has soared. What was once a building toy for children has expanded its audience to include teens and adults. And the sets themselves have expanded in detail, utility, and variance.
Some sets are built for play. Others are built for display, as dioramas or expensive collectibles. And a growing number of sets are lifestyle accessories – wall decorations, plants, and flowers – that integrate themselves into the living space.
There are hundreds of LEGO sets currently available for purchase, across a wide variety of piece counts, themes, and prices. And interested buyers might run into two primary problems: not finding the set they want, and if they do, not finding it at a reasonable price.
The most common reason for either problem is that the specific set is "retired." LEGO retires all its sets – even its popular ones – to make room for new ones. And this has created a rampant resell culture, in which merchants mark up their inventory up to 2-3 times their original price.
It's also a hard reality that LEGO is expensive, period, and has been getting more so for the past several years. Take, for example, the massive, 7541-piece Star Wars Millennium Falcon that launched in 2017. At the time, it cost $800, which was already well above the typical '10 cents per piece' rate of most sets. Today, that same set costs $850. LEGO topped itself with the LEGO Death Star that costs a whopping $1,000.
You can alleviate these problems by being a smart, meticulous consumer. Here are the best places to shop for LEGO sets in 2026, along with the best times to look for deals.
Where to Buy LEGO Sets Online
The first, most obvious place to shop for LEGO online is the official LEGO Store, which has the widest selection available and is easily sortable by theme, price, release date, and customer rating. LEGO has responsive customer service as well as a LEGO Insiders program. It's free to sign up, and it comes with numerous perks.
You can buy sets before they launch to the general public. You can receive free sets as incentives for spending money. And there are several sets that are exclusive to the LEGO Store, which cannot be bought from a third-party retailer.
The most appealing aspect of the LEGO Store is its point system. Every dollar you spend converts to 6.5 points. 130 points is the equivalent of $1. That works out to 5% of whatever money you put into the system, which you save up and redeem towards a future purchase.
There are also specific times during the year where you can earn double the points, which maximizes the program's value. More on that later.
Your other best online options are Amazon and the online storefronts for Target and Walmart. While they do not have the point system or the exclusivity of the official store, they offer modest discounts for most of their sets. The LEGO Store, meanwhile, typically charges full retail price except on select occasions, like when it's trying to get rid of inventory near the end of a set's run.
Thus, it becomes a matter of weighing your options. Would you rather wait for a set to go on sale somewhere else, or would you rather pay full retail price at the online LEGO Store, but receive a future discount and an exclusive small set for free? For brand new sets, this makes the LEGO Store the best place to shop almost every time.
Where to Buy Retired Sets Online
Lastly, there are the unofficial online marketplaces on Craigslist, EBay, Facebook, and more. If you're looking for a retired set, this is your only option, and be warned: your acquisition will come at a steep price. Definitely get in touch with the seller directly, definitely haggle, and definitely shop around to get the best possible deal. There are also usually some retired LEGO sets still available on Amazon shortly after LEGO officially sunsets them, but the prices tend to go up over time.
Where to Buy LEGO Sets in Stores
Brick-and-mortar stores are your other option. It is unlikely you'll find a wider diversity of sets in person than you would online, but many people prefer personalized attention and want to physically handle a set before purchasing it.
The in-person LEGO Store is a great choice for the same reasons that the online LEGO Store is a great choice. The LEGO Insiders program and its point system carry over to either option. LEGO Stores also provide interactive fun. They often contain a LEGO building station and a LEGO minifigure station, where you can choose from hundreds of body parts and accessories to create your own Mini-Me.
Target and Walmart have dedicated LEGO sections in their stores, and again, should be evaluated against the LEGO Store's inventory on a case-by-case basis. Gamestop occasionally sells gaming-themed LEGO sets. Barnes and Noble sells LEGO as well: lifestyle sets, impulse purchase smaller sets, and Harry Potter sets (which makes sense, since Harry Potter is one of the best selling book franchises in history). It is unlikely that smaller outlets will be offering discounts. But it doesn't hurt to look.
When Do LEGO Sets Go on Sale?
Aside from regular discounts at the box-stores (which are the baseline default, rather than the exception), LEGO sets rarely receive discounts. The demand is high, and LEGO would rather retire a set than discount it. But there are specific times of the year when LEGO sets go on sale to watch out for.
LEGO typically celebrates May 4 (Star Wars Day) by offering double the Insider points for purchasing Star Wars sets. LEGO also celebrates March 10 (Mario Day) by partnering with Nintendo and offering similar deals. So watch out for notable anniversaries, particularly as they relate to 3rd party franchises.
Always look for clearance deals at the box-stores, which are more common at the beginning of the year. That's when LEGO retires scores of old sets and launches scores of new sets. This requires the 3rd party retailers to refresh their inventory.
Lastly, the holiday season is ideal for deep discounts, particularly on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Amazon Prime Days, which run in July and October, are also solid opportunities. Keep an eye out for any upcoming sales events for potential LEGO deals.
Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.