January 25, 2024

How To Find Free And Cheap Lego

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Lego is fantastic for children and grown-ups of all ages. It encourages imaginative play, world-building and problem-solving and these little plastic blocks are beloved around the world.

However, Lego can be a rather expensive hobby. Here’s how to find free and cheap Lego in the UK.

My daughter is five and only just getting into Lego, and for now she’s happy with Lego friends and building colourful unicorns.

But, I know there will come a day when she wants to build more and more complicated sets. And with this, I know that the price will start to jump.

So, I’ve been taking a look at some of the best ways to get free and cheap Lego, scams to avoid and why you should be extra careful when buying second-hand.

How To Get Free Lego

Is there such a thing as free Lego?

Well occasionally, yes.

Here are a few things to look out for if you’d like to bag yourself some free Lego.

1. Free Lego From The Lego Store

The Lego Store often run events during school holidays where you can pop in a get a free Lego set or figure.

For example, during the October Half Term 2023, Lego fans were invited to collect a free, buildable mini Lego Ghost set as part of the Lego Store ghost hunt.

There was also an opportunity to build and take home a Lego Black Cat.

These freebies are usually on a first come, first serve basis so you may need to get in there quickly.

Signing up for the Lego Newsletter and following Lego on social media is a great way to spot these events when they come up.

2. Free Lego and Lego Meet & Greets At The Entertainer

Popular toy shop The Entertainer occasionally run Lego workshops where children can build and then take home a small Lego set. You can find an example here.

Follow The Entertainer on social media and keep an eye on their website for any upcoming events.

You can also take a look at their website for meet and greets with Lego characters – including Lego Batman who is making appearances throughout 2024.

3. Become A Lego Insiders Member

If you become a Lego Insiders member (sign up here) you’ll get lots of Lego offers, which sometimes includes a free gift when you spend over a certain amount on the Lego website.

4. Get The Free Lego Life Magazine

Finally, not actual Lego but you can sign up for your child to receive a free bimonthly Lego magazine.

My five-year-old loves magazines but I get frustrated with both the cost and the unnecessary plastic many magazines come with, so this seemed like a great solution.

Even better, the Lego Life magazine comes addressed to your child so there’s that extra excitement of them having their own post to open.

Get Your Free Lego Magazine Here

5. Find Free Lego Clubs

Lots of libraries and schools run free Lego clubs.

We’ve recently joined the free Lego Club at our local library where everyone gets together once a fortnight to create pieces around a set theme, which have included video games and birthday cakes.

At our library, the children’s models are displayed for two weeks until the next session.

This is a great activity if your child is Lego obsessed as they get to use different Lego sets and meet other children and families who also love Lego.

6. Free Mini Figure With The Big Lego Weekender

The Big Lego Weekender has run in April at Smyths Toys for the last few years.

While there is no guarantee it will run again this year it’s still worth keeping an eye out for. Children are given a free Lego mini figure while stocks last, with no purchase necessary.

7. Win Lego By Entering Competitions

While there is never any guarantee you’ll win, there are lots of competitions out there to win Lego bundles. Comping can be a great a hobby and if you win some Lego goodies, even better. Take a look at some of my comping posts for further info.

Becoming A Comper (Plus 6 Comping Tips)

Comping Tips: How To Win A Holiday

What Are The Best Days To Enter Competitions?

How To Get Cheap Lego Sets

When comes to getting anything cheaper, my top tip is usually to try and find it second-hand.

I love using Vinted and Charity shops to find cheap clothes, toys and gifts and of course, buying second-hand is also great for the environment.

One way to get cheap Lego could be to buy it second-hand.

However, there are a few caveats to this and there are times when buying second-hand may not be cheaper when it comes to Lego.

If there’s one thing I can say about Lego and money saving, it’s that Lego holds its value well. Meaning, it’s not always easier to get cheap Lego, especially for rarer or discontinued sets.

Another thing to be aware of if you do decide to buy second-hand is that there could potentially be pieces missing, a damaged box or a lack of instructions.

If the person you’re buying from is upfront about these things then great, but if they’re not, you could have a problem, although if you’ve bought through somewhere like eBay or Vinted they have processes in place for faulty or unusable goods.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should never buy Lego second-hand, just proceed with caution when doing so.

In fact, on Facebook, there are lots of groups dedicated to allowing people to swap and sell their no longer wanted or needed Lego sets.

If buying in this way, using Paypal goods and services is the best way to go, even though there is a fee, as it means you’ll be protected if anything goes wrong.

I’ve personally bought Lego from Vinted and had no issues but both sets were brand new in the box and hadn’t been played with.

How To Find Discounted Lego Sets

1. Shop The Supermarkets

One of the best places to find discounted Lego is your local supermarket.

All of the major supermarkets in the U.K. sell Lego, including Lidl and Aldi and I honestly think it’s one of the best ways to bag yourself a Lego bargain.

Look out for end-of-line smaller sets which are often heavily discounted as stock rotates and big toy sales in the run-up to Christmas. Some small Lego Friends sets have been as cheap as 70/£1.50 in Asda.

Last year Morissons had a Harry Potter Hogwarts Lego set for £15 less than Amazon.

One final thing to be aware of is that some of the best supermarket discounts on Lego may require a loyalty card such as a Nectar Card or Tesco Clubcard.

2. Try The Toy Shops

Toy shops such as The Entertainer and Smyths often have great discounts too – my advice is to follow on social media and sign up to newsletters for all the best sales news.

You could also join Facebook groups that share bargains. It’s not Lego specific but this is my favourite: Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK.

3. Look For Lego Black Friday Discounts

Black Friday can be hit-and-miss when it comes to deals. You’ll often find that prices have been hiked to make it look like there is a big discount on offer, when in fact, an item is the same price as usual.

However, if there’s a particular Lego set you want, I do think Black Friday is a good time to take a look at what’s on offer, especially at Amazon, Very, Smyths, John Lewis and Argos.

4. Make The Most Of Conditional Spend Vouchers

Conditional spend vouchers are a great way to save money if you’re planning on buying a Lego set that isn’t often discounted.

Pre-Christmas 2023 saw toy shop Smyths offering £5 off a £50 spend and £10 off a £100 which could be used on Lego.

Argos often run a similar offer when signing up for their newsletter, £5 off a £40 spend.

Usually these types of vouchers a stackable meaning if a product already has say £5 off they can still be used.

Always check that the vouchers include Lego before purchasing (this info should be in the Ts&Cs).

Lego Subscriptions

If you love Lego and don’t mind not keeping your builds forever, then a Lego subscription might be the way forward.

It can also be a great way to get to build some of the more expensive sets such as the Titanic.

Lego subscriptions can vary in cost and terms (eg. how long you get to keep each Lego set) so you’ll need to do some thorough research before getting started.

Some companies that offer this service have been listed below:

Brick Borrow

Brick Club

Boomerang Bricks

Where To Get Cashback On Lego

If you’re buying Lego online then it’s always worth going through a cashback site to earn yourself some money on top of your purchase.

This could be when purchasing Lego directly through the Lego website or another online retailer such as the Entertainer as you can see below.

My favourite cashback website is TopCashback but you could also use Quidco which have offers such as the one listed below (obviously subject to change).

While there shouldn’t be any issues getting your cashback, it’s best to look at it as a bonus, so don’t base your entire purchase on cashback rewards.

Often discount codes yield a bigger saving but aren’t always stackable with cashback so it’s worth checking for both before making a purchase.

Final Tips For Finding Cheap Lego

1. Always Compare Lego Prices

If you want to be sure you’re getting a good price on the Lego sets you’re buying, always check prices across several different places.

To do this, you can use a price comparison website, such as idealo or PriceSpy.

I also find that Amazon tends to be a pretty good benchmark for pricing of current sets, as if there’s a good deal elsewhere, they tend to match it.

So, if you’ve found a cheap Lego set in your local supermarket and it’s cheaper than on Amazon, it probably is a bargain!

2. Use Instore Loyalty Points

Don’t forget as well as collecting points or rewards you can use in-store loyalty points to purchase Lego at Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

I know many people save up their points throughout the year to spend on Christmas gifts, so using these could be a great way to bag some Lego sets that may well already be on offer over the festive period.

3. Be Aware Of Lego Scams On Facebook

There are lots of scams on Facebook offering discounts on Lego.

The first thing to look out for is that if the price seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

Examples include the Millennium Falcon for just £3 (usually over £700) and other popular sets for £10.

Often these fake pages are set up to look like real toy shops, using a similar logo and colours to well-known brands and the comments are filled with supposedly (but of course fake) happy customers.

Last year Smyths Toys had to put out frequent warnings against these pages as so many customers were getting scammed and their details being sold on to third parties.

Official pages always have a blue tick and hundreds of thousands of followers.

4. Start Shopping Early

Finally, the best advice I can give is to start looking early if your child wants a particular set that’s at the more expensive end of the scale.

Look often on eBay and Vinted, check for cashback and discount codes and hopefully you’ll be able to find a fantastic Lego bargain.

Conclusion

No matter where you shop, there is always a way to get a discount or freebie when it comes to buying Lego.

Supermarkets – The supermarkets are best for getting cheap and discounted small Lego sets such as Lego Friends, Harry Potter and Lego City.

You can collect and spend loyalty points and fast stock rotation and regular toy sales means there are often big discounts to be had.

Toy Shops – Top shops such as Smyths and The Entertainer are best for medium to large Lego sets which are less likely to be found in supermarkets.

You can also take advantage of conditional spends such as £10 off £100.

Lego Stores – Lego Stores are best for rare and large Lego sets where you’ll be spending a lot of money – take advantage of free gifts by signing up for the Lego Insiders loyalty scheme.

Online – Amazon is usually the cheapest but always compare prices, look for discount vouchers and use cashback websites.