If you're a LEGO seller in the Netherlands or Belgium, you've probably sold on both BrickLink and Bol.com — or you're wondering whether to expand to the second one. They're very different platforms, and understanding the tradeoffs helps you decide where to invest your listing effort.
BrickLink: the LEGO specialist marketplace
BrickLink is the dominant marketplace for individual LEGO parts, sets and minifigures. Its audience is made up of LEGO enthusiasts — builders, collectors and MOC creators — who know exactly what they're looking for. A buyer searching for a specific 1×2 plate in dark bluish grey is going to BrickLink first.
What works well on BrickLink:
- Parts lots and bulk inventory (bricks, plates, tiles, slopes)
- Rare and discontinued elements
- Minifigures and accessories
- Used sets that are still highly sought after
What doesn't:
- Common sealed sets — buyers can easily find them cheaper elsewhere
- Products that need discovery — BrickLink buyers already know what they want, they're not browsing
Fees: BrickLink charges 3% on each sale (capped at $100 per order), plus PayPal or Stripe fees. There are no listing fees. It's cost-effective for high-value orders.
Bol.com: the Dutch general marketplace
Bol.com is the dominant online retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium, comparable to Amazon in other markets. It's where millions of consumers shop for everyday products — including LEGO sets, but often as a category, not a hobby.
What works well on Bol.com:
- Popular sealed sets (especially current Technic, Icons, City)
- Buy-it-now impulse purchases
- Gift buyers who want a trusted platform
What doesn't:
- Individual parts — Bol.com buyers don't shop for 1×2 plates
- Obscure or discontinued elements — the audience won't find them
Fees: Bol.com charges a category commission (around 8–10% for LEGO toys) plus a €0.30 placement fee. There's also an annual €99 seller subscription. For lower-value items, the fee structure is proportionally heavier than BrickLink.
Volume and visibility
BrickLink is global but niche. Bol.com is regional but massive. The right question isn't which is bigger — it's which audience matches what you're selling.
If your inventory is mostly parts and used sets: BrickLink is your primary channel. If you have sealed popular sets: Bol.com adds meaningful reach without much additional listing effort.
Most serious LEGO sellers who grow beyond a hobby level end up on both. The challenge then becomes keeping inventory in sync — because the same sealed set can legitimately be listed on both platforms at the same time.
Running both at the same time
The operational challenge with selling on both BrickLink and Bol.com simultaneously is stock management. If you have one copy of 10305 Lion Knights' Castle and it sells on BrickLink, you need Bol.com updated before another buyer orders there.
Doing this manually is workable at low volume. At higher volume — or once you add Shopify, Vinted, eBay and others into the mix — real-time synchronisation becomes essential.
Tools like SyncaBrick connect both platforms and update stock across all of them the moment a sale comes in, eliminating the oversell risk that plagues multi-channel sellers.
Which should you start with?
If you're just starting out: BrickLink first. The marketplace is built for LEGO, the fees are low relative to order value, and parting out sets into lots is a well-understood path to good margins.
Add Bol.com once you have sealed sets worth listing, or when you want to reach buyers who aren't already on BrickLink. The additional listing work is low if your inventory management is automated.
Selling on both BrickLink and Bol.com? SyncaBrick keeps stock and orders in sync across all your platforms.