What to check when a sealed LEGO set arrives

Every set at Brickraft ships new and factory-sealed, in its original LEGO box. A sealed box is the best sign that every piece is inside. Still, shipping is hard on cardboard, and mistakes happen. This guide walks through what to look at when the parcel arrives, in the order we would do it ourselves, and what happens if something is not right.

Before you open anything

Take a photo of the parcel before you cut the tape, and another of the LEGO box as it comes out. If you ever need a refund, our policy asks for a clear photo of the box you received, and a photo taken on arrival settles the question fast. If your order had more than one set, they can arrive in separate parcels on different days, each with its own tracking number. That is normal, and nothing is missing.

The LEGO box: a two-minute check

• Set number. The number printed on the box should match your order: 75192 for the Millennium Falcon, 42172 for the McLaren P1, 10294 for the Titanic.
• Seals. Look at every seal and every flap. Intact means not cut, not lifted and not taped over.
• Faces and corners. A scuff or a soft corner is wear on the cardboard. A crushed side, a puncture or a tear that reaches the inside is damage, and we want to hear about it.
• Photos. If anything looks off, photograph it before you open the box.

Dented box, intact seals

A dented box with intact seals means the cardboard took a hit in transit. The pieces inside sit in sealed plastic bags. Whether you open it or not, a box that arrived damaged qualifies for a refund within 30 days of delivery, and you keep the set. A seal that was already broken on arrival qualifies too. Both are on our refund policy, in those words.

Inside: the numbered bags

Large LEGO sets are packed in numbered bags. The number on each bag matches a stage in the instructions: you open bag 1, build that stage, then move to bag 2. A sealed box holds every piece of the set, whether that is the 7,541 of the Millennium Falcon, the 9,090 of the Titanic or the 12,060 of the Sagrada Família, spread across those bags. Open one bag at a time. Pouring every bag into one pile is the fastest way to lose a piece. If a part seems to be missing, look under the bags, in the box flaps and at the bottom of the box first, because flat parts and booklets can slide underneath. A few small pieces left over at the end are normal: LEGO often packs spares of the smallest parts.

The instruction booklets

The booklets LEGO packs with the set are inside the sealed box. When you open it, check them for creases or water marks. Some sets come with extras. The Bugatti Chiron, for example, includes a color collector's booklet with the building instructions and a sheet of stickers. A missing or damaged booklet or sticker sheet is covered by our warranty. You can also keep building without one: LEGO publishes building instructions free on LEGO.com, and for several sets the LEGO Builder app has a digital version of the instructions in the box.

Details to look for as you build

Some sets carry details that are easy to miss. LEGO gives the McLaren P1, the Ferrari Daytona SP3 and the Bugatti Chiron each a unique serial number, and the Ferrari also comes with a decorated display plate. The Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser has a built-in display stand with an information plaque and a Clone Wars 20th-anniversary brick. If one of these is missing from a sealed bag, it falls under the same warranty as any other piece.

How it works in practice

Email us with the details above. We reply within one business day, Monday to Friday. Approved refunds go back to your original payment method; allow 5 to 10 business days for the credit to show, depending on your bank. You never ship anything back: there is no return address and no return label. The warranty covers what comes from the box, not what happens after. Pieces lost after a bag was opened, and damage from pets, sunlight or heat after delivery, are outside it.