Collecting · inventory planning
Keep LEGO parts free for the builds you're planning
A list can read "zero short" and still be wrong if a different list already needs the same pieces. Owning a part and a list having enough of it on hand are not the same claim.
01 · desired vs owned
A list compares what it needs against what's on hand.
Brick Pulse lists come in four kinds: a wanted list, a parts list, a set plan, and a set instance. Open any list with items and each line shows a needed quantity next to the on-hand quantity for that material, with the difference reported as a shortfall.
That comparison is stated in terms of on-hand inventory, not a separate committed or available total. Read a list's shortfall as a comparison against the shelf, not as a statement about whether those pieces are actually free to use.
02 · one record per copy
A set instance tracks one physical copy, not a shared pool.
When a list is a set instance, it holds a catalog set number, an optional storage location, a status you choose (built, stored, on display, loose, to sell, or for parts), and an optional condition note. Set instances do not require entering every part; add a single item to the list only for a deliberate correction or addition.
A local-only list stays local: it changes what Brick Pulse records and does not write anything to a marketplace. Deleting a list only removes an empty list, and that deletion never touches marketplace data.
03 · competing lists
Two lists can want the same pieces without either one knowing.
Each list's shortfall is calculated for that list alone, against the on-hand quantity for the material. If a wanted list and a set plan both need ten of the same part and you have ten on hand, the list screen can show both lists at zero short at the same time — the screen for one list does not show what another list has already asked for.
04 · emptying a list
Clearing a list is guarded, not automatic.
A list can be deleted only once every item has been removed from it, and that deletion never deletes marketplace data. A build hold sets quantity aside without removing it from on-hand stock. Releasing the hold returns that quantity to available stock; it does not add stock back to on-hand because the hold never removed it from the shelf.
05 · read availability where it's verified
Let the app's own number carry the commitment math.
The list screen's shortfall column compares a need against on-hand stock. It is not the same figure as the available number the app shows elsewhere, which already accounts for reservations, build holds, and safety reserve. Available vs on-hand inventory explains how on-hand stock, reservations, build holds, and safety reserve relate. The available number already accounts for those commitments; do not subtract a hold from it a second time.
The list shortfall and available quantity answer different questions. Check each figure in its own screen instead of deriving available stock from a list's shortfall column.
06 · related reading
Keep ownership and commitment in their own records.
Available vs on-hand inventory works through reservations, build holds, and safety reserve in detail. Collector records cover lists and set instances in context. The inventory feature describes loose-part records separately. A hold changes Brick Pulse's local availability record and does not write to a marketplace.