LEGO® Pick a Brick Standard Elements Disappear for North American Fans: What Happened and What’s Next?

If you’re a LEGO® fan in the US or Canada, you might have noticed something missing from your online shopping cart this week. The LEGO® Pick a Brick service has quietly removed thousands of Standard elements, leaving only Bestseller pieces available for North American customers. The culprit? A new US tariff policy that’s sending shockwaves through the brick-building community.

Why Are Standard Elements Disappearing?

The issue traces back to the Trump administration’s decision to end the de minimis exemption, a rule that previously allowed packages valued under $800 to enter the US without customs duties. As of August 29, 2025, that exemption is gone. Since LEGO® Standard elements ship from the Billund warehouse in Denmark, they now face a 15% tariff, one that importers (aka, you and me) would have to pay. With postal services like DHL temporarily suspending shipments to the US while they figure out how to collect these new fees, LEGO® has pulled the plug on Standard elements for North America.

Canada, despite not imposing its own tariffs, is caught in the crossfire. LEGO®’s system treats North America as a single region, so Canadian builders are also left with a much smaller selection. The result? Over 2,500 pieces vanished overnight, leaving fans scrambling and carts emptied just as the holiday building season ramps up.

What’s Still Available?

For now, Bestseller elements remain untouched. These pieces ship from US warehouses, so they avoid the new tariffs. But let’s be honest: the real magic of Pick a Brick lies in those harder-to-find Standard elements, the ones that make your MOCs truly unique. Without them, builders are feeling the pinch.

Community Reactions: Frustration and Workarounds

The response from the LEGO® community has been swift and vocal. Reddit threads are filled with stories of wiped-out carts and canceled orders. Canadian fans, in particular, are frustrated at being swept up in a policy that doesn’t even apply to them. Meanwhile, third-party sellers on platforms like BrickLink and BrickOwl are pausing US shipments, fearing their packages will get stuck in customs limbo.

One Reddit user lamented, “My whole Standard cart was wiped out… regret not ordering now. Had a lot of dual molded legs in there for Star Wars figure boot upgrades, looks like they’re all gone now.” Others are asking the same question: Why Canada?

What’s Next for North American Builders?

The LEGO® Group hasn’t issued an official statement yet, but the hope is that this is a temporary hiccup. In the meantime, North American fans are left with a few options:

• Stick to Bestseller elements for now.
• Cross your fingers for a quick resolution as postal services adapt to the new rules.
• Keep an eye out for updates—this story is still unfolding.

For the rest of the world, it’s business as usual. Will this change how you approach your next LEGO® project? Let us know in the comments. And if you’re outside North America, maybe send your builder friends across the pond a little extra brick love this holiday season.