Selling Lego on Amazon.com

[newbie77]

8 minutes ago, exciter1 said:

There are some items in category Star Wars I can list and others I can't.

can you list ASINs for the one you can't ? are they LEGOs?

[jaxman]

3 minutes ago, pete411 said:

I'm in I'm in! Small time here... sold about 2k of inventory in the past year... sprinkling of FBM and FBA sets. Amazon just even ungated me for Jurassic World sets. I feel like I just made it onto the last ferry to Happyland. The system said that I'm allowed to sell based on my previous performance.

i think Amazon is trying to do something about the crush of incoming inventory before the holidays and counterfeiters?

I'm good for all JW sets except 75916.

[Brick James]

I've been selling on Amazon for about a year.  I pray to Gacy that I make the Amazon cut.

[exciter1]

12 minutes ago, newbie77 said:

can you list ASINs for the one you can't ? are they LEGOs?

All "Star Wars" category.

Good

Not good

[newbie77]

seems like i am good on those.. no idea about what's their criterion was.....

just not on LEGO 75916 and 10702 .. so its LEGO hunting season....

[landphieran]

I think what amazon did is an important note to everyone. Your re-seller plans can be shattered at any moment. Every platform we sell on has the ability to stop letting us sell at any time. Make sure to not over extend yourself.

[REDUCE523]

Crazy because this will cause prices to go up.

[redcell]

Is anyone here actually blocked from listing Lego? If so, what requirements are coming up when you click on "Request Approval"? The only gated Lego product that I have been able to find is 75916. When I click on request approval, it is clear that is an ASIN-specific gate because it requires submission of an invoice for at least 10 units of that specific set.

When I've tried other gated brands like Paw Patrol, it's been a brand level gate that requires 3 invoices showing purchases of that specific brand.

I looked at the Lego restrictions on another account I have and they appeared to be based on metrics and seller status (i.e., individual vs. professional).

Is anyone getting a brand level gate on Lego products that requires submission of invoices for 3 Lego products versus a single invoice for the specific ASIN?

[jaisonline]

1 hour ago, redcell said:

Is anyone here actually blocked from listing Lego? If so, what requirements are coming up when you click on "Request Approval"? The only gated Lego product that I have been able to find is 75916. When I click on request approval, it is clear that is an ASIN-specific gate because it requires submission of an invoice for at least 10 units of that specific set.

When I've tried other gated brands like Paw Patrol, it's been a brand level gate that requires 3 invoices showing purchases of that specific brand.

I looked at the Lego restrictions on another account I have and they appeared to be based on metrics and seller status (i.e., individual vs. professional).

Is anyone getting a brand level gate on Lego products that requires submission of invoices for 3 Lego products versus a single invoice for the specific ASIN?

I am.  I sold Lego in there before.  Amazon wants $1k and a Lego from Lego or 3 past invoices.  I tried 5 diff sets and even ones I sold previously.  Also tried seller created listing instead of their amazon created listings). No dice. 

I can still list Hasbro Transformers and XBox stuff.  Unable to sell some Hasbro Star Wars though.  One successful approval for SW was "Congratulations! Your selling application for the ASIN B010B93PEW has been approved based on your performance history."  Black series 6" farm boy Luke.

Update: I've finally found a Lego product I can list.  TFA SnowSpeeder. Congratulations! Your selling application for the ASIN B00WI0SS7M has been approved based on your performance history. Note: I'm not allowed the list the Lego TFA MF set.  Ugh.

Edited August 27, 2016 by jaisonline

[Phil B]

Similar here: am allowed to list discontinued LEGO (tried Ghost and tried Halloween Bat). Am not allowed to list TFA MF, though it hints that all my stats are good, but I need to switch to Professional (from Individual) and try again. My previous LEGO sales have been minimal (but all this year), and all FBM.

[fossilrock]

I have sold around 300 some items on amazon so far since I moved over there from fleabay early last year, and i'm still able to add products to everything but last years force awakens wave 1 lego products, which were gated as were most force awakens items from the force friday event.  I suspect the Rogue One sets from this years force friday will also be gated.   I've only had one return during my entire time and that was because I think the wife of the guy that purchased it must have put him in the hot box for overspending.  So my account, and performance rating is in good standing with 0's across the board.  

So far, so good.  But it does give me the fear.  Part of the reason I think we all buy is because of the profits they can land on places like amazon.  If that goes away, then it will be time to find another avenue, and it would seriously alter what I would look at for buying.  If amazon was to block me out, i'd be sitting on about more than enough inventory to where i'd want to move most of it this season, and i'd kick myself if I went back over to fleabay to hawk these plastic wares on that site again.

Edited August 27, 2016 by fossilrock

[redcell]

I've contacted Seller Support to get clarity on the new restrictions, reached out to a friend who works for Amazon, and contacted one of my distributors to see what I can find out.

I would be surprised if Amazon gates all Lego for everyone because that would eliminate all but a small handful of sellers for every retired product and would cost Amazon quite a bit in fees generated on all of the 3P Lego sales they make each year.

[exciter1]

19 minutes ago, Phil B said:

Similar here: am allowed to list discontinued LEGO (tried Ghost and tried Halloween Bat). Am not allowed to list TFA MF, though it hints that all my stats are good, but I need to switch to Professional (from Individual) and try again. My previous LEGO sales have been minimal (but all this year), and all FBM.

TFA Sets are still gated for everyone that didn't get approval before this.  There is more than one listing for many, so are restricted, some aren't.

[jaisonline]

Similar here: am allowed to list discontinued LEGO (tried Ghost and tried Halloween Bat). Am not allowed to list TFA MF, though it hints that all my stats are good, but I need to switch to Professional (from Individual) and try again. My previous LEGO sales have been minimal (but all this year), and all FBM.

The switch to Prof didn't help me for Lego. Just allowed me to get to the next step of Amazon asking me for $1k plus proof. D'oh. I reverted back to individual which starts again next month)

[Bold-Arrow]

It seems that Amazon is slowly but surely moving away from retail arbitrage. 

[exciter1]

It seems that Amazon is slowly but surely moving away from retail arbitrage. 

Toywiz will be he only one left standing at all retailers.

[redcell]

It appears that this may be more of an effort to target counterfeiters.  If they grandfathered established professional selling accounts with a positive history of selling specific items, restricted any new sellers of those items, and required those new sellers to pony up $1000 to sell them, it would be a fairly effective way of targeting counterfeiting because any existing counterfeiters who are grandfathered are likely to get weeded out over time due to complaints and new counterfeiters would be unable to meet the gating requirements and/or unwilling to pony up $1000+ to sell.  Here's hoping that this is what they're doing.

[Bold-Arrow]

3 minutes ago, exciter1 said:

Toywiz will be he only one left standing at all retailers.

Toywiz will be the only one standing period . 

[asharerin]

2 hours ago, redcell said:

Is anyone here actually blocked from listing Lego? If so, what requirements are coming up when you click on "Request Approval"? The only gated Lego product that I have been able to find is 75916. When I click on request approval, it is clear that is an ASIN-specific gate because it requires submission of an invoice for at least 10 units of that specific set.

Our non-lego selling account is blocked from selling Lego at the brand level. Requires invoices and $1k to apply for approval.

Our other account which we use specifically just for lego products is ungated for all Lego except for TFA. We never applied to be ungated for TFA, and don't plan to.

Likewise our non-lego account is ungated for Hasbro, Funko, Shopkins etc but our Lego selling account is blocked for those. 

The listing for 75916 is blocked at both the brand level and ASIN level. If you are ungated in Lego you can still sell 75916 in collectible conditiion and can apply to get ungated for 75916 to sell new - that just requires invoices but no fee. There must have been a specific issue with this set that they imposed a block at the ASIN level.

It appears there was some sought of threshold (either metrics, sales volume, dollar volume, start selling date, FBA vs FBM etc) that you had to meet to be grandfathered in to get unblocked at the brand level for all of the newly restricted brands. Amazon has been moving in this direction for a long time so it is no surprise. If you are grandfathered in count your blessings you got a golden ticket. Plenty did get grandfathered into Lego so the real effect won't be noticed for a few years but it is nice to know we are basically at max competition for Hasbro, Funko, Lego, Sony. Microsoft etc. This will help Amazon prices get back to that 20-30% premium over ebay a little further down the road.

[asharerin]

It is going to be very nice not seeing anymore "just launched" in the lego listings dumping their Tumblers for < $300. Price is already ticking up

 

[Kenxxx]

Wow. Just got caught up here. You guys are freaking me out.  I've been in virtual "selling hibernation" for most of the year... maybe sell one or two items per month on Amazon.  Just went in to see if I could list.  Apparently, got grandfathered in.  I listed Minecraft, O.T. Star Wars, Classic Bricks, just about anything. The only TFA set I have is 75101 F.O. TIE Fighter.  At first it said, "you need approval to sell this item... Apply for approval, click <here>" I clicked. Then got "Congratulations! You're approved!"  Of course my order cancellation / returns / satisfaction metrics have always been top notch. If this is based on certain metrics, it ain't sales volume.  I think I started my Amazon selling account at the end of 2014.

[fossilrock]

If what Redcell and Asharerin say is true, then I only see this as a benefit for all of us that would be grandfathered in and in good standing.  That just means, the flood of knockoffs sets, along with fake counterfeit mini's, etc are about to take a serious purge off amazon.  And I know that brands like Birkenstock want amazon to do something about this current flood of knockoffs, so I think this is how Amazon will react to this current flood of counterfiets that IS effecting the bottom line of those of us that sell legitimate products.  This will put a lot of chinese sellers that establish accounts, throw up cheap knockoffs, then have those taken down, only to re-establish new accounts the next day highly limited of major brands.  In the end, you better be legit, and have a reputable standing over time, if you want to play..  Otherwise, you will have to pony up a thousand bucks per brand each time.  In the end that purges the newbee quick flipping low lifes and the chinese counterfieters from amazon's sales platform.  

This is one of the reasons, i've preferred amazon over ebay, but it has slowly eroded over the last year, and seems to have gotten worse over the summer.  This might stop that flood. Heck, we all spent more than enough time in the knock-off thread, so this seems like a good thing, if those of us with accounts already established, and have a solid standing are grandfathered in.  

Edited August 27, 2016 by fossilrock

[Pseudoty]

33 minutes ago, exciter1 said:

Toywiz will be he only one left standing at all retailers.

33 minutes ago, redcell said:

It appears that this may be more of an effort to target counterfeiters. 

Yeah looks like all those fake lepin reviews payed off  

[redcell]

I'll feel better when we get some direct confirmation from Amazon on what has happened. I'll be less likely to carry as much inventory if my access to the Amazon marketplace might disappear overnight.

[Bold-Arrow]

5 minutes ago, redcell said:

I'll feel better when we get some direct confirmation from Amazon on what has happened. I'll be less likely to carry as much inventory if my access to the Amazon marketplace might disappear overnight.

True . Also hard to guesstimate the impact on the marked based on the few posters here . Number of offering per listing is still relatively the same