Thousands of LEGO Pick a Brick pieces have been removed from the platform, seemingly due to a US tariff due to kick in this week.
As spotted by New Elementary, thousands of Standard Pick a Brick elements have disappeared from the service in the US and Canada. For both stores, Standard elements are shipped from the European warehouse, while the Bestseller ones are shipped from within the USA. The European warehouses cover shipping of both Standard and Bestseller elements for the rest of the world.
The loss of more than 2,500 pieces could be due to a US tariff coming into effect from August 29. President Donald Trump signed the executive order into place at the end of July, ending the de minimis exemption. Previously, this exemption allowed goods valued at $800 or less to enter the US without paying any tariffs. From August 29, this won't be in place, meaning tariffs can be changed at goods valued under $800.
The aim of the change is thought to be targeting cheap goods coming into the US and postal services from several countries around the world, including Denmark where Pick a Brick Standard elements are shipped from, have said they will no longer ship to the US.
DHL, which handles the Pick a Brick orders from Billund, said in a public statement: "The reason for these anticipated temporary restrictions is new processes required by US authorities for postal shipping, which differ from the previously applicable regulations. Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the US Customs and Border Protection will be carried out."
For LEGO shoppers, this could be the reason why Pick a Brick no longer stocks those Standard pieces for the US and Canada. As it stands, the UK Pick a Brick service has 4,753 pieces available to order, while the US one has just 2,033. Bestseller elements appear to be unaffected at the time of writing.
The LEGO Group has been contacted for more information.
Featured image: Flickr, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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