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.

[emonster]

Off topic... Can anyone point me to a forum thatdiscusses the lego order status? Iwant to know at which point the order is safe from the ban hammer...once it is in process, does it usually mean that it is cleard for shipping?

[Bold-Arrow]

Off topic... Can anyone point me to a forum thatdiscusses the lego order status? Iwant to know at which point the order is safe from the ban hammer...once it is in process, does it usually mean that it is cleard for shipping?

No one knows exactly what triggers a ban and there is def no such thing as "safe to order" point.

Do a forum search on account banned and there are a few threads out there. It is all pure speculation .

[Migration]

Try the one called My Order Status.

I can't post a link to it at the moment.

[exciter1]

Try the one called My Order Status.

I can't post a link to it at the moment.

 

That one is here:

 

http://community.brickpicker.com/topic/8838-my-order-status/page-89

 

I wasn't sure if they wanted the My Order Status thread or the LEGO Ban thread.

[ugen]

No one knows exactly what triggers a ban and there is def no such thing as "safe to order" point.

Do a forum search on account banned and there are a few threads out there. It is all pure speculation .

 

Has anyone had ban/warning from retailers like walmart/target/amazon?  If so what quantities/$$ amounts caused it?

[Bold-Arrow]

Has anyone had ban/warning from retailers like walmart/target/amazon? If so what quantities/$$ amounts caused it?

Trying to find the amazon ban discussion.

Amazon will ban you for trying to circumvent their buying limit or for excessive returns . They send u a warning letter in most cases.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Bold-Arrow

[Bold-Arrow]

Here u go :

http://community.brickpicker.com/topic/4751-amazon-sent-a-warning-letter/?hl=amazon+ban#entry138401

Note : the thread has a link to the lego ban as well (5th post)

[Ed Mack]

Off topic... Can anyone point me to a forum thatdiscusses the lego order status? Iwant to know at which point the order is safe from the ban hammer...once it is in process, does it usually mean that it is cleard for shipping?

In process...

[Ciglione]

Now I was trying to log in at Lego but it always asks me again to login. My VIP-points are not visible anymore. Are there any problems with their website, am I hacked or ... ??? 

[tonysbricks]

I had this happen in chrome. I tried firefox and it works correctly.

[mscheaf]

I have to delete my LEGO Shop at Home cookies about once per week. Try that.

[Ciglione]

Thanks guys. I think it were the cookies. I unleashed my son's singing Cookiemonster and now it works just fine.

[BrickLegacy]

I had this happen in chrome. I tried firefox and it works correctly.

 

I actually had this happen in Firefox.  I tried in Chrome and it works correctly for me. Bizarre.  

[caltech]

Hi,

I came across a thread regarding lego.com/store banning members from their VIP program if they suspect you are a reseller. Is this true still? Ive made alot of purchases. I mean 5 of the same items or multiple orders of 2 qty on same day if they only let you select 2 per day. Ive even placed orders 5 times, one right after the other for 2qty each (due to limited to 2 on dropdown box).

Ive even purchased multiple sets at the brick/mortar stores (limited to 3 per vip card). My wife comes with me so we each can get 3. Some stores even dont mind me purchasing more on same day if ranged up by different cashier.

Right now, I have 10 orders coming in totaling over 60 sets. Half are on backorder for 7 days to 30 days so they will prob be shipping only half my stuff. But, now Im worried bout getting banned from VIP.

If this is still true, what are the best methods to stay under the radar?

thx

lc

 

[MarleyMoose]

It's a roll of the dice. I'd say you should raise many red flags but who knows.

[minicoopers11]

Hi,

I came across a thread regarding lego.com/store banning members from their VIP program if they suspect you are a reseller. Is this true still? Ive made alot of purchases. I mean 5 of the same items or multiple orders of 2 qty on same day if they only let you select 2 per day. Ive even placed orders 5 times, one right after the other for 2qty each (due to limited to 2 on dropdown box).

Ive even purchased multiple sets at the brick/mortar stores (limited to 3 per vip card). My wife comes with me so we each can get 3. Some stores even dont mind me purchasing more on same day if ranged up by different cashier.

Right now, I have 10 orders coming in totaling over 60 sets. Half are on backorder for 7 days to 30 days so they will prob be shipping only half my stuff. But, now Im worried bout getting banned from VIP.

If this is still true, what are the best methods to stay under the radar?

thx

lc

Banned from VIP == banned from shop at home == banned from Lego brick and mortar

[jbacunn]

what are the best methods to stay under the radar?

lc

Uh, don't buy so much? Not trying to be a smarty pants but spread your buying out to other retailers and don't go over the buying limits.

[makr]

Banned from VIP == banned from shop at home == banned from Lego brick and mortar

 

Heh, I wonder how many people managed to get banned from B&M.

 

When entering drunk, shouting at staff: quite possible

When trying to buy 3 of the same set: not that likely

[cladner]

If this is still true, what are the best methods to stay under the radar?

thx

lc

 

i have blown through all the limits for years.

i only have 1 VIP account which i've had for years - only 1 shipping address.

 

imo, the key to not getting banned is :

 

order 1 thing at a time.  no normal person buys more than 2 of the same $100+ set and by ordering it separately you have your future shipping box ready to go.

 

if you order a $100+ set and its oos and backordered, don't order another until it has shipped and you have a tracking  number.  if you feel the need to violate this put the additional orders off VIP.

 

do you have kids, grand kids nieces nephews ?  add them to your VIP account list of people that you can have stuff shipped to.  all 3 of my kids have gotten their own modulars sets under their names.  

 

try not to just order the same set over and over.  try to mix it up with some smaller sets, or have a large cycle of repeating sets you order from.

 

if you are just opening up your VIP account , don't go crazy ordering the first month - break it in slowly.  

i think someone who opens a VIP account with no kids listed and then goes on to buy $5000 worth of lego's in a week is going to raise flags.

 

other tip:

take advantage of certain times of the year when sales volume is going to be too great for the ban mechanisms to work properly.

for example, at the end of November when they had double VIP right before Christmas.  

There is just no way (imo) that they can filter through that many orders to pick out the resellers.  

Just put in multiple orders of single sets.  

By contrast, you have to take it easy during slower times of year when the banning filters may be more adept at picking your sales out because the volumes are so light and they might notice multiple packages going to the same address.

 

all this is very speculative and ymmv but it has worked for me.

[romoore245]

Wonder if I should be worried I had two SAH orders canceled used. I used different accounts and different address. Will they cancel an entire order if one item is sold out?

[trekgate502]

Wonder if I should be worried I had two SAH orders canceled used. I used different accounts and different address. Will they cancel an entire order if one item is sold out?

 

I would not think they would cancel the entire order if one item was sold out but did you use different accounts, bill and ship to names & addresses and credit cards?  I do not think Lego tracks by ip like Amazon but not sure.

[jay4e]

Wonder if I should be worried I had two SAH orders canceled used. I used different accounts and different address. Will they cancel an entire order if one item is sold out?

 

if its out of stock, they will not cancel, just ship stuff as it is available.  I would assume this is the case for something that is gone (ie "sold out") also.

[romoore245]

if its out of stock, they will not cancel, just ship stuff as it is available. I would assume this is the case for something that is gone (ie "sold out") also.

I guess I got the hammer over some magnets and minifigs on two separate accounts good thing I have a 3rd. Person on the phone denied they ever would ban someone, but would not let me talk to any one else.

Sent from my 831C using Brickpicker mobile app

[jay4e]

I guess I got the hammer over some magnets and minifigs on two separate accounts good thing I have a 3rd. Person on the phone denied they ever would ban someone, but would not let me talk to any one else.

Sent from my 831C using Brickpicker mobile app

 

 

with small items its possible they just dont have enough stock, to make it worth shipping what ever is left.  I have heard of them shipping small stuff with free shipping (even promos) while the bulk of the order is waiting on stock.  but I am not sure if there is a real standard procedure for this kind of thing.

Edited January 28, 2015 by jay4e

[sroster]

I guess I got the hammer over some magnets and minifigs on two separate accounts good thing I have a 3rd. Person on the phone denied they ever would ban someone, but would not let me talk to any one else.

Sent from my 831C using Brickpicker mobile app

 

Over magnets and minifigs?  Ouch.