Sean Vandenberg

Amazon Seller | Documented Cases

Dungeons & Dragons Restriction

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

Summary:
I was fully approved to sell Dungeons & Dragons and all Hasbro brands through late 2024. I listed five D&D ASINs in compliance with Amazon policy and invested over $22,500 in inventory. After a Section 3 enforcement (unrelated to D&D) was overturned in January 2025, my account was silently suppressed. There was no warning, no violation, and no opportunity to reapply. All D&D listings became inaccessible without cause or recourse.

🔍 Timeline of Events

  • Late 2023: D&D ASINs listed under full brand approval
  • Dec 2023 – Jan 2024: $22,500 invested in inventory
  • Sep 2024: Unrelated Section 3 deactivation (Panasonic-related)
  • Jan 2025: Enforcement reversed — all violations cleared
  • Post-Jan 2025: D&D ASINs became restricted — with no explanation

📌 Account Summary

  • $1.5M+ lifetime sales, 125,000+ orders
  • 99% positive feedback, 0 active violations
  • 0 D&D units sold — inventory remains stranded, unsellable
  • Panasonic brand is now fully approved again

💸 Financial Impact

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

🧱 Resolution Attempts

  • 2 Seller Support cases — closed without action
  • 2 Brand Registry submissions — misrouted or ignored
  • 2 executive escalations — no substantive response

⚠️ Restriction Indicators

  • Brand status = “restricted”, not “gated” — no apply option available
  • New/low-feedback sellers currently listing the same ASINs
  • Amazon Retail controls Buy Box on most D&D listings
  • Other Hasbro brands (e.g., Nerf, Monopoly, Play-Doh) remain active on my account
  • Account still approved for D&D in CA/MX marketplaces
  • Pattern matches a backend flag — not policy enforcement

🧠 Algorithmic Suppression Pattern

Amazon appears to apply time-decay-based auto-gating — removing brand access after periods of inactivity. This reclassification is silent, irreversible, and offers no documented process. In the case of D&D, access was lost due to inactivity during the enforcement window — despite prior approval and no violations.

📉 Precedent: Royal Purple ASIN B000BRGAJ2

Previously approved and sold, this ASIN was auto-gated after 56 days of listing inactivity — further supporting the existence of an undisclosed time-based gating mechanism.

Royal Purple Sale
Figure 1: Last sale on March 26, 2025
Royal Purple Gated
Figure 2: Gated again on June 2, 2025

🧾 Supporting Evidence


Figure 3: D&D listings inactive/restricted in U.S.

Figure 4: D&D listings fully active on Amazon.ca and .mx
Figure 5: D&D listings active on Walmart — confirming no brand-wide restriction
Figure 6: Low-feedback/new sellers listing D&D ASINs
Figure 7: Amazon Retail active on same D&D ASINs
Figure 8: Other Hasbro brands (e.g., Fortnite) remain approved

📬 Escalation History

Figure 9: Initial support case — closed without response
Figure 10: Misrouted to brand owner — despite Hasbro not submitting
Figure 11: Executive escalation — no response
Figure 12: Final escalation — no resolution

📍 Summary (Case ID: 17861347361)

Despite prior brand approval, no violations, and regional access to the same ASINs, I remain restricted from selling Dungeons & Dragons in the U.S. marketplace. Amazon issued a case ID but provided no policy rationale, no resolution, and no escalation path. The restriction is enforced algorithmically and without documentation.

📂 Final Supporting Files

📄 Canned Brand Rejection Email

📄 Case Log (Case ID: 17861347361)

💬 Arbitration Commentary

This case illustrates a silent backend enforcement mechanism triggered by a previously reversed violation. Dungeons & Dragons access was never revoked due to behavior — it was revoked due to lack of a process to restore it. I am requesting full brand reinstatement and removal of the residual trust flag. If resolution is not provided, this matter will proceed to arbitration — with complete documentation of brand approval history, suppressed access, and quantifiable financial loss.