eBay

lucky9092 · ‎01-02-2019

Can a blocked bidder still leave me a personal message on ebay ? In other words does blocking bidders only prevent them from buying from me ?

I ask this because I blocked my last buyer and since I haven't heard from him since (regarding the sale), I had a nagging thought that it might have blocked him from even writing to me through the ebay messaging system.

tyler@ebay · ‎01-02-2019

Hi @lucky9092 - it depends on your account settings. If you go to My eBay>Account>Site Preferences>Buyer Requirements>Edit there should be a checkbox that says 'Don't allow blocked buyers to contact me'. The default is to have that checked.

Once added to your Blocked List, however, that should prevent them from generating any new message to you. If you have already sent messages to each other they should be able to reply to you. 🙂

Tyler,

femmefan1946 · ‎01-02-2019

Except-- I understood that if the members were in a transaction,ever, the Blocked person could still communicate.

Am I wrong? I hope so.

Since the OP knows the ID of the annoyance, she could simply delete without reading.

momcqueen · ‎01-03-2019

Also, that block applies only the system-blocked users like those blocked by a seller's settings of Unpaid Item Strikes etc. If you manually block another user (perhaps one who looks to be a pest) you won't be allowed to stop communication from them even if they have never done business with you.

I learned this the hard way with an old problem I had with a deranged competitor who sent multiple odd and sinister messages over a three-year period. Despite that he had been blocked (by me) and that he had never been a customer of mine, he was able to keep sending those messages. Eventually, ebay took action because I was not quiet about my problem and I understand I was not the only other member being harassed.

The person was not well, either physically or mentally. Now that I'm not being threatened on a regular basis, I bear them no ill will.

But even with that block in place, I was powerless to stop the messages from arriving in my Messages. Also, they were so weird and specific, I was uncomfortable ignoring them altogether as was the prevalent advice from other members at the time. The person knew more about me than I was comfortable disregarding.

Anyway....

momcqueen · ‎01-03-2019

Unless that setting has ben upgraded in recent months.... I haven't dealt with this issue in a good while.

lucky9092 · ‎01-03-2019

Tyler mentioned that if a transaction already took place and communications had already begun, blocking would still allow buyer to reply to previous communications which is what I want. If he ever decided to return the item to me or has another strange request, I want to know about it and I want it to be recorded in the messaging system.

tyler@ebay · ‎01-03-2019

@momcqueen wrote:

Also, that block applies only the system-blocked users like those blocked by a seller's settings of Unpaid Item Strikes etc. If you manually block another user (perhaps one who looks to be a pest) you won't be allowed to stop communication from them even if they have never done business with you.

I learned this the hard way with an old problem I had with a deranged competitor who sent multiple odd and sinister messages over a three-year period. Despite that he had been blocked (by me) and that he had never been a customer of mine, he was able to keep sending those messages. Eventually, ebay took action because I was not quiet about my problem and I understand I was not the only other member being harassed.

The person was not well, either physically or mentally. Now that I'm not being threatened on a regular basis, I bear them no ill will.

But even with that block in place, I was powerless to stop the messages from arriving in my Messages. Also, they were so weird and specific, I was uncomfortable ignoring them altogether as was the prevalent advice from other members at the time. The person knew more about me than I was comfortable disregarding.

Anyway....

That's definitely worrisome @momcqueen - I'm glad to hear that it eventually ceased, but am frustrated to hear that it took so much time and effort.

It's my understanding that once 'officially' blocked, if no messages were sent previously, a buyer wouldn't be able to generate new messages to you. If you're game (and don't have a lot to do today) I'm happy to test it out with you! Just add tyler@ebay to your BBL and ping me on this thread and I'll go through and try to generate a message to you!

Tyler,

zee-chan · ‎01-03-2019

tyler@ebay

I just added you to my Best Buddies List because I'm bored today 😄 Let's see how it goes!

tyler@ebay · ‎01-03-2019

It looks like it's letting me send messages, which is confusing to me.

I'll see if there's any more detail I can find.

Thanks for testing it out with me @zee-chan!

Tyler,

zee-chan · ‎01-03-2019

tyler@ebay

I'm just wondering if the system recognized you as eBay staff and maybe that let you bypass the block? Did it also let you buy from me?

I just blocked my alt account and it doesn't let my alt message me via listing or buy from me. Below is what I can see from my alt.

Message via listing: We're sorry we couldn't find an answer for you. Unfortunately, this seller is not able to respond to your question. We suggest reviewing the item again to see if your answer is in the seller's listing.
Buy: The seller isn't accepting bids or offers from you.

However, direct message via username page's "contact" link (where you indicate your question isn't about an item) worked! So I guess Maureen was right; people could still direct message even when they are on Best Buddies List

tyler@ebay · ‎01-03-2019

In theory, it shouldn't, @zee-chan, but that's a really good idea.

Glad to know that your alt account wasn't able to purchase or message.

I used 'not about an item' both times, and it concerns me that it let my messages through. I'll see if I can find a 'reason' why this would be and let you know what I find out!

Tyler,

momcqueen · ‎01-03-2019

I’ll give this a try too tomorrow morning when I sit back down at my desk!

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-03-2019

I’ve also heard for years, though have never tested it, that the block can be bypassed by contacting someone through the sellers feedback page.

zee-chan · ‎01-03-2019

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
I’ve also heard for years, though have never tested it, that the block can be bypassed by contacting someone through the sellers feedback page.

Now that I re-read my last post, I wasn't being very clear. That's what I meant; my alt account managed to message my main account via the feedback page despite being blocked.

heartovermind · ‎01-04-2019

of course if blocked member has an alt acount they could not only message you but purchase as well.

reallynicestamps · ‎01-04-2019

Hmmm--- but we also hear complaints when an account is Blocked and the Block extends to others at the same address-- like another family member, which is understandable, or someone on the same university residence floor, or someone in the same apartment building.

The alt account would have to be totally unconnected to the first account.

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-04-2019

@reallynicestamps wrote:
Hmmm--- but we also hear complaints when an account is Blocked and the Block extends to others at the same address-- like another family member, which is understandable, or someone on the same university residence floor, or someone in the same apartment building.

The alt account would have to be totally unconnected to the first account.

That wouldn't be caused by a buyer being on a blocked buyers list unless all family members or university residences were using the same ebay ID. That would happen only if ebay blocked the IP address or if

momcqueen · ‎01-04-2019

Okay, tyler@ebay, I've blocked you although it feels icky adding your name to that the Rogues Gallery. Can I delete all these that say 1298398743@deleted?

tyler@ebay · ‎01-04-2019

Thanks for doing this @momcqueen! I sent a question about the shipping on one of your items and it definitely did not give me an error like @zee-chan got.

I tried to use the 'message' option from your profile page and ran into the 'you've exceeded the number of messages you can send per day' error, which isn't related to the BBL unfortunately.

All resources I have confirm that a blocked buyer may contact you in the following situations: