How to Block Buyers on eBay in 2024

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Although most eBay transactions go smoothly, it is normal for relationships between buyers and sellers to turn into tension. Luckily, eBay sellers can easily block buyers if they have any problems by adding them to the Blocked buyers list. In this way, buyers are prevented from placing bids, making offers, or making Buy It Now purchases until being removed from the list.

In this article, you will be informed about How to block buyers on eBay which includes the specific signs buyers see when they are being blocked and how to block someone also.

What happens when you block someone on eBay?

It is normal for a seller to block buyers due to multiple reasons. In this case, users become curious about whether buyers can see blocked listings or not. Or they get a message of some sort when they try to buy something or receive no announcement?

Overall, the answer is No unless they attempt to bid on or buy any items. EBay sellers normally tend not to tell their customers that they are added to their blocked lists already. However, just until they approach to buy items do they realize and see the listings, including them. If you are a buyer signing to eBay, you cannot see the listing. On the other hand, you can totally find out whether you are blocked or not by signing out or using a browser not connected to eBay.

When being blocked, blocked buyers are not sent an official notice informing about this blocking state. Nonetheless, they can receive a rejection message, which you can see in the photo below.

When an individual user is blocked, he or she can be prevented from bidding on your listings, buying from you, or contacting you regarding any of the listings you’ve posted. Moreover, you can also block all eBay buyers who come from particular states or countries if you want because of personal reasons, shipping for example. This can be particularly useful if you’re trying to manage selling costs and only want to sell in particular geographic regions.

How to block buyers on eBay?

eBay sellers have control over who can bid on and buy their items. You can add buyers having conflicts with you to your Blocked buyers list by the following steps.

Step 1: Login

First of all, you should go to the homepage of eBay and click on the “Sign in” text. Then, log in to your personal account and continue clicking on the “Help & Contact” link at the top of the screen.

Step 2: Search the “Block a buyer” link

Secondly, you can find the link to block someone by typing “block a buyer” into the search bar on the next page.

Step 3: Click on the link appearing

Next, seeing a blue “Block a buyer” button that appears, you should click on that link in order to reach Block Bidders Page.

Step 4: Enter the username

The last step which is also the most important one is entering the username on Block Bidders Page. Here you can type in the username(s) of the buyer(s) you’d like to block and click the “Submit” button to save the list. The maximum number of usernames or email addresses you can enter is up to 5000. There should be a comma between each username. You can also restore a past blocked bidder/buyer list by selecting the Restore list.

Blocked buyers will be stopped from finding on or buying your items until you remove them from the blocked list. To unblock someone, you can follow the following steps:

• Go to the Block bidders or buyers from your listings page.
• Delete the username of the member from the text box.
• Select Submit.

Successfully adding users to your blocked list, you will see the message “Your blocked bidder list has successfully been updated with the new information you submitted” once you click the “Submit” button. However, in some situations, you will suffer from entering the wrong usernames. If you enter invalid usernames or email addresses, you will receive the message like the screenshot below.

Therefore, to prevent yourself from typing the wrong usernames, you should search for their names carefully. This process can be done by clicking on one of their listings and see their exact username in case they are also sellers. Also, the eBay search page provides correct usernames even when you do not clearly remember their names.

How to block buyers on eBay by country or state?

Besides blocking a specific user, you can also choose to block buyers in terms of specific criteria. For example, buyers living in a country or state you do not want to ship to or buyers with unpaid items cases. To block users by state, country, or territory, follow these steps.

Step 1: Click on “My eBay”

After logging into your account, click the “My eBay” link in the top right corner of the home page.

Step 2: Click on the “account” tab

Step 3: Go to “Site preferences” in My eBay

By clicking to the “Site preferences” link, you will go to your account preferences to change your buying and shipping settings.

Step 4: Click on the “shipping preferences” link

Next, scroll Down To “Shipping Preferences” and click the link which will lead you to preferences page helping you block entire regions

Step 5: Edit “Exclude shipping locations” section

Then, scroll to “exclude shipping locations” and click “Edit.”

Step 6: Choose blocked regions

In this section, click the regions you do not want to ship to. Besides selecting entire regions, you can also exclude individual states and countries by clicking on “Show All Countries” under a particular region.

Step 7: Edit “Buyer Requirements” section

After selecting blocked regions, go back to the “account” tab and click on “site preferences”. Then, scroll down to the “Buyer Requirements” and click “Edit.”

Step 8: Click “Buyers In Locations To Which I Don’t Ship” and Submit

Summary

The above is the shortest and most specific instructions of How To Block Buyers On eBay?. Following these steps, you can’t probably run into any problems blocking someone on eBay.

You can also reference the eBay help library, contact a customer service representative at eBay or join the “eBay community” for more useful tips. Good luck!