How to Block a Buyer on eBay (Steps + Tips)
Unfortunately, sellers must sometimes block a buyer on eBay. Learn how to do it, plus get expert insights on why and when you should, here.
While eCommerce sellers typically want as many customers as they can get, it is occasionally necessary to block a buyer on eBay. This may be because of abusive behavior, non-payment on orders or several other possible factors.
However, before you start blocking, you need to know more about the criteria you should use in making your decisions, as well as how to even complete the action. Here are the exact steps sellers can follow to block a buyer on eBay, along with a few tips on when and why to do it.
How Does Blocking a Buyer on eBay Work?
Once you’ve blocked a buyer, the ban will apply to all of your listings. The shopper will still be able to see your products and listings, but they won’t be able to bid on or purchase them. For this reason, eBay recommends that sellers should practice a bit of restraint when it comes to hitting “block.”
Blocked buyers will still be able to message you, but we will also cover how to block messages from blocked buyers later in this article.
When & Why to Block a Buyer on eBay
There are several reasons why you might need to block a specific buyer on eBay. Many have to do with buyer behavior, such as backing out of bids or sending abusive messages.
Here are a few of the top reasons why some sellers choose to add buyers to their blocked list:
- Backing out of bids / agreed upon purchases.
- Non-payment on orders.
- Any type of fraudulent activity.
- Abusive behavior or language.
How to Block a Buyer on eBay in 3 Steps
Now on to how to actually block a buyer.
Step 1: First, log in to your eBay account and head over to the “Block Bidders or Buyers from Your Listings” page.
Step 2: Next, type the buyer’s eBay username in the text box. You can add up to 5,000 usernames in this section (though we don’t recommend blocking that many buyers).
Step 3: Once you’ve added the usernames of any buyers you wish to block, hit “Submit.” That’s it!
How to Unblock a Buyer on eBay
Changed your mind about blocking a certain buyer? No problem. You can easily unblock them by following the exact same steps listed above. Only this time, once you get to the “Block Bidders or Buyers from Your Listings” page, you’ll be deleting that buyer’s username from the text box. Then hit “Submit” to finish unblocking them.
How to Block Messages from Specific Users
As we said before, when you block a buyer on eBay, they will still have the option to message you. If you want to also block messages from them, you can do so easily.
In order to block messages from blocked buyers, you just need to:
- Go to the “Site Preferences” tab of your eBay account.
- Click on the “Buyer Requirements” page.
- Mark the “Don’t allow blocked buyers to contact me” box.
You’re all done! Now blocked buyers won’t have the option to click “contact seller” on any of your listings. (Note: buyers may still be able to contact you about past transactions if they purchased from you prior to being blocked.)
How to Proactively Block Groups of Buyers
There are times when you might want to block certain buyers ahead of time. For example, some sellers avoid high shipping costs by preemptively blocking buyers who live in countries outside of their selling radius.
On the aforementioned “Buyer Requirements” page, you can block buyers based on a range of criteria, including:
- A history of non-payment.
- A low feedback score.
- A past that includes having violated eBay rules.
- Not having a PayPal account.
- Living in or requesting delivery to an area outside of your selling radius.
Don’t Get Carried Away
It’s important to reiterate: you should use your power to block a buyer on eBay wisely. If you’re blocking too many buyers, then you could actually cause a negative impact on your sales or seller reputation.
If you find your blocked buyer list getting increasingly long or if your sales begin to suffer, it might be time to evaluate your blocking criteria. Maybe you should expand your selling radius, or be a bit more lenient when making your blocking decisions.
HELPDESK FOR EBAY SELLERS
Manage eBay Messaging, Cases & Feedback
Struggling to stay on top of emails, returns and feedback? Check out the Replyco eBay integration to learn how to get total control over your customer communications.
Use Replyco to Better Manage Your eBay Customer Messaging
If you find yourself needing to block rude or nasty buyers frequently, it might also be time to take a look at your customer service. Sure, we all encounter abusive customers at times, but is there a frequently occurring issue that is causing shoppers to become upset?
Take some of the stress off your shoulders by using Replyco to better manage your eBay customer messaging (as well as the messaging from any other marketplaces or platforms on which you sell).
With Replyco, you can consolidate all of the customer messages from all of your marketplaces and platforms into one easy-to-use inbox. Plus, our filtering, labeling, sorting and automated team assignment options help you stay on top of every facet of your customer support — without expending too much effort or breaking the bank.
Furthermore, Replyco enables eBay sellers to manage cases (including returns / refunds) directly within the Replyco system. No more having to share your eBay login with staff or click on multiple tabs to get things done. And when a customer is being particularly abusive or unreasonable beyond what you’re willing to deal with, you can easily block messages from them within the Replyco Dashboard.
Want to learn more? Take a tour of our features or visit the Replyco Roadmap. You can even book a live demo to see our helpdesk software in action.
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