AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM BRICKNOWLOGY

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RE: SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN OPERATIONS ON MAY 8, 2026 AFFECTING REWARDS AND GIFT CARDS

For 12 years, Bricknowlogy has been the premiere destination for all things LEGO® – one of the largest private LEGO® resellers in the country.  All of us at Bricknowlogy are very proud of that, and it’s only because of our amazing customer support base that we achieved such high esteem and recognition – and we are truly grateful for all of you.  However, as many of you know, for some time now we have experienced tremendous struggles and challenges in getting our typical product mix from LEGO® – most significantly due to a dwindling catalog of products that they would allow us to buy, as well as deferred release dates and delayed shipments that arrived well past the launch schedule. And it’s been getting progressively worse over the past two years – significantly so since late last year.  Most of you have seen the letter that I posted in January after a significant portion of our product was not only delayed, but then finally sent in staggered shipments, preventing us from offering all of you the new items on the official release date and forcing us to incur much higher freight charges (although we did receive an acknowledgment from LEGO® with a $4.51 credit).  This had a tremendously negative impact on our sales as well as our reputation in the marketplace. And frankly, I refuse to continue to allow Bricknowlogy to take responsibility for all these actions.

Since the LEGO® corporate store opened just down the road in August 2023, we have seen a distinct pattern of restricted items, product delays, late shipments, internal damages, and challenges from their legal department over incredibly minor website issues / social posts – at least one of which was due to their own marketing material. It doesn’t necessarily mean all those events are related, but the facts remain.  We have been fighting the good fight, and so many of you have supported us in so many ways by waiting for product to arrive at Bricknowlogy and then purchasing it from us instead of them – often waiting patiently for several months for us to fulfill your requests. But then, disappointingly, some of that product never arrived or was canceled or was just not available to us. You could get it at Scheels, Kohl’s, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy… but not Bricknowlogy, a “LEGO® Gold Store.”  When I pushed back on this policy change, I was told on a video call with a senior LEGO® leader that they are big companies and they buy a lot of products – and Bricknowlogy is small and buys a lot less. 

And now, within the past 60 days, we’ve been informed – via email, from a generic account – that Bricknowlogy is prohibited from purchasing any more product directly from LEGO® at all.  This was not by our choice; this was a direct result of actions taken by LEGO® that explicitly affect Bricknowlogy with no specific reason given. (I will post that message from LEGO® separately). To be clear, this was not a financial issue – we purchase and pay for all our product upfront, before it leaves the LEGO® distribution center. Because of this egregious decision, we cannot continue to operate as a functional LEGO®-themed store under the current model. This affects the lives of my entire staff and every customer that shops with us and chooses small, local business over the global corporate conglomerates.  I made a clear reference to this in the letter I posted on our website and social media at the beginning of this year. I received a lot of support based on that letter, from many of the people on this distribution, but also from people around the country and in some cases, around the globe. That letter generated several conversations and provided a unique insight into other areas in this space that explain many of the unfortunate activities we have directly witnessed.

So, sadly, we’ve come to a point where we can no longer continue to operate based on our current business model. Additionally, on a personal note, I have been strongly advised to dramatically slow down my pace and step back from my typical 70+ hour workweek. Admittedly, it has been a long and grueling battle for the past two years – one that has taken its toll and significantly escalated over the past two months. Since late last year, I have explored and exhausted every feasible option to keep going with the current model. That letter I posted in January made its way to some larger players in the LEGO® product space – some of whom have approached me about acquiring both my vast personal collection and purchasing most of the remaining inventory at Bricknowlogy. In essence, this would be one huge transaction for all the products on the shelves. Based on all of the above, this represents the only viable path forward. It will allow us to take care of business expenses for the rest of the year while providing some time to reimagine what Bricknowlogy can be going forward.  Although the buyers wanted to purchase everything immediately, I was insistent that we have a period of time for staff and customers to absorb all this and have an opportunity to use outstanding Gift Cards and Rewards points. Customers with Rewards and Gift Card balances are strongly encouraged to redeem those credits within the next few weeks if you want to use them for sealed sets. (More on this below). To be clear, it is definitely my desire and intention to continue to operate after this transaction, but in a different capacity. I cannot reveal the buyers at this time (they are not in Idaho), but they are very good people, tremendous fans, and have no direct ties to LEGO® – all good things.  As you know, we have a very unique mix of product and they wanted to buy all of it. They will give the collection a good home, and indeed, we hope to perhaps partner / collaborate with them on future endeavors.  We are working with the buyers to determine the best course of action for communications in that regard.

As a result – and with a very heavy heart – Bricknowlogy will be ceasing retail operations for sealed LEGO® sets on May 8, 2026.  LEGO® has made it clear they will no longer allow us to buy product from them and so it will be impossible to replenish the store.  Therefore, the store will be closed for a few days while the buyers complete their purchase and we reset the store. We will then reopen with lots of pre-built display models, more minifigures, bulk parts, custom kits, and custom printed items. Going forward, we will focus on areas that do not require a direct relationship with LEGO®, and we hope to bring you more information about that in the coming weeks. We have the space in Eagle Plaza for another year, so we plan to make the most of that as we pivot to our new direction.  It will give us a chance to explore new ideas and offerings that were not possible until now.  I anticipate that we will most likely expand our efforts on custom printing / custom parts, minifigures, custom designed kits, and the commission work that we’ve been doing over the past several years.  We simply have not been able to do that justice due to time constraints and all the struggles trying to acquire the desired product from LEGO®. And please, all of us at Bricknowlogy absolutely welcome your ideas and suggestions for other products and services that you would love to see in our store.

So, what this means to you is that if you have any outstanding Rewards points or Gift Cards, we encourage you to come in and use them on new/current (non-retired) sets, minifigures, custom printing, bulk parts, etc. and to make your purchases prior to closing on May 8, 2026.   Online orders will not be accepted until further notice.  Our system provides no mechanism to view outstanding, store-wide Rewards totals or unredeemed Gift Cards – we can only see individual accounts. Typically, Rewards and Gift Card balances tend to be at the lowest levels this time of year.  You may still be able to use Rewards and Gift Cards after that time, but it is unlikely that we will have any sealed sets available for sale.  New Rewards points will not be earned or awarded on any purchases made between April 17 and May 8, 2026. The program will resume when we reopen.

We have set up a dedicated page for you to check your current Rewards and / or the balance on any Gift Cards:

https://bricknowlogy.com/check-balances/

We have also set up a dedicated email address for people to write in with any questions or comments or suggestions (please do): 

questions@bricknowlogy.com

I know this comes as a tremendous shock and disappointment to everyone. The support you all have shown for the store and for my staff and for me – for the past 12 years – has been so wonderful and I am truly sorry it will end so abruptly. Bricknowlogy has been my entire life for the past 12 years – and I know it’s been a part of yours as well, and that is appreciated more than you all can possibly imagine. 

That said, I am very hopeful that this will turn into a better opportunity to serve all the fans in our community, but in a different and more controlled manner – one that is no longer under the heavy thumb of LEGO®. We have some other partnerships that we’re looking at as well, and I anticipate being able to provide more details in the coming weeks.

Again, please direct any questions or comments to the email address above, or you may call the store at 208.939.5346.  

Finally, thank you all again for all the support over the years.  I hope this is not the end, but the start of something new and exciting for everyone. 

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AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS

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RE: LEGO® JANUARY 2026 LAUNCH

TL;DR (Short Version)

LEGO® failed to send Bricknowlogy the vast majority of our January 2026 launch order in time for release day on January 1.  LEGO® stated the product would arrive early and actually made us agree that we would not sell any new product prior January 1, 2026.  LEGO® only sent us 16% of our order – excluding Star Wars™, CITY, and Speed Champions and many other highly anticipated new products.  LEGO® acknowledged there was some “issue” on their end, yet made no effort to mitigate or remediate the situation.  Indeed, LEGO® has not even responded to our emails.  LEGO® knows how much hype is generated for Launch Day. Every other (major) retailer in the valley – including the LEGO® corporate Brand store – received their product, and some are selling it early – apparently with no consequences.  Through their actions and in-actions, LEGO® is demonstrating their contempt and disregard for Bricknowlogy and all our customers – which are also customers of LEGO®. We hope to receive our full order by January 4th or 5th.  As the owner of Bricknowlogy, I sincerely apologize for the frustration and delay.  I don’t want to disappoint or inconvenience you – our loyal customers – by coming out to our store and not having the product you rightfully expect us to have.  I will provide updates as the situation becomes more clear.

Thank you all for your continued support of Bricknowlogy and other small / local businesses.  It is very much appreciated.

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For those interested in the full story and the deeper implications…

LONG VERSION

I placed Bricknowlogy’s January 2026 Launch order on November 14, over two weeks before the deadline.

On November 17, 2025, LEGO® sent out a message to “Undisclosed Recipients”, including Bricknowlogy, stating that January 2026 products would be sent “earlier than usual, allowing [us] to receive it before the official launch date of January 1.”  We were also told that any information related to this product was considered “confidential until the official launch date” (despite all of the pictures, pre-orders, and details available on their own web site as well as that of most other retailers) and that we were to “refrain from putting them on sale until the designated launch date”.  The message went on to say that “compliance with this timeline is mandatory and any other action different from this… will be consider[ed] a breach of our contract and a violation to the LEGO Group confidentially process, and as a result, we will no longer be shipping future product prior to launch to you.” Aside from the poor grammar, it was very clear that product would be arriving early, but that it was to be kept off the shelves – or face strict consequences. If we wanted to receive our product early, we were forced to agree to these terms. Bricknowlogy immediately agreed to these terms. I have no idea if any other entities also received this message.

One month later, when it became increasingly apparent that we were unlikely to receive our product early as we were promised – and forced to agree to – I proceeded to alert LEGO® of our concern. On December 17, I sent LEGO® an urgent message stating that our order still had not shipped and I stated very clearly that it “needs to ship by Friday, December 19 in order for [the product] to arrive in time for the January 1 launch”.

The next day, on December 18, I received yet another message to “Undisclosed Recipients” – addressed as, “Dear Valued Partner”. The message went on to say that there was an “internal error related to our January Novelty Orders that were scheduled to ship in December”.  We were told to “rest assured that [LEGO® is] aware of this issue and [is] actively working to resolve it.”  Furthermore, LEGO® stated that they “understand the inconvenience”, and “sincerely apologize for any disruption”.  It should be noted that in the past, LEGO® has made every effort to rectify any situation where they were at fault. In one case just last year, LEGO® hired a private van to personally deliver our entire May 4th order to make sure we got our products in time for that event. Fast forward to the present day, and Bricknowlogy was offered no such remediation or compensation for what will be a significant impact to our business operations. And no acknowledgement to you – our customers and their customers – that this was a terrible mishap of which they would take ownership and rectify.  To LEGO®, the inconvenience and impact to you – or to us – is of no concern… the product will be purchased somewhere, sometime, somehow, by someone.

Later that same day, December 18, LEGO® emailed me directly to inform Bricknowlogy that only 16% of the order would arrive on time, and the rest of it would ship on December 21. I strongly reiterated that was two days too late and that it needed to ship the next day, on December 19. I also stated that they needed to expedite the shipping at their expense in order to fulfill the obligations and get my order to the store on time. As of this writing on December 29, I still have heard nothing more from LEGO®. However, on December 16, LEGO® did find the time to inform me of an improper use of the LEGO® Minifigure® on a Bricknowlogy web post from 2021.

The order did not ship on December 21 as LEGO® stated it would. The order did not ship until December 26. I still have not heard anything from LEGO®, and despite my efforts to try to expedite the shipment now that it’s en route, it is not scheduled to arrive until January 4. We will miss the January 1 launch date and the entire launch weekend on January 2nd and 3rd. By the time our product arrives and we’re able to get it onto the shelves, it will be January 5, the earliest.

It should be noted that every other store in the valley has received their January 2026 release product. Some of that product is already out on the shelves, in direct violation of the terms that we were forced to agree to at Bricknowlogy. Apparently, those rules do not apply to anyone else. I’m including one photo I personally captured where the product is already out for sale here in the valley (and moreover, below the LEGO® minimum price rules). Other stores are taking pre-orders or starting to sell product early as well. Some of our customers are bringing product to the store to show us what they already have in hand from the LEGO® 2026 launch from other stores. I would wager my entire inventory the LEGO® corporate-owned brand store just down the road from us will have all their product on January 1 as well. Everyone but Bricknowlogy.  Why?

For those of you that have pushed through and read this entire message… thank you. I would like to make a few points. First of all, and most importantly, I appreciate your time and attention to this matter. My primary reason for sending this message is that I want all our customers to know that we will not have product as we typically would on January 1st. I do not want you or anyone else to make a special trip to the store only to be disappointed. This is the first time in 12 years that we have not had product for launch – and that is both disappointing and infuriating. My sincere apologies.

After all the loyalty that Bricknowlogy and all of us LEGO® fans here in the valley have shown to the LEGO® brand, it is very sad and unfortunate they have no concerns or qualms that the single largest retailer here is not going to have product on launch day. Zero concern for the impact to our customers.  ZERO.  We know that some of you travel a great distance to get here – some 90 minutes or more – and yet there is no urgency or remediation efforts on the part of LEGO® to take care of their customer base that we have helped establish over the past 13 years. And we are their customers too – which apparently makes no difference either. Absolutely no concern for the disappointment, the disruption, the time wasted, and the expense incurred by this gross negligence.

Secondarily, I want to make it clear that there is another issue with play here – a much broader and darker issue that I will expand upon and communicate over the coming weeks and months. I have been silent for too long, and I am no longer going to refrain from speaking out. Nor will I continue to cover for LEGO®.  There are some very disconcerting practices taking place that I wish to reveal and share with you at a later date. In the interim, I understand that everyone is excited to get their hands on some of the new product, so I would encourage you to shop anywhere other than a LEGO® corporate-owned store. Not because they are better than us, but because they are much, much worse.

Thank you. I will let you know when our product finally arrives.

Photo taken at Costco Meridian, ID on December 27, 2025

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