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.

[cmartin33]

I am going to call tomorrow them to see what's going on. I was buying all sets with redcard online but not using tax exempt. Also just returned some items so that might have something to do with it. And I just reported that two items were missing from a shipment so that might also affect it too. I normally never return things but my experience has been their shipments are the worst (every Pet Shop has been damaged).

[Bold-Arrow]

TRU.com has also started banning resellers . FYI .

wonder if they are sharing a database. Lol 

[biking_tiger]

37 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

TRU.com has also started banning resellers . FYI .

wonder if they are sharing a database. Lol 

So the hammer has fallen?

[Bold-Arrow]

8 minutes ago, biking_tiger said:

So the hammer has fallen?

Not On me.. Other FBA sellers .

 

[sflv]

1 hour ago, Bold-Arrow said:

TRU.com has also started banning resellers . FYI .

wonder if they are sharing a database. Lol 

Any more info on this? Sometimes I make multiple orders because of purchase limits, but myself and others have been doing this for years. What else could trigger this?

[Bold-Arrow]

7 minutes ago, sflv said:

Any more info on this? Sometimes I make multiple orders because of purchase limits, but myself and others have been doing this for years. What else could trigger this?

I don't know much details other than they would order hundred orders of a single item ( none Lego mostly ) .. Orders started  getting cancelled out of nowhere and a call to CS confirmed the ban

[redcell]

45 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

I don't know much details other than they would order hundred orders of a single item ( none Lego mostly ) .. Orders started  getting cancelled out of nowhere and a call to CS confirmed the ban

Do you know when this started?  I haven't had any issues and my buying patterns are not subtle in any way shape or form.

[newbie77]

LEGO Shop at Home has been extra vigilant. looks like hammer is falling rapidly. this time it looks like its final. lets see how it goes.

 

[chubz]

returns is whats getting you banned its that simple. bet you return stuff all the time you can't resell for a profit..your not worth there time and they are replacing you with someone who won't cause them headache

[newbie77]

10 minutes ago, chubz said:

returns is whats getting you banned its that simple. bet you return stuff all the time you can't resell for a profit..your not worth there time and they are replacing you with someone who won't cause them headache

at least my case no returns ever  

[Bold-Arrow]

35 minutes ago, redcell said:

Do you know when this started?  I haven't had any issues and my buying patterns are not subtle in any way shape or form.

Mid November 

[redcell]

Do you know when this started?  I haven't had any issues and my buying patterns are not subtle in any way shape or form.

Mid November 

Interesting. I wonder how they're screening for resellers.

[roxio]

UK TRU banned me online about 4 year ago for multiple buying of Dr Who figures. 

Recent revamp of their website and my account works again 

[redcell]

Unless TRU's ordering system is profoundly messed up right now, it looks like I got hit with a ban from them.  Every order that I've placed over the past few days has been cancelled without any explanation.  Holding for CS now to see what the story is.

[California92563]

12 minutes ago, redcell said:

Unless TRU's ordering system is profoundly messed up right now, it looks like I got hit with a ban from them.  Every order that I've placed over the past few days has been cancelled without any explanation.  Holding for CS now to see what the story is.

[Achilles]

I VERY rarely order from TRU.com, and I tried to place an order for a Table/Chair set for Christmas, and I got a message saying couldn't verify info on my order. So my order was eventually cancelled (I just didn't take the time to call them to find out what the deal was). I'll have to place another order at some point to find out what's up.

 

[pete411]

31 minutes ago, redcell said:

Unless TRU's ordering system is profoundly messed up right now, it looks like I got hit with a ban from them.  Every order that I've placed over the past few days has been cancelled without any explanation.  Holding for CS now to see what the story is.

Did you use the TRU branded credit card? I had three orders cancelled from them and it was because I received a new chipped card that had a different expiration date from my previous one. I had to delete the card and re-enter it and that solved the issue.

[Bold-Arrow]

If you recieve an email saying :" we regret to inform you that we were unable to complete your order please call ......", that's usually a ban . 

[redcell]

6 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

If you recieve an email saying :" we regret to inform you that we were unable to complete your order please call ......", that's usually a ban . 

That's what I've been getting and assume that it's a ban.  I just got off the phone with CS and there was nothing she could see to indicate a ban.  She submitted a ticket and someone is supposed to call me back so we'll see.

[Bold-Arrow]

4 minutes ago, redcell said:

That's what I've been getting and assume that it's a ban.  I just got off the phone with CS and there was nothing she could see to indicate a ban.  She submitted a ticket and someone is supposed to call me back so we'll see.

Fingers crossed it ain't  

[redcell]

10 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

Fingers crossed it ain't  

I'm hoping, but I'm mostly annoyed at the time that I'm having to waste to figure it out.

[Darth_Raichu]

4 minutes ago, redcell said:

I'm hoping, but I'm mostly annoyed at the time that I'm having to waste to figure it out.

Was that 1 hour just to wait to talk to a rather rude CS person ?

[redcell]

7 minutes ago, Darth_Raichu said:

Was that 1 hour just to wait to talk to a rather rude CS person ?

Yes, it was...luckily, I deal with rude people all the time at work (and am one of those rude people from time to time) so I know how to handle them.

[cmartin33]

Well I just got off the phone from Target. The guy could only say that I violated their terms and conditions....whatever that means. I orginally thought it was something to do with limits per week but it's not, as my order of 3 Tumblers got cancelled and I haven't recently ordered Tumblers from them. The rep. did say I could still shop in store.

This sucks cause now I probably only have Walmart and Amazon (Toys r Us maybe though I'll probably get banned there too.) Maybe I'll just lease a warehouse somewhere where I can just move nextdoor when I get banned.

[thecrapweasel]

There's typically only a couple things that a company uses to ban someone.  One, and I think is the main thing, is your IP address used to place the order.  You can try to change your IP on your router or just use your phone (not on wireless) to place the order.  Second, they could ban your account.  Third, they could ban your credit card.  Fourth, they could ban your address.  It may be one or all of these things.  I was banned from sah.  I created a new vip account, I altered my shipping address so that its not flagged but fedex can easily figure it out, and I don't use the credit card that I used to use.  I've placed quite a few orders now and no problems.  Lego i'm fairly certain bans your IP and your VIP acct.  Not certain about address and CC.