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.

[minicoopers11]

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

Did you get an e-mail from Shop at Home regarding a ban? No? Then do you have the same address/credit card information as a banned account? No? Then you're not banned. Yet.

[Darth_Raichu]

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

Should have stuck with keychains and jor-el polys

[romoore245]

Did you get an e-mail from Shop at Home regarding a ban? No? Then do you have the same address/credit card information as a banned account? No? Then you're not banned. Yet.

no but I order the same items on my 3rd account the next day and it shipped. Then today I tried to order something on the primary account as a test and it was instantly cancelled.

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[Bold-Arrow]

Instantly cancelled on more than one order on different dates = ban in most cases

[minicoopers11]

no but I order the same items on my 3rd account the next day and it shipped. Then today I tried to order something on the primary account as a test and it was instantly cancelled.

Sent from my 831C using Brickpicker mobile app

I would expect they should contact you soon... hopefully that's not the case!

[romoore245]

I would expect they should contact you soon... hopefully that's not the case!

good thing I have the new account but may be to afraid to use it. One last question can I spend points in store on a banned account? My cheapness often cause me trouble.

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[Ablust10]

"good thing I have the new account but may be to afraid to use it. One last question can I spend points in store on a banned account? My cheapness often cause me trouble. "

 

Yes you can still use points in store.

 

 

"I would expect they should contact you soon... hopefully that's not the case!  ;)"

It took them over 3 months to let me know I was banned.

[minicoopers11]

good thing I have the new account but may be to afraid to use it. One last question can I spend points in store on a banned account? My cheapness often cause me trouble.

Sent from my 831C using Brickpicker mobile app

Yes.

[lodibricks]

no but I order the same items on my 3rd account the next day and it shipped. Then today I tried to order something on the primary account as a test and it was instantly cancelled.

Sent from my 831C using Brickpicker mobile app

 

When the Research Institute came back in stock the last time with a limit of 1, I ordered one by itself and another order with 3 other sets. They cancelled the whole 4-item order rather than just cancelling the RI. So, it is possible for them to cancel an entire order w/o a ban.

[romoore245]

I am now a believer. I will nurture my last remaining SAH account. I tried everything on the phone, wanted to tell her " I got orders to fill", but didn't think that would get the response I was looking for.

[jay4e]

When the Research Institute came back in stock the last time with a limit of 1, I ordered one by itself and another order with 3 other sets. They cancelled the whole 4-item order rather than just cancelling the RI. So, it is possible for them to cancel an entire order w/o a ban.

 

 

I think there are two possibilities.

 

1. when something hits the alter filters, they cancel the order and pass it up the chain for further review.

 

2. LEGO Shop at Home cs have a lot of leeway to do what ever they feel like on that particular day...

 

given my limited experience, and rumors here, I am inclined to go with option 2.

[waddamon]

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.

They do track IP.  Let us just say , I had an experience.

[romoore245]

They do track IP. Let us just say , I had an experience.

that explains a lot and why the last order was safe used my phone to place it.

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[gregpj]

that explains a lot and why the last order was safe used my phone to place it.

Sent from my 831C using Brickpicker mobile app

 

Using multiple accounts through the same external IP would be a huge red flag. I suggest you don't do that. Just ask the mods here how they track users who've been banned.

 

As for your points, as another use pointed out there is some distance between the in-store and online VIP points. People who've been banned have been able to use their points in store. As a point of reference, don't accumulate hundreds or thousands of dollars in VIP points if you fear losing them.

 

Now to your original question... There is something that is very important that hasn't been said. If you purchased 5 things from S@H and paid with a credit card, you have authorized them to charge X number of dollars to that card. If for some legitimate reason they have to cancel a single item on the order, say because it's not available anymore and they don't know if it's coming back <not backordered obviously>, they COULD cancel the entire order. They were not authorized to charge X-Y dollars to your credit card. if they did, you could dispute the charge. They could issue you a refund for the difference, but depending on whether your order made it's way into the warehouse or not, cancelling is a reasonable option.

 

I'm not saying that's what happened.. sounds like your multiple accounts were flagged to me, but I'm just giving you a scenario where an order is legit cancelled.

[CNH1974]

This banning people thing, is it just limited to North America? I have not seen anyone from Europe etc... saying they are banned.

[MartinP]

This banning people thing, is it just limited to North America? I have not seen anyone from Europe etc... saying they are banned.

As of right now, it's limited to North America. I haven't seen anyone from Europe or any other part of the world banned from Lego. Maybe that will change soon.

[misstangsmile]

I am a first time buyer from lego in my life and no one in my family ever buy lego before, I placed three orders to buy one tumbler, two SSD and one DS, then another DS, I am banned. I placed three orders because I am not sure if I want to buy them at same time, but because my husband wants them, so I finally place three orders at very short time. When I customer service, they only said they can not ship to my address and can't tell me the reason.I wrote many letters to customer service to complaint,even wrote to the senior customer service manger Monica, All letters got no reply. They just ignore me, don't explain, and don't reply, treat me like a lego theft. I have to Google the reason why they did that to me?which leads to BP?at beginning? I was so angry, can't sleep in the night. I feel much better now, nice to meet you here, just ignore that crazy lego people.

[romoore245]

I am a first time buyer from lego in my life and no one in my family ever buy lego before, I placed three orders to buy one tumbler, two SSD and one DS, then another DS, I am banned. I placed three orders because I am not sure if I want to buy them at same time, but because my husband wants them, so I finally place three orders at very short time. When I customer service, they only said they can not ship to my address and can't tell me the reason.I wrote many letters to customer service to complaint,even wrote to the senior customer service manger Monica, All letters got no reply. They just ignore me, don't explain, and don't reply, treat me like a lego theft. I have to Google the reason why they did that to me?which leads to BP?at beginning? I was so angry, can't sleep in the night. I feel much better now, nice to meet you here, just ignore that crazy lego people.

It is a strange business practice. Almost like they should just stop selling direct  to the public altogether

[minicoopers11]

I am a first time buyer from lego in my life and no one in my family ever buy lego before, I placed three orders to buy one tumbler, two SSD and one DS, then another DS, I am banned. I placed three orders because I am not sure if I want to buy them at same time, but because my husband wants them, so I finally place three orders at very short time. When I customer service, they only said they can not ship to my address and can't tell me the reason.I wrote many letters to customer service to complaint,even wrote to the senior customer service manger Monica, All letters got no reply. They just ignore me, don't explain, and don't reply, treat me like a lego theft. I have to Google the reason why they did that to me?which leads to BP?at beginning? I was so angry, can't sleep in the night. I feel much better now, nice to meet you here, just ignore that crazy lego people.

This sounds like your order raised a fraud red flag at Lego.

[misstangsmile]

forget to metion?I am in UK?So they do ban people as they want here without reason?From what I read? I think US lego bans people for a reason?what kind of customer service can ignore customer complaint? If they have a vaild reason?they should just say it?I never

buy lego before in my life?just want to buy some gift for my husband and save another for my son?before I even don't know ressale lego can make money?

[asharerin]

I am a first time buyer from lego in my life and no one in my family ever buy lego before, I placed three orders to buy one tumbler, two SSD and one DS, then another DS, I am banned. I placed three orders because I am not sure if I want to buy them at same time, but because my husband wants them, so I finally place three orders at very short time. When I customer service, they only said they can not ship to my address and can't tell me the reason.I wrote many letters to customer service to complaint,even wrote to the senior customer service manger Monica, All letters got no reply. They just ignore me, don't explain, and don't reply, treat me like a lego theft. I have to Google the reason why they did that to me?which leads to BP?at beginning? I was so angry, can't sleep in the night. I feel much better now, nice to meet you here, just ignore that crazy lego people.

 

We had two new accounts during the Oct-Nov period banned for fairly small orders (6 orders, 5 different exclusive sets). These were accounts not linked to any other previously banned accounts so they are certainly tightening up their policy. Contrast this to accounts during summer 2014 that survived triple digits of the same exclusives ordered on the same day. Now we just assume accounts are one and done and don't bother with them again. A bit of a pain but we only use them for sets only available thru LEGO Shop at Home and nowhere else which is only one certain set for right now. There are much bigger discounts to be had on exclusives at the other big box and they don't restrict limits so at the end of the day the bans put more money in our pockets.

Edited January 29, 2015 by asharerin

[brickolodon]

I was banned from LEGO Shop at Home last spring, thats OK...LEGO store opened in summer 2014 and i have no prob to buy in bulk there....my 2c, You will be banned sooner or later if you are the one....or you make no good money, lol

Edited January 29, 2015 by OlegLEGO

[minicoopers11]

forget to metion?I am in UK?So they do ban people as they want here without reason?From what I read? I think US lego bans people for a reason?what kind of customer service can ignore customer complaint? If they have a vaild reason?they should just say it?I never

buy lego before in my life?just want to buy some gift for my husband and save another for my son?before I even don't know ressale lego can make money?

Okay, I'm going out on a limb here, but did you use a UK credit card? I know there have been people who bought from USA shop at home with non-USA credit cards successfully in the past, but recently they have been just cancelling orders with non-USA credit cards (according to some reports on here). Maybe similar situation for UK shop at home now.

[misstangsmile]

Okay, I'm going out on a limb here, but did you use a UK credit card? I know there have been people who bought from USA shop at home with non-USA credit cards successfully in the past, but recently they have been just cancelling orders with non-USA credit cards (according to some reports on here). Maybe similar situation for UK shop at home now.

Yes, I  only have UK credit card, They even call back to check again ,because 2SSD and 1DS are total more than 900GBP.then told me that I passed the security check ,will despatch soon, then cancelled my orders. So I request a written reply about cancellation complaint, they only will to call me and discuss this with me over phone. then refused to reply any letters. I know they suspect I am a reseller, but I am not .that's why I wrote lots of letter to discuss with them ,but they don't want to communicate with me anymore. It's very rude. I  was very polite to ask them to check my history, they just disappear.

[romoore245]

"Mr. Moore:

 

Thank you for reaching out to me.  Before deeming a consumer a reseller, my team does its due diligence in researching each situation. 

Our research indicates that there are direct ties between you and various online auction sites.  LEGO