Lego has taken its online marketplace BrickLink offline after detecting what it described as unusual activity on the platform. The site, often called the eBay of Lego, is a hub for collectors worldwide to buy and sell secondhand sets, source individual bricks, and purchase limited edition releases.
What Happened?
BrickLink was originally set up by a fan but was acquired by Lego in 2019. In a homepage message, the company said that before restoring the site, it wanted to fully understand what had happened. That means containing the issue, investigating how it happened, and checking for related issues, Lego said. The company did not provide further details about whether the site has been breached or hacked, or whether any customer data was affected. After being contacted by the BBC, Lego published the update.
The marketplace has been offline for the last three days, with a previous message saying it was down for maintenance. Earlier today, a message on BrickLink said the platform would be back online by Wednesday evening, but that message has now been deleted and no new timeframe has been given.
Impact on Collectors
Cyber professional Melanie Hoskin has been collecting Lego for 45 years and is a regular user of BrickLink. She told the BBC that she had received multiple links for payment for a limited edition release she had pre-ordered on the platform, after she had already paid for it. She said Lego did not believe that the payment had been taken and at one point said it would ban her from BrickLink. The problem has now been resolved and Lego said it was not aware of wider payment issues. It is unclear if the payment glitch had any connection to the issue that led to the website going offline.
Hoskin said she felt like she had been accused of theft. Lego is my stress relief, she said. Lego is what I grew up with as a kid, it's what bonded me with my sisters. I've got a Lego room and I've not even been able to walk into it this past couple of weeks because it just angers me.
What's Next?
Lego has not provided a timeline for when BrickLink will be back online. The company said it is working to fully understand the situation and will restore the site once it has contained the issue and checked for related problems. Collectors are advised to keep an eye on the platform for updates.
