The LEGO Group acquired BrickLink, the online LEGO marketplace, in 2019.
BrickLink was founded in 2000 as a marketplace where LEGO fans could buy and sell individual pieces, minifigures, and complete sets. It became an important part of the adult fan community because it supported detailed collections, custom models, and the search for rare or discontinued elements.
The LEGO Group announced the acquisition in November 2019. The company said BrickLink would help it work more closely with adult LEGO fans and strengthen connections with the community that designs and collects LEGO models.
The acquisition did not mean BrickLink was the same thing as LEGO Ideas. LEGO Ideas is the LEGO Group’s platform for submitting fan-designed concepts for possible official production, whereas BrickLink primarily functions as a marketplace and community resource. BrickLink later supported programs connected with fan-designed sets, but its central identity remains the buying and selling of LEGO products.