Why does Bricklink NOT use Lego part numbers?

[1963maniac]

Why aren't part numbers (element design numbers) the same across all of the Lego world. Why can't we have one part number per part? I would just like to have things as simple as possible.

BTW I'm not knocking Bricklink, I use it a lot. It is my main Lego encyclopedia, I cannot do Lego without it!!

I used a Bricklink (btw owned by Lego) part number to order from Lego replacement parts that Lego itself did not recognize!! This has happened to me on several occasions. Recently, I didn't take "No results" for an answer. I found a different part number for it from Lego. It was available under a different part number from Lego. I have done catalog change requests for them today on Bricklink. Bricklink sometimes has alternate part numbers which usually work on Lego replacements, but not always. And, I find these alternate part numbers are usually more recent part numbers. Sometimes the TLG part number is for elements that are made only in transparent colors. This kind of thing can really bug you. You think TLG doesn't have it but, they really do have it.

But my question is why are we even doing this? Shouldn't all part numbers be uniform, one number for one part? I understand the evolution of part mold changes/ numbers over the years. Why doesn't Bricklink (owned by Lego) use the more recent part numbers, the alternate part numbers should be the older part numbers.

This situation makes the LDRAW part library hard to use too. I'm assuming the software using this library wouldn't have a problem.

I would just like to have things as simple as possible. Maybe I'm wishing for too much!! 

 

[Alexandrina]

Bricklink does use Lego numbers (apart from the sub-numbers to designate different patterns, but that follows a simple pattern). It's not the same as the element number (which afaik is a unique number for that part in that colour) but it's definitely the official numbers. On most parts, those numbers are actually on the brick itself. For example, the standard 2 x 4 brick is part number 3001, and this is usually found on the part itself. If you look at the Pick a Brick listings, Lego use that number too. Every colour has 3001 listed as one of its numbers, as well as a unique element number.

The exception, I believe, is parts which don't have an official number. However, these tend to be old parts that are not and have never been available from Lego.com (an example that comes to mind, simply because I've never seen numbers on any parts I've owned myself, is the old Homemaker bookcases and cabinets).

It's been a while since I used Ldraw, but as I remember, they used the same parts number system. (This, incidentally, is why a certain number of minifigure head prints follow the 3626bp(x) pattern, while most follow the 3626bpx(x) pattern - where the parts were in the Ldraw library, bricklink took their sub-numbers; for the other patterns, they used their own system)

[MAB]

Bricklink uses a hybrid system of lego numbers where known, peeron, ldraw, etc and its own numbering for minifigures and prints. A lot of the early information was never released by lego and so BL introduced numbering based on part IDs for prints. Obviously minifigures do not exist in lego Inventories (just as parts) so they introduced numbering for those. But most parts do use the official part numbers where these are on the part, and most modern element IDs link to the correct part.

[Mylenium]

23 hours ago, 1963maniac said:

But my question is why are we even doing this?

Company thinking... Everything is just an internal item number or SKU and everything associated with actually manufacturing and distributing this item is tied to this number. The deeper underlying problem is of course that LEGO are extremely secretive and never publish or communicate any of that and we as customers typically only find out after the fact, if at all. Since some stuff can't even be ordered through Bricks & Pieces we potentially never find out for those parts. That's also why there's this discrepancy on BL because e.g. we never know under which internal numbers minifig prints are filed. We only ever know that torso X has its own SKU and goes with head Y. At this point I don't believe this will ever change. Even if you leave out the legacy pieces you easily end up with 20000 parts and their variants in current use and nobody is going to sit down and check, consolidate and update the databases for months on end while new items keep coming out. This simply has outgrown any practicality. The irony likely is that even the designers and other organizations within LEGO likely would love to have more consistency and do things like setting aside certain number blocks for different types of elements, but at this point it's most definitely easier to just number things sequentially and fill in existing gaps in the numbering.

Mylenium

[1963maniac]

Thank to all of you for your responses.

To clarify, I found many parts at TLG whose part number is not in Bricklink's catalog. I always start with Bricklink to find part numbers before ordering from anybody. I have found many part numbers there that are unknown to TLG. These parts were all definitely available from TLG. Ordering from TLG is more work to find the part and part number when it doesn't match Bricklink. Why can't BL supply these unknown part numbers since they are owned by TLG? BL seems is the main catalog library for the whole LEGO world! Don't we need it to be complete?!

I find unknown part numbers when searching through the set inventory at TLG's replacement parts order page. The set number I usually get from Bricklink's part catalog. If you do this using BL's set inventory, you won't get the unknown part number. 

Two examples: BL# 74188 -Sheep ...TLG# 78214 and BL# 21828 -pneumatic cylinder...TLG# 26647. TLG does not recognize BL's numbers and BL does not recognize TLG's numbers. These are newer parts. Does Bricklink really not know these part numbers from TLG? 

Edited October 11, 2021 by 1963maniac

[Alexandrina]

The sheep is an incredibly new part. It's entirely possible that the TLG part number simply hasn't been added to Bricklink's database yet (I don't have one on hand to confirm, but I suspect the number 74188 will be somewhere on the physical part).

In fact, I imagine that's the case for most parts: the alternate number hasn't been added to the database yet. The database is as far as I know primarily community-drawn - there are gaps. I know there are sets which haven't been inventoried, for instance.

For what it's worth, Bricklink use the Lego element IDs as an alternate number rather than the main number because they're comparatively inaccessible. I do a lot of sorting of old job lots, and many a time I've come across parts I don't recognise, from sources unknown. Typing in the number printed on the brick will lead me to the Bricklink category listing.

[Lyichir]

Another reason for Bricklink differing from Lego Design IDs is that printed parts (including many minifigure parts and animals) actually have DIFFERENT design ID numbers from the actual Design ID number used for unprinted variations of a mold (which appears on the part itself whether the part is printed or not). This is one area where Bricklink numbering is arguably more convenient, since Bricklink typically uses the Design ID for the mold along with a suffix designating the print or decoration, instead of a wholly unique ID number. That makes it easy to search all variations of a part (by searching the Design ID for the mold plus an asterisk to include all possible suffixes).

This use of suffixes also applies to parts that come off a sprue or pre-pack, like the old tool wheels or the new pre-packs of tools or other accessories. Lego's Design ID refers to the whole assortment (since they are molded together and, if not on a sprue, immediately bagged), so Bricklink uses that Design ID plus a suffix for individual parts of that assortment so they can be bought, sold, and cataloged individually.

[Alexandrina]

1 minute ago, Lyichir said:

That makes it easy to search all variations of a part (by searching the Design ID for the mold plus an asterisk to include all possible suffixes)

Guess who just learned a new thing today that she's definitely going to be using from now on...

[Murdoch17]

14 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

Guess who just learned a new thing today that she's definitely going to be using from now on...

I also didn't know that, and I've been using Bricklink since 2007 or so!

[MAB]

The sheep is already on bricklink.

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=74188pb01

with the 74188 number. But as it is printed it has the pb01 extension, so it can be differentiated from any future print patterns on the same base part.

[1963maniac]

I submitted catalog change requests for both the sheep and the pneumatic part last week. Today I was reading Jared's review on Rebrickable of set # 42128 and he has a third part number for the pneumatic part as 19476. Can you believe it. Such a new part has three numbers, one only known by BL and two only known by TLG!

I like to use BL's wanted list for ordering parts. I try to buy new parts from TLG as many as possible to keep shipping cost low, then get the rest from BL sellers. I also have a Bricks and Minifigs store that I use as much as possible. I don't buy many sets anymore because my collection is huge and over 55+ years. Yes, I confess, I am a LEGO maniac.