Pick a Brick: new upload feature now live in North America

LEGO® Pick a Brick have added a wonderful new feature to the platform today, only in the USA and Canada as a beta test. You can now upload a file with the IDs and quantities of your desired pieces, then add them to your cart in one click!

This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

Here's an in-depth guide telling you everything you need to know about this new feature and how to use it with existing parts databases like BrickLink, Rebrickable, Brickset, Studio, LDraw and LEGO Digital Designer. 

In fact Rebrickable have already added new export features to work with Pick a Brick imports!

Page contents

• How it works
• Where do I get Element IDs?
• BrickLink
• Brickset
• Rebrickable
• Export set inventory as Pick a Brick CSV
• Export Part List as Pick a Brick CSV
• Who can use it?
• Feedback

How it works

If you need to order many different elements at once, you can now upload a spreadsheet with up to 400 different items in it. The file must include the Element IDs and the quantities you're wanting.

1. The file must be saved in CSV format (or JSON format if you know how to use that), and Pick a Brick have provided example templates to make it easy for you:
   Download the CSV template or JSON template
2. These templates contain two elements as examples for you to overwrite – 18 2x2 red bricks and 999 red 2x4 bricks, the maximum you can buy on Pick a Brick! 
3. You must use the Element IDs (not the Design IDs aka part numbers). Element IDs are the longer numbers you see in the back of your instruction manuals which identify not only the shape of the element but also the colour. (Design IDs only identify the shape of the part.) Where do I get Element IDs?
4. Save the file, ensuring it is still in CSV (or JSON) format.
5. On USA Pick a Brick or Canada Pick a Brick, click the "Upload list" button.
6. Follow the instructions to add your file and click "Upload".
7. Your list, including the correct quantities, will appear! As usual, they will be marked as Bestseller or Standard bricks. Simply click "Pick selected pieces" to add everything to your cart, which is divided into Bestseller and Standard.

Now is a good time to buy on Pick a Brick because new parts from June 2024 sets were only recently added, and until 20 October there are 2x Insiders points and the Bakery Gift with Purchase available – but be aware, only Bestseller elements will count towards your threshold. 

• Pro tip: If you don't want to add any of the Standard parts you have uploaded in your list, you can delete them by deselecting them all before adding to your cart, but a faster way is: add everything to your cart, then go to the Standard section of your cart, and click Remove all Standard elements. 

Where do I get Element IDs?

We put Element IDs into our reviews (the long number in the brackets after a part name) so be sure to keep a list while you read our articles in future! Or search New Elementary for a particular set or article you remember.

And of course they are also listed in our monthly lists of new parts in new LEGO sets.

But where can you find them on the major sites?

BrickLink

Soon, BrickLink Studio users will be able to export a Pick a Brick CSV of elements from their files! This feature is not yet available though. In the interim, you can export your Studio part list and upload it to Rebrickable, where you can export as Pick a Brick CSV – see below.

BrickLink users will definitely be challenged by the requirement to use Element IDs rather than part numbers, because Element IDs are not readily displayed on the BrickLink platform. This is a bigger challenge for the Pick a Brick team to have solved. Again, you can instead export and import into Rebrickable to gain the list of exportable Element IDs, see below.

Brickset

Element IDs are displayed on Brickset, but there is no way to save them to a wanted list.

Brickset also has the option to download a set inventory as a CSV, from which you could copy Element IDs, but there are far more effective ways like simply searching Pick a Brick for a set number – this example is set 70596. 

Rebrickable 

New features have been instantly added to Rebrickable today in response to Pick a Brick's new feature! 

You can export a set inventory as Pick a Brick CSV, and better yet: export your own Part Lists as well. Part Lists can be an imported list from other platforms like BrickLink, Studio and LDraw. But wait, there's more – you can also export MOC inventories as well as the list of parts you're missing to build a MOC after running a Build calculation, without needing to create a new Part Lists first. 

Export set inventory as Pick a Brick CSV

1. From a set page, click the Inventory tab.
2. Click the Export Parts dropdown.
3. Choose LEGO Pick a Brick CSV
4. Upload that file to Pick a Brick!

This is of limited use, because as mentioned, it would be faster to simply search Pick a Brick for a set number – this example is set 70596. 

Export Part List as Pick a Brick CSV

You can actually create a wanted list of parts on Rebrickable, and as of today, export it as a Pick a Brick CSV file! 

Here's how to use Rebrickable to find Element IDs, and add them to a list you can export:

1. You must have a Rebrickable account, which is free and totally worthwhile.
2. In the menu, go to My LEGO > My Part Lists
3. Click the green "+ Add New Part List" button
4. From here, you can watch the tutorial video if you're unfamiliar with Rebrickable, or choose from these two actions:
1. Import/Delete Parts: Supported formats include: Rebrickable Brickset Peeron CSV/TSV files; BrickLink Orders/Inventory or BrickStore XML files; LDraw MPD/LDR files; LEGO Digital Designer LXF files and BrickLink Studio files.
2. + Add Part: Search Rebrickable's parts database for the Design ID / part number or name that you require. Name might not work, because their naming system is slightly different to BrickLink. 
1. Click the part you want from the search results. 
2. This opens a 'Quick View' popup of the part. Scroll down to choose available colours from the dropdown.
3. Choose your newly created part list from the My Part List dropdown. 
4. Now click the green "+ Add Part" button. 
5. Return to My LEGO > My Part Lists. 
6. In Part Lists, click on the name of your newly created part list (not the check box).
7. Click Export Parts > LEGO Pick a Brick CSV.
8. Save and upload to Pick a Brick!

Who can use it?

Anyone can now try the feature out in the Canada or the US Pick a Brick online stores, but obviously only North American residents will want to actually order from there! And no, having added items to your North American cart, you can't just switch regions and have them remain – yes, one of our readers tried!

Eventually the feature will be rolled out across the world, but this will take longer because of the need to adapt for the imminent removal of the "Standard" category elements in other countries. 

The limit is 400 different elements, and you can order up to 999 of each of those elements. 

You will need to know how to edit a CSV file (or JSON), or alternatively, follow the Rebrickable instructions above to create one.

Feedback

Have you used the feature? Pick a Brick are welcoming feedback to help them improve it.

READ MORE: New elements added to Pick a Brick

Help New Elementary keep publishing articles like this. Become a Patron!

A huge thank you to all our patrons for your support, especially our 'Vibrant Coral' tier: London AFOLs, Antonio Serra, Beyond the Brick, Huw Millington, Dave Schefcik, David and Breda Fennell, Gerald Lasser, Baixo LMmodels, Sue Ann Barber and Trevor Clark, Markus Rollbühler, Elspeth De Montes, Megan Lum, Andy Price, Chuck Hagenbuch, Jf, Wayne R. Tyler, Daniel Church, Lukas Kurth (StoneWars), Timo Luehnen, Chris Wight, Jonathan Breidert, Brick Owl and our newest top-tier patron, BrickCats! You folks are just the cutest little baby bows.

All text and images are ©2024 New Elementary unless otherwise attributed.