How Do You Block A Buyer On eBay?

eBay is a global marketplace where millions of buyers and sellers connect every day. If you want to sell something, you’ll need to register on eBay and create a listing.

The good thing about eBay is that anyone can view your listing, even before they place a bid. That means you can get feedback from potential buyers before you decide whether to accept their offer. 

However, sometimes you might receive bids from multiple buyers at once or encounter nefarious bidders who waste your time. In these situations, you can choose who gets to win the auction by blocking a buyer, which can be done in 3 simple steps. 

In the article below, we are going to teach you how to block a buyer on eBay, while also showcasing some reasons why you will need to do this. There’s nothing worse than a buyer who outstays their welcome and this informative article will show you how to get rid of them. 

Why Block Buyers On eBay? 

eBay is a wonderful website where you can sell all manner of things, from cars and hot tubs to books and records. However, selling to certain buyers can be a chore, especially when they are complicated or present a negative experience.

When you block someone on eBay, the buyer will no longer have access to your listings, which means they won’t be able to bid on any of your products. While most blocked users will still be able to see your listings, they won’t be allowed to bid, make an offer or purchase your items. 

However, this does not mean that blocking a bidder is similar to blocking someone on Facebook, as the blocked user will still be able to see your products and will even be able to contact you. 

While blocked users are a common thing on eBay, they should never be a regular occurrence, as most of the time you will encounter decent people who are happy with their service.

But if you do meet someone who seems hell-bent on creating a negative atmosphere, then blocking might be your best option.

In the section below, we have outlined some key reasons why you should block someone on eBay:

  • Non-payment 
  • Removing themselves from bids 
  • Abusive messages 
  • Fraud
  • A competitive company trying to purchase your products 

When you have blocked a buyer, the ban will be shown across all your listings. Because of this, eBay guidelines recommend that you only block users as a last resort.

How Do You Block A Buyer On eBay? 

If you have decided to block a user on eBay, then you will need the buyer’s eBay user ID or email address to complete the transaction. 

Once you have this information, just follow these simple steps, and you will have everything you need to get started. 

Locate The Block Bidders Page 

When you have signed in to your eBay merchant account, you will need to locate the ‘block bidders or buyers from your listings’ page. 

However, if you are unable to find the link, then you can click on ‘help & contact’ at the top of the page and search ‘block buyer.’ This should produce a link that you can use to access the correct website. 

Enter Your Blocked Buyer’s List 

Once you have accessed the page, you will be greeted with a text box, in which you will need to enter the bidder’s username or email address. If you intend to enter more than one username, remember to separate them with a comma.

In most cases, eBay allows sellers to block up to 5000 users, although it is rare for someone to exceed that number. 

It is also important to note that you can view and restore your previous blocked buyer’s list by clicking on the ‘restore list’ button above the text box. 

Submit The Buyer’s Information 

When you have entered the buyer’s username in the text box, you will need to click the submit button to save your changes.

If all the usernames are valid, you will receive a message telling you that the bidders have been blocked. 

However, if the usernames are not valid, eBay will send you a message to confirm any bidders that were not accepted. 

Once you have successfully blocked a buyer, their username will appear in the text box along with the other users you have removed. To unblock a bidder, you can delete their username from the text box and press ‘submit’ to save the changes. 

How Do You Block A Buyer’s Messages? 

As we previously discussed, blocker buyers are still able to view your listings and contact your account, which can make things even more difficult. To change this, all you have to do is change the preferences for your eBay account. 

Sign in to your merchant account and locate the buyer requirements page, which can be found under the site preferences tab on your account. 

Here, you will be able to check a box that says ‘Don’t allow blocked buyers to contact me,’ which should remove all blocked bidders from your messages. 

Once you have done this, bidders will not be able to see the ‘contact seller’ option on your listings. The only drawback is that the blocked users will still be able to contact you about previous transactions.

Final Thoughts 

Learning to block buyers on eBay can have its benefits. Not only does it help to relieve your stress, but it can also cut down potential issues without having a huge impact on your reputation or sales. 

However, this does not mean that you should rely on this tactic for all negative bidders, as even eBay recommends using its blocking tools sparingly. Just remember to check your restrictions to see if they are hurting your store…

It is important to keep a record of your eBay analytics, as this can tell you how much of your store’s success is based on blocked users.

If it appears that you are losing business because of blocked users, then you can review your blocked users list and remove usernames to increase your sales. 

Fortunately, eBay allows its merchants to block and unblock whoever they want, which means you can use the website to your own advantage. 

Nate Heath

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