LEGO Bans - Open Discussion

[TheBrickClique]

As for operating with a single account to stay within the vendor’s technically-enforced limits, I believe this is the current state of things.
 

Cliff notes: you’ll be fine as long as you don’t go on a spending spree at Target.com, and try not to bring attention to your buying patterns by dealing with online customer service for small gripes that can be dealt with in store instead.

Target - the easiest place to get banned based simply on purchase volume online and the most aggressive against resellers in store — employees trained to identify resellers loading up carts for example.  Can still use red card in store after online ban, but using with a new email account will result in repeat ban — start receiving auto cancellations and email about possible issues including payment purchase method.  Some people have bans lifted after a period in timeout. Others indefinitely. The amount of purchases that may identify you as a reseller and get a ban? One data point: I have been unable to purchase online going on 18 months now after two months of $5k purchases on the red card. Same red card still works fine in store.
 

LEGO shop at home — with the purchase limits mechanics implemented a few years ago, it is much more difficult to get the SAH ban hammer. If you exceed a limit on any item based on past purchases of the same item, they will cancel your entire order. Be warned that if they cancel an order with a VIP Rewards purchase, the reward is not automatically credited back to your account. Also, if they cancel an item due to inventory issues, the system still tracks it as qty purchased. Qty purchased in brick and mortar stores that are purchased with VIP accounts are not counted towards SAH limits and and limits in store are done at the individual store’s discretion. If you do have to call customer service to resolve an issue, they do have easy visibility to all of your previous orders and will make comments about you “really liking LEGOs”.  No indication that that is how the ban process starts, but unless you really have an issue that needs CS, might be best to just let the small things go. 
 

Amazon — shop away. Their limits are tracked to the second on a 168-hour FIFO.  Limits apply and are tracked in that window only to items sold and shipped by Amazon.com. Buy as many third party items as you wish. Anecdotal stories of bans for excessive returns, but no clear information on the metrics used. Generally, probably best to save the returns for the really bad boxes.  Creating multiple accounts will get noticed and is the quickest way to get the warning shot emails. 
 

Barnes and Noble — similar to LEGO, has a five qty per item lifetime limit online. Exceed that amount and just that item will be cancelled from the order. No reports of bans. In store purchases do not appear to be tied to online memberships as far as adding to your 5-count quantity.  
 

Walmart — most LEGO are limited to two per order, but they won’t say how often that limit is reset.  Doing a couple of multiple limit orders in the same day has worked.  Doing dozens has resulted in order cancellations of those specific items but no bans that I am aware of. Generally, I have found one limit order per day has never resulted in a cancellation. 
 

ShopDisney — some items have limits but they are selectively enforced. If you put in multiple limit orders at the same time, they might cancel those items. If you space them out, they will be fine. I ordered a dozen castles (limit one per customer) last year and they all went through. Sometimes two in two consecutive days. 
 

Costco — has item limits on some items, but I haven’t seen any on LEGOs. Even with items with limits, possible to space them out without issue.  In store limits are usually “per day”. 
 

Best Buy — unsure on LEGO as I’ve never pushed the limits on them. In the past, I would make 50 purchases at a time of 2-dollar items that had limits and they would all go through.  I have tried to make multiple purchases of Xbox consoles and those were cancelled.  So YMMV. But no reports of bans.

Anyways, those are my observations.

[Guest Brick_Head]

15 minutes ago, Crustybeaver said:

Probably called your bluff. After all where else you going to sell all that Lego?

I don't think they were calling my bluff as the Rep put me on hold for a while to look into it and when she got back she specifically stated the GH being sold on my account. It just seems bizarre that they are tracking us down like that. 

Edited November 27, 2015 by Brick_Head

[pickleboy]

I'm sad.  I actually had to read this thread for the first time today.  Damn me for being greedy...  Closest store is 2 hours away ugh.  

There has to be a way around this.  Perhaps I should get a girlfriend now and just get her an account.  Or I can sell my house, move, and change my name...  Prolly easier to sell my house, move, and change my name.

[Ed Mack]

13 minutes ago, Brick_Head said:

So I received the dreaded ban letter this morning. (I had placed 9 orders and 4 of them were canceled). (Originally I was told it was just fraud prevention.) I called to find out why and was told that I was banned as I was selling Lego products on my Ebay account. I assume they are talking about the 3 GH I got from the VIP event last Friday. As anyone else ever heard of this? Seems a bit overzealous on their part.... I am not a computer whiz but how can they be sure if it is my ebay account anyways? Are they tracking my IP?

There were a lot of order cancellations last night.  I am waiting to see how things shake out for members...as in did they get banned.

[Ed Mack]

7 minutes ago, pickleboy said:

I'm sad.  I actually had to read this thread for the first time today.  Damn me for being greedy...  Closest store is 2 hours away ugh.  

There has to be a way around this.  Perhaps I should get a girlfriend now and just get her an account.  Or I can sell my house, move, and change my name...  Prolly easier to sell my house, move, and change my name.

How about trying "Weinerboy"?

12 minutes ago, Brick_Head said:

I don't think they were calling my bluff as the Rep put me on hold for a while to look into it. It just seems bizarre that they are tracking us down like that.

Is your LEGO S@H name the same as your eBay account?

[Ciglione]

14 minutes ago, pickleboy said:

I'm sad.  I actually had to read this thread for the first time today.  Damn me for being greedy...  Closest store is 2 hours away ugh.  

There has to be a way around this.  Perhaps I should get a girlfriend now and just get her an account.  Or I can sell my house, move, and change my name...  Prolly easier to sell my house, move, and change my name.

Yeah... you could always move to Omerta Falls. 

[Robb]

It seems the main way to get banned is: they research you because of purchasing multiple of one item and if durring their research they find an eBay or bricklink account that is likely yours then you're done. I haven't heard of amazon sellers getting pinched. Has anyone heard of non eBay or bricklink sellers get banned?

Edited November 27, 2015 by Robb

[pickleboy]

14 minutes ago, Robb said:

It seems the main way to get banned is: they research you because of purchasing multiple of one item and if durring their research they find an eBay or bricklink account that is likely yours then you're done. I haven't heard of amazon sellers getting pinched. Has anyone heard of none eBay or bricklink sellers get banned?

I do not have a Bricklink store.  I do have an Ebay account but I haven't listed or sold anything on it in over 6 months.  The names I use for my store and my account are totally different.  I only use Amazon (FBA) to sell.  

Edited November 27, 2015 by pickleboy

[Ed Mack]

Multiple orders (to gain multiple promos) is the issue just as much as multiples of one item.  Also, newer VIP members have less leeway from what I see.  LEGO seems to ignore banning buyers of multiple sets that are on sale because they want to unload them.  

[redghostx]

30 minutes ago, pickleboy said:

I'm sad.  I actually had to read this thread for the first time today.  Damn me for being greedy...  Closest store is 2 hours away ugh.  

There has to be a way around this.  Perhaps I should get a girlfriend now and just get her an account.  Or I can sell my house, move, and change my name...  Prolly easier to sell my house, move, and change my name.

De-evolve to Cucumberboy, simply remove the briny solution!

[Bold-Arrow]

39 minutes ago, Robb said:

It seems the main way to get banned is: they research you because of purchasing multiple of one item and if durring their research they find an eBay or bricklink account that is likely yours then you're done. I haven't heard of amazon sellers getting pinched. Has anyone heard of non eBay or bricklink sellers get banned?

I know of 5 FBA sellers that got the Lego banhammer 

[Majkl]

25 minutes ago, Ed Mack said:

Multiple orders (to gain multiple promos) is the issue just as much as multiples of one item.  Also, newer VIP members have less leeway from what I see.  LEGO seems to ignore banning buyers of multiple sets that are on sale because they want to unload them.  

I got banned when buying discounted sets.

[Ciglione]

I think anyone who orders extra-ordinary quantities of one set has the risk to get banned. The onus is not with Lego but with the bannee.

[Ed Mack]

9 minutes ago, Majkl said:

I got banned when buying discounted sets.

But did you buy with multiple orders to gain multiple free promos?  I'm not saying it's impossible, but many, many members here have gotten away with large orders of discounted items that LEGO would like to clean out of their system.  

[exciter1]

13 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

I know of 5 FBA sellers that got the Lego banhammer 

Sheesh, what circle are you running in?  Crazy when folks were predicting this as a trap.

[hannibal]

All that is crazy!

I also think that they've called your bluff. Do you think lego will keep people on the payroll to surf the internet, make tons of lists who is a seller who isn't? Spending thousands of Euros to have the Lego police after you? Come on! Relax people!

Second and very important. As long as we're all within the limits, we have a good reason to object and report them to the trading authorities. And even more, sniffing around and tryign to cherry pick eBay accounts on the base of presumtion and so on can be considered as a serious harrassment and violation to the private space. If you have sets being sold to you, then its only your own business what to do with them and how you sell them!

It only takes one guy to be banned...but the wrong guy. One that has a friend or family member who is a lawyer and have plenty of time to spare. Take LEGO to court for that...and they'll drop the bans policy.

On the other hand side. It's all stupid. So if Lego wants to limit this, then make it all 2-5 sets maximum per houshold. Which is reasonable. Saying it allows you to buy 99 and then slap you with a ban is quite hypocritic to say the least!

I don't understand some of us here either. You want to sell dozens of sets privately as a full time business operation, but at the same time you don't have the courage to open a proper business with shop and so on. You can't have the cake and eat it!

[Majkl]

Yes, I bought with multiple orders but not because of promo set. There was limit of 5 or 10 sets per order. I needed morr than that. It was Business Card Holder set.

[exciter1]

12 minutes ago, hannibal said:

All that is crazy!

It only takes one guy to be banned...but the wrong guy. One that has a friend or family member who is a lawyer and have plenty of time to spare. Take LEGO to court for that...and they'll drop the bans policy.

Wouldn't this negate all the savings from buying discounted chess  sets?

[No More Monkeys]

38 minutes ago, exciter1 said:

Wouldn't this negate all the savings from buying discounted chess  sets?

And don't  forget that small retail will have no access to exclusives. Plus, you have to carry other brands.

[Robb]

1 hour ago, Bold-Arrow said:

I know of 5 FBA sellers that got the Lego banhammer 

That's disconcerting

Edited November 27, 2015 by Robb

[Average Guy]

Since Lego is now the number 1 selling toy in the world, maybe them banning people is their way of making Lego products available only to exclusive people? You know, like that exclusive nightclub you're always trying to get in with all the glamorous and hip people, but the Doorman only let's you in if you're cool. The rejection only makes you want it MORE and makes the club more elite. 

[Ed Mack]

15 minutes ago, Average Guy said:

Since Lego is now the number 1 selling toy in the world, maybe them banning people is their way of making Lego products available only to exclusive people? You know, like that exclusive nightclub you're always trying to get in with all the glamorous and hip people, but the Doorman only let's you in if you're cool. The rejection only makes you want it MORE and makes the club more elite. 

Maybe so, but remember this, Studio 54 closed its doors and went out of business...

[Val-E]

Their premium pricing already takes care of the riff raff.

[Ciglione]

5 minutes ago, Ed Mack said:

Maybe so, but remember this, Studio 54 closed its doors and went out of business...

Yeah... but many establishments go out of business after a certain time cause people tend to get bored and find some other place to go.  

[Val-E]

Do Playmobil ban resellers?

[Ed Mack]

5 minutes ago, Ciglione said:

Yeah... but many establishments go out of business after a certain time cause people tend to get bored and find some other place to go.  

Not if they are run well, offer fair prices, quality products, consistent service and are inclusive.