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.

[cobrakai]

1 hour ago, redcell said:

That's what got my first account banned at Target when they did the reseller sweep last year.  However, since then, I've been able to order through a new account without any trouble.  In fact, I have ordered more from Target over the past 6 months than any end user ever would without any trouble. 

Were you using a redcard on the tax exempt account and then still able to use that same redcard on the new account?

[redcell]

18 minutes ago, cobrakai said:

Were you using a redcard on the tax exempt account and then still able to use that same redcard on the new account?

Yes and no.  However, I was able to use the Redcard when they issued me a new one and changed the card number.

[lazuli16]

10 hours ago, Ed Mack said:

A high profile member has been recently banned from LEGO LEGO Shop at Home.  I asked them to inform us about the situation, but they have not do so as of yet.

Did I miss the grand reveal?

[Alpinemaps]

Did I miss the grand reveal?

No. If the member wishes to reveal themselves they can. They've only revealed themselves to Ed.

[waddamon]

I was wondering if in Lego scramble for cash the reinstated members.  I was going to try my vip card again, I guess not now.  Proxy buying continues.  Though, eBay, Amazon and target are much better than Lego purchases.

[boliramirez]

I was banned from LEGO Shop at Home last december, and I am way better buying from amazon....  I am learning that you could get banned from amazon as well if they send you an email catching you using two accounts... I use mine and my mothers and her account got an email when I tried to buy additional Santa's Workshops..... they cancelled that order..... could my account, the main account, get affected by that or only my mothers?

[pete411]

If you get banned from Amazon as a buyer, I'm assuming that you'll get gated from FBA as a seller? That's like getting the death penalty from Lego reselling in my book.

[Lordoflego]

This is one of those things where I think, it's never gonna happen to me...but then the ones that got the ban hammer probably thought the same.

now Ed mentioned that it's a high profile member, any of you high profile? Lets figure out who it is  

Edited December 11, 2016 by Lordoflego

[Furious_george]

You got me.

[Lordoflego]

4 minutes ago, Furious_george said:

You got me.

Yeah, I read the words "high profile member" and it was like ....Eagles...Australia, ah yes, furious_george  

[KShine]

Even though the ban is more symbolic than anything else (there are always easy enough ways to make purchases), it still feels as if I was just kicked in the nuts.

Edited December 11, 2016 by KShine

[Val-E]

8 hours ago, Lordoflego said:

Yeah, I read the words "high profile member" and it was like ....Eagles...Australia, ah yes, furious_george  

So, this would come under European rather than North America SAH rules, right?

[SpaceFan9]

23 minutes ago, KShine said:

Even though the ban is more symbolic than anything else (there are always easy enough ways to make purchases), it still feels as if I was just kicked in the nuts.

maybe time to change your avatar, then?  ;-)

http://giphy.com/gifs/transparent-leonard-nimoy-the-simpsons-13MsN0d5e3I7S0

[KShine]

48 minutes ago, SpaceFan9 said:

maybe time to change your avatar, then?  ;-)

http://giphy.com/gifs/transparent-leonard-nimoy-the-simpsons-13MsN0d5e3I7S0

That's great, I will do that - Not sure how long I will want the reminder though. 

[Ed Mack]

14 hours ago, zskid00 said:

I still find it absurd that LEGO spends manpower and resources to do this yet doesn't just reject purchases over the limit for a certain period like Amazon does. Not to mention these resources should be used to protect their intellectual property rights from the rampant counterfeiters overseas instead of worrying about the reseller market.

This is the main point here.  LEGO could implement the POS software to track all orders and limit purchases and freebies.  It would stop anybody from exceeding the set purchase limits and promo deals.  They don't for a reason...money.

[BearCrash]

3 minutes ago, Ed Mack said:

This is the main point here.  LEGO could implement the POS software to track all orders and limit purchases and freebies.  It would stop anybody from exceeding the set purchase limits and promo deals.  They don't for a reason...money.

I think the whole point is, that it's likely more expensive to pay for the manpower to go through this manually rather than paying for a pretty-easy-to-implement software update.

[KShine]

5 minutes ago, Ed Mack said:

This is the main point here.  LEGO could implement the POS software to track all orders and limit purchases and freebies.  It would stop anybody from exceeding the set purchase limits and promo deals.  They don't for a reason...money.

That is until you make them too much money, apparently.

[Shewie]

Got banned today, probably temporary until hearing with LEGO sales department authority about my orders, quantity etc.

Account temporary suspended until further notice.

[BrickLegacy]

Dang, new CEO acts quickly!

 

Good luck with the reinstatement... hopefully you get this cleared up.

[Shewie]

When CEO is giving the number of people that Lego Ban Dept should punish for suspicious behaviour.

                                         EVERYONE!

[Guest TabbyBoy]

This CEO seems to be yet another nail in LEGO's coffin. I've was banned a while back, but I was ordering obscene amounts. No danger now as I don't buy anything.

[Ed Mack]

32 minutes ago, Shewie said:

Got banned today, probably temporary until hearing with LEGO sales department authority about my orders, quantity etc.

Account temporary suspended until further notice.

What was your buying history?

[Darth_Raichu]

 

33 minutes ago, Shewie said:

Got banned today, probably temporary until hearing with LEGO sales department authority about my orders, quantity etc.

Account temporary suspended until further notice.

What and how many did you order to get this honor?  

I would think it is weird for LEGO to bring back the ban since their own oversupply has been doing the job just as well

[Jackson]

24 minutes ago, Shewie said:

When CEO is giving the number of people that Lego Ban Dept should punish for suspicious behaviour.

                                         EVERYONE!

What movie or show is that from?

[scatmanjack]

1 minute ago, Jackson said:

What movie or show is that from?

The Professional / Leon

Luc Besson Movie