The integration of your LEGO and BrickLink accounts has gone live, but it hasn’t gone to plan as the system is still down (as of writing this article) and a lot of BrickLink sellers are left without access to their stores!
Today sees the two systems come together as LEGO.com and BrickLink account holders have the ‘option’ to merge their accounts into one handy and more importantly convenient account. The integration is ‘optional‘, but you have until 31st December to accept the change or lose your accounts – all of your data on the platforms will be deleted. If you choose to ‘opt‘ in, your two accounts will become one, LEGO.com and BrickLink will use the same username and password.
This all sounds good and straightforward but as I mentioned earlier, the system is still down, leaving users with no option but to wait until it’s back up & running. Sellers on the other hand, people that use BrickLink as a means to make money, have been left completely stranded without any communication or time line of when access will be reinstated. We are close friends with many BrickLink sellers, one in particular has come forward to share his opinion of the integration process and more.
McBricks Bricks:
*His views and opinions are his own and not that of The Brick Post.*
Straight off the bat I had to put my age, location and more into the pop-up, followed by my username (different to the email address you use to login into Bricklink) – an already frustrating start, but I continue. The LEGO username has now taken over the Bricklink login, I can’t remember this so now need to do the whole forgotten username thing. Get past this point only to find that on Safari (internet browser) it couldn’t link the two accounts, some sort of compatibility issue perhaps. I hopped onto the Bricklink forum and read other users had better luck with Google Chrome. Opening a new tab I had to start again and accept the LEGO Group‘s mandatory terms and conditions, signing over my soul.
Why do LEGO need all of this information and account integration? Some users on Bricklink are saying it’s a conspiracy, I’d have to agree there. Something seems to be going on, but it feels like more that, LEGO are trying to control what people sell and keep better tabs on what sells and what doesn’t. My thought is that they are outing LUG (LEGO user group) buyers who sell on BrickLink too. There has also been reduced support recently to LUG‘s so put those together and you have the basis of a conspiracy theory.
Anyway, I managed to link my accounts together (with an Insiders account I made just for this), LEGO are not being privy to what I buy as I use a different email for my actual Insiders account.
Now, the profile image, we all have a regional picture depending on what country we live in. The site gave the option to change this but predictably this link was missing, cancelling out the option entirely.
As of around 6pm GMT, 18th September, Brickink went into maintenance mode and at the time of writing this at 7:45pm GMT, there is no sign of the site being back online anytime soon. Congratulations LEGO, your drive to control everyone has screwed the retail outlet you own while at the same time taking out people’s stores who rely on this site for their income.
Update: As of 8am GMT, BrickLink is up and running, finally.
This is one of the reasons I started my own online store, www.mcbricksbricks.com.
I often sell LEGO cheaper than LEGO offer it and you will get a better and quicker service from me.
Rant over!
What is your reaction?
YES!
I like it
It's OK
Not Sure
No!
