Sometimes, a LEGO set comes to the end of its life in your home, but it can be hard to figure out what to do with them when you don’t want them anymore, or because you are moving, or decluttering.
Many of us only have so much space to keep or display these old used LEGO sets. When deciding which sets to keep and which to get out of the house, it begs the question “What to do with old LEGO sets?”
Well, we’ve got a few solutions for you!
Read on to discover what to do with old LEGO sets and pieces after you’ve decided to part ways.
5 Uses for Old LEGO® Pieces & Sets
1. Donate Your LEGO Sets
If you’re not looking to keep all of your bricks or make any money off them but you still want them out of your house, then donating is one of the best things you can do! There’s always local organizations, schools, charities, or individuals that can find a use for them.
Schools are always on the lookout for classroom materials, and LEGO products are great for educational purposes. While fun for screen-free indoor recesses, LEGO pieces are great for STEM projects, classroom organization, or even art projects, too.
If none of your local schools are looking for LEGO pieces, you can still donate them to charities, libraries, or other organizations. Reach out to your local library or check to see if there are any local toy charities that would be grateful for old sets and pieces.
LEGO has created ways to keep bricks in play. One of which is the LEGO® Replay system, which allows you to mail in your used bricks and have them redistributed to kids who will build new lives for your old pieces.
However you choose, there’s plenty of ways to make sure your LEGO pieces go to good homes!
2. Make Custom LEGO Art Projects
Maybe you’re not quite wanting to get rid of all of your sets, but you still don’t want them gathering dust. Rather than packing them into boxes and storing them away, try and find a fun art project for you and your family to repurpose LEGO bricks.
If you’re looking for some ideas on how to get started, here are a couple you can try:
- LEGO Picture Frames: Build your own colorful frame to slide in your personal pictures
- Planter Pots: Do your houseplants need a makeover? Try making some small, leak-proof containers for succulents or your other plant babies.
- Coasters: Don’t just keep your table from getting ruined, create flat, patterned surfaces that actually look good too!
- Wall Art & Mosaics: Use plates and tiles to make pixel-style art or recreate famous paintings.
Your art doesn’t have to be super classy either. Take a night to build fun and silly creations with your kids. Try a challenge where you build a portrait of your partner out of LEGO tiles. Or, go pick some flowers and create custom vases to display them in.
There’s no end to the art you can make, and hopefully it’ll make your guests jealous too! Don’t forget to check out Pinterest for more LEGO art inspiration.
3. Turn Old LEGO Sets Into Useful Decor
If you’re looking for something just a bit more useful than art projects, you can also take your old bricks and make helpful pieces of decor for around the house or office.
If you don’t have any ideas of your own, we’ve got you covered.
- Desk Organizers: Build pen holders, drawer trays, or phone stands. The best part is you can make them fit any size!
- Key or Jewelry Holder: Hang small pieces of jewelry or keys from a custom holder.
- Charging Stations: Route cables through Technic™ holes for tidy charging hubs.
- Pet Feeding Area: Make a cute area that holds food and water bowls for your cat or dog. You can even add their name!
If you also just like the LEGO aesthetic, you can always use your bricks to build around some of your existing decor. That way, you get the exact use you want with a fun brick twist!
Take a look around your house, and look at things through a LEGO lens. You never know what could easily be replaced by a well-designed brick build.
4. Turn Old LEGO Pieces into Your Own MOC Build
MOCs (an acronym for “My Own Creation”) are a huge part of LEGO culture, and your leftover bricks are the perfect opportunity to try your hand at making one!
Building a great MOC can take some trial and error, but starting with simple builds or simple challenges is a great way to start.
The best way to start is with the pieces you already have: a great use for your old sets sitting around! There’s even sites like Rebrickable, or the Bricks & Minifigs® blog, that have instructions specifically for your old pieces.
Give your LEGO pieces a new life by adding them to the custom build you’ve always dreamed of creating!
5. Sell Old LEGO Sets to Bricks & Minifigs
We saved the best for last! If you want to get rid of old LEGO sets and get paid money at the same time, there’s no better place to sell old LEGO sets than to Bricks & Minifigs! We buy used LEGO sets and resell them to customers who will love them.
When you walk into one of our 200+ stores, you see a wall of pre-built LEGO sets as well as others still in the box (not to mention brand new sets too). We display these sets front and center, so anyone who comes in is immediately hit with a wall of creative possibilities.
Bricks & Minifigs buys used LEGO sets and used LEGO bulk pieces! If you’ve been into one of our locationns then you’ve seen our bulk tables right in the middle of it all.
Maybe you’ve lost a few pieces. Maybe you didn’t keep the box. Or maybe you just have tubs of random pieces that you have no hope of reassembling into a complete build. Bulk pieces, full sets, and boxes of sets never built, Bricks & Minifigs will buy it!
We offer cash and store credit for all of our buys! When you sell to Bricks & Minifigs you can walk out of our stores either flashing a wad of cash or toting a completely new set thanks to the store credit.
Whatever you choose, there’s almost no better choice than selling old LEGO products to Bricks & Minifigs.
Rebuild, Reuse, Reimagine®
Used LEGO bricks don’t have to sit forgotten in a box or end up in a landfill. They can spark new creativity and connection. Whether you’re building something original, donating to a good cause, creating art, or upcycling into something totally unexpected, those little bricks still have endless potential.
So before you box them up, think about how you can give your LEGO bricks a second life. And, you should definitely think about bringing them into your local Bricks & Minifigs where they’ll find a new life and you’ll leave with money in hand.