Blocking Buyers with zero feedback (someone keeps making new user account to bid)

[msau4301]

I don't like to block buyers with zero feedback (we all have to start somewhere!) but I just had two items I had to cancel from zero feedback buyer who opened an account days before in order to bid on my items then after they won (two of them) they didn't pay for, it now shows "no longer a registered user".

Plus, I had a buyer last week reeming me out she couldn't buy an item and I now know it is because of eBay's new blocking of buyers who don't provide payment info. (Plus she had too many unpaid item strikes.) After much frustration I blocked her and just now I have a new bid coming in again, different user name, zero feedback, just opened account and first 3 letters are the same so I think it is her. I thought there was a way to block buyers with zero feedback (at least until this relentless soul stops driving me nuts).

When I look under my preferences I can't see a way to block zero feedback buyers - there's only one that says something like "block buyers who have purchased at least one item in the last 10 days", then under it, "apply to bidders with at least "choose number" 0 is an option (but not on it's own). I thought there used to be a way to just block zero feedback. This would stop this crazy from making a new account every few days. Thanks!

[doc-holmes]

There is no way. You can only block buyers from multiple purchases as you mentioned, or someone with a feedback score in the negatives, which you almost never see.

[msau4301]

Thank you for responding, that's what I was afraid of. Guess there is no way to stop someone to keep opening a new account to try and sneak in. 

[eburtonlab]

You can avoid unpaid items by listing your item for a fixed price with immediate payment required and by not accepting offers. If you receive an offer you would like to accept, lower your buy it now price to the offer amount to preserve the immediate payment requirement. That way the buyer must complete checkout and actually pay for the transaction to proceed. If the user does not pay, the item remains listed for others to purchase.

[msau4301]

Yes, that would be the best solution with the least hassle for sure. Problem being, at least for me anyways, I've always done far better with the auctions, and many times made more money than I would have dreamed of listing it for as fixed price (not every time but enough to make me take notice).

I collect in the same category (vintage Barbie) and the majority of the items I've got myself here were through auction so I just kind of followed suit.

I will continue to weigh the pros and cons and have a mix of both. Thank you.

[femmefan1946]

she couldn't buy an item and I now know it is because of eBay's new blocking of buyers who don't provide payment info. (Plus she had too many unpaid item strikes.)

The UID Strikes are the reason she couldn't bid.

A buyer who has been active would have a method of payment already recorded, from her first purchase.

Between the anger and the deadbeat Block, you really really did not want her as a customer. Really.

I would suggest that you Block her specifically.

This should also Block any new IDs she might open (since they are likely to have the same online address).

And if you can Block those two NARUs as well. I'm not sure if this is possible once they are NARU, but try anyway for the same reason.

I knew the antique and reborn doll ladies were"difficult"  but the Barbie collectors too?

[msau4301]

Thank you! I did not realize someone with a new user name could have the same online address. I don't think I can block someone who is already bidding but will try when it ends. I will also try to block the NARU one as well, I didn't think I needed to but it can't hurt!

Most of the Barbie collectors I deal with are wonderful, many send me lovely personal messages and are a joy to deal with. But, like everywhere else, I guess there's always a couple of bad apples in the bunch!

[intimewithmusic]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

she couldn't buy an item and I now know it is because of eBay's new blocking of buyers who don't provide payment info. (Plus she had too many unpaid item strikes.)

"The UID Strikes are the reason she couldn't bid.

A buyer who has been active would have a method of payment already recorded, from her first purchase."

What if the person's payment method was an expired Visa or a PayPal account with insufficient funds?  Wouldn't this be a situation where eBay will ask the buyer for a method of payment before sending the offer to the seller?

IT

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@intimewithmusic wrote:

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

she couldn't buy an item and I now know it is because of eBay's new blocking of buyers who don't provide payment info. (Plus she had too many unpaid item strikes.)

"The UID Strikes are the reason she couldn't bid.

A buyer who has been active would have a method of payment already recorded, from her first purchase."

What if the person's payment method was an expired Visa or a PayPal account with insufficient funds?  Wouldn't this be a situation where eBay will ask the buyer for a method of payment before sending the offer to the seller?

IT

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The biggest problems with these situations is lack of an adequate error message/solution. Fairly confident....NOW...a past buyer attempting to make a purchase using his US Discover was getting a block but no explanation. All he told me was CC, at the time.

-Lotz

[femmefan1946]

You can cancel any bid without* a reason. It's one of the few Seller Protections we have here.

Then you can Block her.

The one weakness with Blocking is that if we have had any interaction with a Blocked buyer, that person can continue to communicate through Messages.

That includes transactions, failed transactions, and responses to questions.

But we don't have to answer those Messages. We can read and delete or just delete without reading.

*I haven't Blocked anyone if a long time, so there may be some reasons. Pick one at random. In the same way, buyers who retract bids are given a list of reasons.

But they all really mean "I don't want to continue with this transaction."