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.

[justafrog]

There have been rumors of LEGO going after people who part out sets recently. It is something that I never heard about until the last several weeks, but I have heard it from several different sources. I just don't know if those sources are legit enough to start people sweating. LOL.

Sent from my iPad using Brickpicker

 

Well, just in case I'm writing this from my underground bunker in an undisclosed zip code. Should any of y'all wish to stop by for coffee, remember the password at the door is "pickabrick". That'll get you past the sentries and the alligators. Godspeed!

 

(Seriously, I don't think LEGO cares whether resellers are buying to flip, part out, or sell in ten years. The most intelligent theory I've heard is from one of the bigger guns over on Bricklink who thinks the main reason for the bans is to prevent US sellers from selling large quantities of sets to overseas buyers who are paying inflated prices and could get them cheaper in many cases from US sellers who bought them even at US retail. The parter-outers and the longer-term investors just get caught up in the net that gets cast for those folks, because by the time "The Ban Plan" makes it out of the first TLG meeting room it becomes like a game of telephone so that by the time it gets to CS reviewing LEGO Shop at Home orders and pimply-faced Lego Store managers, they hear they're supposed to ban anyone they've seen more than twice or who smells like one of them thar reseller scum.)

[Ed Mack]

Well, just in case I'm writing this from my underground bunker in an undisclosed zip code. Should any of y'all wish to stop by for coffee, remember the password at the door is "pickabrick". That'll get you past the sentries and the alligators. Godspeed!

 

(Seriously, I don't think LEGO cares whether resellers are buying to flip, part out, or sell in ten years. The most intelligent theory I've heard is from one of the bigger guns over on Bricklink who thinks the main reason for the bans is to prevent US sellers from selling large quantities of sets to overseas buyers who are paying inflated prices and could get them cheaper in many cases from US sellers who bought them even at US retail. The parter-outers and the longer-term investors just get caught up in the net that gets cast for those folks, because by the time "The Ban Plan" makes it out of the first TLG meeting room it becomes like a game of telephone so that by the time it gets to CS reviewing S@H orders and pimply-faced Lego Store managers, they hear they're supposed to ban anyone they've seen more than twice or who smells like one of them thar reseller scum.)

Makes sense.  If LEGO really wanted to get into the "parts" business, I guess they could at any time.  Bricklink and BrickOwl serve an important service for the entire LEGO community.  Whether you part out sets, flip short term or save long term, if you get banned from LEGO S@H really doesn't change much.  Most sets are available from other sources...sometimes at better prices.  LEGO S@H is nice for the freebies and some exclusives, but even the exclusives become available at other retailers at some point.  I just found it interesting that the sources said that people who part out sets were the biggest thorn in the side of TLG.  

[knarrff]

the main reason for the bans is to prevent US sellers from selling large quantities of sets to overseas buyers who are paying inflated prices and could get them cheaper in many cases from US sellers who bought them even at US retail

Maybe. But with shipping and customs (tax) prices are not so different that it would be worth for most items. You have to keep in mind that the prices in the US are usually given without tax, while in the EU prices essentially always include tax - and that tax is usually about 20%. And that is what you pay at customs too.

[justafrog]

Maybe. But with shipping and customs (tax) prices are not so different that it would be worth for most items. You have to keep in mind that the prices in the US are usually given without tax, while in the EU prices essentially always include tax - and that tax is usually about 20%. And that is what you pay at customs too.

 

Maybe TLG just knows I thrive on challenge and they're looking out for me and my parts business by waving a red flag in front of this particular she-bull. 

 

I don't know, and based on their Keystone Cop-like implementation of the policy, I'm starting to wonder if THEY know why they're doing it. Corporations are not immune to foolish, hypocritical, or poorly considered ideas and policies - they're just not as prone to same as, say, governments. 

[stackables]

It'd be nice nice if TLG gave a Donald Duck about the bootleggers. How they allow eBay to advertise endless illegal fakes is beyond me

This is what drives me mad the most.

[MartinP]

How do you narrowly avoid being banned?

You get a ban warning letter from Lego.

[djim]

How do you narrowly avoid being banned?

 

mine wasn't buying too much of any one item, but spending too much money at LEGO Shop at Home in a short amount of time.  it took weeks to actually speak to someone in the right department.  he was nice but suspicious.  knew way too much about me and my past career.  i was a technology services "reseller" and they see that word and think instantly you're reselling legos, it turns out.  we even talked about the fine line between collector and investor...from what he told me, they are still trying to define the difference.  he didn't really like the idea of a customer purchasing a set for it to later increase in value and keep in the box, regardless of your intent to sell.  it seemed to be the general consensus of the group who handles these bans, since he kept saying "we think".  in the end, i don't have an ebay or amazon store, and i provided good reasons why i had bought such a vast variety of sets.  i never reached the order limit for an individual set on all orders combined, and i challenged him with that fact (in other word i only ever bought 3 HH over 3 orders from LEGO Shop at Home, same with GE, order limit on each is 5).  he said he would get back to me, but he felt like they needed to take a closer look before dropping the hammer. a week later, after not hearing from them, i placed another innocent order for a new set.  it shipped.  a week later, my 2 backordered SSDs shipped (ordered before the order that prompted their special team to investigate), then my Triple E which was my first ever order on LEGO Shop at Home and was on BO for like 50 days.  at this point i figured i was out of the woods, but i only purchase 1 or 2 of the new sets when they come out now and I'm done at LEGO Shop at Home.  Exception is my visits to B&M...that's when I pick up an extra here and there.  

[gmpirate]

I wonder if their inquires are completely random or what sets them off.  It appears to be completely random based on all the stories I hear.

[micju]

When LEGO shop @ home ban you, is it a lifetime ban? Or can you reactivate the account after ****** years?

[MartinP]

When LEGO shop @ home ban you, is it a lifetime ban? Or can you reactivate the account after ****** years?

I think it's a lifetime ban, but there are always ways to get around it. You can always buy sets in a Lego store and pay with cash. Getting banned isn't the end of the world, you can get better deals elsewhere.

[comicblast]

When LEGO shop @ home ban you, is it a lifetime ban? Or can you reactivate the account after ****** years?

Thus far, I think once the hammer falls, you're struck out for life. Of course, you could try to weasel yourself out, like Djim did, and argue your case, but he did so during the investigation of his account, rather than after being banned.

 

Edit: Lol... just beat by MartinP.

Edited August 25, 2014 by comicblast

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

You get a ban warning letter from Lego.

 

Sometimes this just means you are banned though. So who freakin knows until you order again.

[asharerin]

When LEGO shop @ home ban you, is it a lifetime ban? Or can you reactivate the account after ****** years?

 

I think it is way too early to determine what their policy is regarding length of time for bans. As others have mentioned there are better deals to be had elsewhere and if you need something only they sell there are plenty of workarounds. I don't think TLG has issue with people selling retired sets but when you can ship items to europe for below their wholesale cost it becomes a big problem very quickly.

[kenaijoe]

I feel like this question must have been discussed before, but I can't find it:

Is making multiple purchases with the intention of getting more poly bags frowned upon by Lego? Say I want 2 HH and 2 Camels right now. Can I separate it into 4 purchases in order to get 4 poly bags?

[No More Monkeys]

I feel like this question must have been discussed before, but I can't find it:

Is making multiple purchases with the intention of getting more poly bags frowned upon by Lego? Say I want 2 HH and 2 Camels right now. Can I separate it into 4 purchases in order to get 4 poly bags?

mini mini poly is done anyway. wait for white spaceman. I would order one after another separately. but you may want to do something like HH,then SC, wait until both are shipped, another HH, wait to ship, then SC. But since nobody knows what exactly angers The Hammer, you are gambling pretty much

[No More Monkeys]

mini mini poly is done anyway. wait for white spaceman. I would order one after another separately. but you may want to do something like HH,then SC, wait until both are shipped, another HH, wait to ship, then SC. But since nobody knows what exactly angers The Hammer, you are gambling pretty much

Ah, forgot that HH is on backorder. that complicates things, but then again your order is fairly small, but i would still space out the orders a bit

[justafrog]

I feel like this question must have been discussed before, but I can't find it:

Is making multiple purchases with the intention of getting more poly bags frowned upon by Lego? Say I want 2 HH and 2 Camels right now. Can I separate it into 4 purchases in order to get 4 poly bags?

 

You can try. The official rule is one per household on the free stuff. In practice, lots of folks get away with multiple orders, some find the poly removed from subsequent orders, etc.

[asharerin]

Do not order multiples of backordered items or you are asking for trouble. You need to figure out how to place orders so they process automatically rather than getting manually reviewed. It is up to the discretion of the reviewer as to what to do with your order and your account so don't even give them the opportunity. You need to invest some time on how to order correctly to avoid the hammer.

[No More Monkeys]

Do not order multiples of backordered items or you are asking for trouble. You need to figure out how to place orders so they process automatically rather than getting manually reviewed. It is up to the discretion of the reviewer as to what to do with your order and your account so don't even give them the opportunity. You need to invest some time on how to order correctly to avoid the hammer.

Manual review process:

 

[minicoopers11]

I think it's a lifetime ban, but there are always ways to get around it. You can always buy sets in a Lego store and pay with cash. Getting banned isn't the end of the world, you can get better deals elsewhere.

I understand some have had their VIP accounts frozen. But that doesn't always happen. Anyway, you can just open another one to use in store and use a different credit card.

[snot]

I understand that if you make too many orders of an exclusive when buying from the shop.lego.com website that you run the risk of being banned from future purchases.   The ban may occur if you exceed the maximum number of sets per person, or even if you purchase too many sets too soon even though you may be within the limit.

 

What about a combination from S&**** and the brick and mortar stores?  If there is a limit of 2 for a set online, could you buy those 2, and then buy more from the regular store?  What if you only buy in the store?  Could you buy 2 of those sets at 4 different stores?   Has anyone ever had a cashier tell them to please leave the store?

[Ed Mack]

It's all about the VIP program.  Use the VIP program and exceed their limits and you risk getting banned...online or in store.

[junkrigger]

I'm sure everyone already takes this into account but one of the biggest reasons I buy exclusives early is you can get them from other retailers, or at your local lego store anonymously paying with cash and getting your promos, saving your LEGO Shop at Home buying limit. As we have seen with so many sets including the most recent SSD and now GE, HH, LEGO Shop at Home is often the last seller to have any, if you saved your purchasing limits at LEGO Shop at Home you can then without worry pick up a last one or two right before expected retirement.  This allowed many of us to pick up a last few SSD and two perhaps final HH.  The buy early strategy as has been said by so many is crucial if you want more than 2-5 of any set. I know preaching to the choir here.

Edited September 17, 2014 by junkrigger

[justapilgrim]

Was the Santa workshop preorder one day only? I'm logged in as VIP and can't find it, I'm on phone but do I need to be on full website?

[ravenb99]

its still up, phone you might have to type santa's workshop for it to come up, not sure if the flash works the same.  Its the main thing on the home page