Miami, remember to poke everyone as you leave!

Edited October 23, 201510 yr by valenciaeric

I think the vast amount of points on your VIP account triggered the check and that one purchase of 99 FB was solely enough to send your account into Hammerland.

What annoys me is why did it take them nearly 3yrs to notice my FBs? I nearly bought 99x HH soon after and thought about a loan for 99x SSD. I now wish I had done! I still think I'm small fry. I wonder where those massive job lots of hundred of sets come from? IMHO... £450 VIP isn't vast, £2000 maybe. I've been higher but, as people say, the rules have changed.

It would appear they only started the ban policy in Europe this summer - at least from accounts on this forum.

I wonder where those massive job lots of hundred of sets come from?

They don't buy them from Lego directly.

 

Miami, remember to poke everyone as you leave!

Solamente Las Bonitas!

Most other shops treat you like royalty if you buy so much - Lego´s loss it is then.

I don't mean this to be offensive to Tabby or anyone else, but any one of us who gets caught/banned or whatever, we really have no right to complain - or be shocked. We know the policies and risks, and we take chances playing with fire.

Tabby, in particular - you bought 99 of one particular set. If you don't see that this is not something a normal consumer would do - :shrug: I just can't really believe you are shocked and outraged. yes, maybe it took a long time for them to notice - But it's like a lot of things in life. Employers, businesses, governments, journalists, spouses, let little things go (and stack up, but keep notes) and then when they need a reason to - bammo. They have the ammo. So who knows why they didn't ban you before. But their policy clearly states they don't want to sell to resellers. They have targeted you as a reseller, which regardless of proof, is accurate. It's weird to me that people expect LEGO, simply because they are a company, to be blind deaf and dump and put up with stuff we as individuals would not. 

Similarly, someone who buys 99x of a $150 set, I don't think that makes you a small fry. That's a $15,000 purchase. That's a new car. It's not Emazers numbers, but it's "more than a side hobby" numbers. I'd bet $15,000 in a year is more than 90% of the people on this site spend.

And again, this all HELPS US (except those who get caught, and really even those people). The fact that LEGO cares at all helps keep demand high and prices high, and prevents REAL big time guys (like the overseas knock off creators) from doing the same sort of thing en-masse.  

LEGO cares about their brand name and image. They, even more than all of us, have a very strong interest in keeping their product exclusive, expensive, and in demand. And as Ed mentioned, especially in Europe where they have already announced there will be shortages this year, I expect a crackdown on suspect/actual resellers. 

@Achilles - No offence taken. I still don't understand why buying limits back then were 99 in the UK if resellers were such a problem. I'd be surprised if a lot more people didn't take advantage of the "FB opportunity" back then as I was new to the game and I still saw the potential in this set. You're quite right in saying that employers keep notes as I'm personally waiting for one more slip up from a certain person at work and they're history.

I've made multi-thousand £ deals with other "investors" and I did have a glance at the huge lock-up of one person which I'm sure had well over 500x R2-D2 on 10+ pallets let alone the rows and rows of other sets stacked up including SSDs and all modulars. Emazers is probably small fry also compared to this guy. It won't surprise me if the really big players are not forum members and don't even sell on eBay. The question is, how can they possibly buy in such large quantities unless they or a family member run a toy shop? I asked the question but, "I'd seen too much already".

At the end of the day, LEGO is still a sought after brand and I still have ways and means of getting what I want when the time comes.

What annoys me is why did it take them nearly 3yrs to notice my FBs? I nearly bought 99x HH soon after and thought about a loan for 99x SSD. I now wish I had done! I still think I'm small fry. I wonder where those massive job lots of hundred of sets come from? IMHO... £450 VIP isn't vast, £2000 maybe. I've been higher but, as people say, the rules have changed.

I'm sure they would have continued to not notice if you had not tried to use the VIP points and the store clerk didn't bother to look into it.  It seems TLG does not spend the time/resources to actively search out  resellers.  But, they do when a persons recent activities trigger them to review.

Edited October 23, 201510 yr by sharky1999

If I ever get banned, I will take it as a sign that I've reached a level of success to necessitate graduating from reseller to retailer. It would give me an excuse to put the he work into getting a business licence and start buying wholesale. If you get banned, it's time to go pro!

If I ever get banned, I will take it as a sign that I've reached a level of success to necessitate graduating from reseller to retailer. It would give me an excuse to put the he work into getting a business licence and start buying wholesale. If you get banned, it's time to go pro!

i wish it was that easy to get "wholesale"  prices or buying....

I had a voicemail on my home phone when I got home last night from CS asking me to call back but, this will have to be on Monday as I got the message too late. I'm hoping that it's good news otherwise, why would they call? If that's the case, I'm certainly on my 9th life. If my points are restored, I'll just spend them after 2xVIP and only a small amount at a time and never let them stack up again. I'm moving house next year (with room for a 40' shipping container) so I may even just lie low and start all over again anew.

i wish it was that easy to get "wholesale"  prices or buying....

The only thing with wholesale is that I think you'd have to buy across the range including crap like Chima, Duplo, Friends, etc. Gone are the days when you can just buy 1,000 modulars and nothing else.

The only thing with wholesale is that I think you'd have to buy across the range including crap like Chima, Duplo, Friends, etc. Gone are the days when you can just buy 1,000 modulars and nothing else.

AND have a brick and mortar store for 2+ years AND less than 50% of your sales can be Lego AND be okay with waiting 3-6 months after release to get "new" sets (or have your orders cancelled because they decide they can't fill them).

i wish it was that easy to get "wholesale"  prices or buying....

It varies country by country.US and UK seem to have stricter rules.

Got banned from LEGO Shop at Home..... oh Shoot... Will use my other address and other person VIP.....

Got banned from LEGO Shop at Home..... oh Shoot... Will use my other address and other person VIP.....

I'm actually a little surprised you did. Have you heard of anyone else from Mexico being banned?

What was the final straw?

Got banned from LEGO Shop at Home..... oh Shoot... Will use my other address and other person VIP.....

You need to dig a tunnel under the shop, Chapo style.

I got notified to contact customer service on some items that were on back order - from my order history page.  Is that part of process of being banned , if I ordered too many?  

 

I'm actually a little surprised you did. Have you heard of anyone else from Mexico being banned?

 

What was the final straw?

Not much, I placed three orders , and every thing went through, then I placed a fourth order, a Dimensions starter pack and that order got cancelled..... weird, but it had happened before.... all these were placed the first and second day of 2X VIP and train offer. Later  I placed a additonal order a couple of days later and it went through.

And last Thusday after all my orders were shipped I decided that I really wanted the dimensions starter pack and order it again and that is when I got the Ban email....

I bought quite a bit in the past two years, but I went over the limit only a couple of times and that was over a year ago.....

Any how I been tempted to call them and tell them that I am from Mexico and that reselling is not somenthing that we mexicans do  ....

But to my knowledge no one has came back from Ban City....... so I have not called....

 

You need to dig a tunnel under the shop, Chapo style.

You are kind of "obsessed" with Chapo my friend......

I had a voicemail on my home phone when I got home last night from CS asking me to call back but, this will have to be on Monday as I got the message too late. I'm hoping that it's good news otherwise, why would they call? If that's the case, I'm certainly on my 9th life. If my points are restored, I'll just spend them after 2xVIP and only a small amount at a time and never let them stack up again. I'm moving house next year (with room for a 40' shipping container) so I may even just lie low and start all over again anew.

Just a nickels worth of advice, try not to curse out the CS employee if at all possible.

Ed posted an editorial on the LEGO shortage and how it can be adding to bans in Europe now. Feel free to comment on the article there.

 

So I received the dreaded ban letter this morning. (I had placed 9 orders and 4 of them were canceled). (Originally I was told it was just fraud prevention.) I called to find out why and was told that I was banned as I was selling Lego products on my Ebay account. I assume they are talking about the 3 GH I got from the VIP event last Friday. As anyone else ever heard of this? Seems a bit overzealous on their part.... I am not a computer whiz but how can they be sure if it is my ebay account anyways? Are they tracking my IP?

Probably called your bluff. After all where else you going to sell all that Lego?