Should your onboarding kit include a custom brick set? The honest math.

Give the object a reason to belong

A useful onboarding gift connects to the team someone is joining. A model of the product they will work on, or the building where their colleagues meet, gives you a concrete story to explain. A bottle or notebook may be more useful for some people; a brick set is a choice for teams that want a making activity and a desk object. Keep assembly optional, and offer an alternative for anyone who does not want or cannot comfortably build it. A gift supports a welcome; it does not replace a thoughtful first week.

What it costs per hire

Brixel’s published prices at the 100-set minimum are $49 desk (up to 80 pieces), $69 standard (up to 150 pieces), $99 statement (up to 250 pieces) — $4,900, $6,900, $9,900 for the hundred. The intended scope includes design, instructions, a custom box and delivery. Final model costs, printed packaging and the destination-specific delivery plan still need confirmation before we accept a production commitment.

Compare this with your own kit budget, not an assumed industry average. For example, if you allocate $75 per hire, a $49 Desk set leaves $26 for the rest of the kit before storage, your handling costs and any separately agreed individual fulfilment. That is an illustrative budget, not a quote for shipping to 100 homes. Decide whether the set replaces an existing gift or adds to the total.

The quantity math (the part that usually kills it)

At 30 hires a year, 100 sets represent about three years and four months of stock, assuming hiring stays steady and every hire receives one. At 100 hires a year, the same batch lasts about a year. Check your forecast rather than buying against a hoped-for growth rate: unused boxes tie up cash and need dry, secure storage, and your product or branding may change before you use them all.

Where it genuinely fails: at 10 hires a year, the minimum buys roughly a decade of stock. A readily available gift in smaller quantities is usually easier to justify. The Statement tier is still a batch of 100 sets, not a single office display model. Do not choose a bigger set as a workaround for the minimum.

Remote hires and home delivery

A batch delivered to one office and 100 parcels sent to separate homes are different fulfilment jobs. Brixel has not confirmed individual home delivery or duties for every destination as part of the published batch prices. Before budgeting for remote hires, agree who stores the sets, who sends each parcel, which countries are involved and who handles customs charges. Do not assume worldwide batch delivery means unlimited individual shipments.

Collect home addresses privately through your normal onboarding process, only when needed for an agreed delivery plan. Start with countries and expected quantities on the design call. Confirm design, production and transit time before promising arrival on a first day; the supplier’s transit estimate alone is not the total lead time. For someone starting soon, welcome them with something available now and consider the custom set for a later team occasion.

What makes one worth keeping

• A manageable build. Choose a short assembly activity if it belongs in the first-week schedule. Test the actual model and instructions with a first-time builder; piece count alone does not prove build time or accessibility.
• A recognisable story. Consider your product, office or team mascot, not just a logo on a stand. The same choice matters for conference giveaways: decide what you want the object to help someone remember.
• One stable design. A shared design simplifies stock and approval. Department-specific variants may need separate model work and quantity planning; confirm that scope rather than assuming variants are included.
• A personal welcome. A short note from their manager explains why you chose the object and connects it to the people they are joining.

Brixel’s site and inbound operations are built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp; the founder handles custom model design and approves production.

Decide before the next start date

Use our free studio to explore three ideas, then choose one to generate a shareable concept image. It is a visual direction, not a photograph of a finished set or proof of buildability. Share it with the budget holder alongside your hiring forecast and delivery questions. Then book a design call to discuss the model, size and timing before committing. For the broader choice, read custom brick sets as corporate gifts; for cost and lead-time planning, see what a custom brick set costs.