Sean Vandenberg

Veteran Amazon Seller | Documented Cases

Dungeons & Dragons Restriction

📄 Case Entry: Dungeons & Dragons Restriction After Overturned Section 3

Summary:
I was fully approved to sell Dungeons & Dragons and all Hasbro brands through late 2024. In compliance with Amazon policy, I listed 5 D&D ASINs and invested over $22,500 in inventory. After an unrelated Section 3 deactivation (triggered by the Panasonic brand) was reversed in January 2025, my main seller account was silently restricted. I received no warning, violation, or explanation. There is no reapplication path or appeal process. The listings I prepared to sell became inaccessible without due cause.

🔍 Timeline of Events:

  • Late 2023: Listed 5 D&D ASINs under full brand approval
  • Dec 2023 – Jan 2024: Invested $22,500+ in D&D inventory
  • Sep 2024: Related account deactivated under Section 3 (Panasonic)
  • Jan 2025: Section 3 reversed — account reinstated and cleared of violations
  • Post-Jan 2025: Primary account unable to list D&D ASINs — with no violations or stated policy issue

📌 Account Overview:

  • $1.5M+ in lifetime sales over three years
  • 600+ feedback reviews, 99% positive
  • 0 units sold of D&D (inventory purchased, not listed)
  • 0 violations, 0 IP complaints, 0 warnings
  • Panasonic is now fully sellable on my account

💸 Financial Impact:

  • $22,500 in stranded D&D inventory
  • $15,000+ in long-term FBA storage fees
  • 5,600 units × $25 estimated profit = $140,000 lost profit
  • Total estimated loss: $177,500+

🧱 Resolution Attempts:

  • 2 Seller Support cases — closed without resolution
  • 2 Brand Registry cases — closed or misrouted
  • 2 Executive escalations — unanswered or redirected

⚠️ Key Indicators of Restriction Logic:

  • Brand status = “restricted” — not “gated” — and no application option
  • New and low-feedback sellers currently listing the same ASINs
  • Amazon Retail is the Buy Box seller on most D&D ASINs
  • Other Hasbro brands (e.g., Transformers, Nerf, Monopoly, Play-Doh) remain approved on my account
  • International marketplaces (Amazon.ca / .mx) allow D&D listings on the same account
  • Backend enforcement appears tied to an unacknowledged account-level flag

🧠 Algorithmic Enforcement Analysis

Amazon appears to apply time-decay logic in brand approval enforcement — where sellers lose access if they haven’t listed recently enough. This automation is not disclosed and offers no remediation. In this case, I had not sold D&D “recently enough,” triggering hidden reclassification as untrusted — despite perfect seller metrics and no policy violations.

📉 Case Study: Royal Purple (ASIN B000BRGAJ2)

I was previously approved to sell this ASIN. After 56 days of inactivity, the brand became gated again. This matches the same pattern that occurred with D&D — despite prior approval and sales.

Royal Purple Sale
Figure 1: Last Royal Purple sale on March 26, 2025.
Royal Purple Gated
Figure 2: Re-gated on June 2, 2025 — showing time-based gating behavior unrelated to violations.

🧾 Supporting Evidence

D&D Inactive
D&D Blocked
Figure 3: U.S.-only restriction — no option to reapply or provide documentation.
D&D in Mexico
D&D in Canada
Figure 4: D&D ASINs live on Amazon.ca and Amazon.mx — confirming regional restriction.
D&D on Walmart
Figure 5: D&D ASINs actively sold on Walmart.com — confirming no external brand restriction.
New sellers D&D
Figure 6: New sellers with minimal feedback approved for D&D listings.
Amazon Retail D&D
Figure 7: Amazon Retail actively selling D&D — while seller listings remain restricted.
Selling Hasbro brands
Figure 8: Other Hasbro brands fully active — confirming brand-specific enforcement inconsistency.

📬 Escalation History

Figure 9: Initial support case — incorrectly routed, not resolved.
Figure 10: Follow-up case — unclear response attributed to brand owner, though not submitted by Hasbro.
Figure 11: First executive escalation — no response received.
Figure 12: Final escalation outlining damages and arbitration intent — rerouted without resolution.

💬 Commentary

I was exonerated, but my account remains penalized. Dungeons & Dragons is blocked not by brand policy, but by silent, time-based system logic that offers no explanation or remedy. I am requesting full restoration of brand access and the removal of the residual enforcement flag. If resolution is not provided, this case will proceed to formal arbitration — with full documentation of financial damages and systemic failure to apply policy consistently.