Introduction
The first time I had to block a bidder on eBay, it felt petty. It was June 2021, and I’d sold a pair of Jordan 1 “Smoke Grey” mids for $212. The buyer messaged me 20 minutes later: “Hey, can you cancel? My cousin wants them instead.” I relisted, he bid again. Same result. By the third attempt, I realized — some buyers never learn unless you stop them entirely.
Since then, I’ve blocked dozens of repeat offenders — from serial returners to fake “offer testers.” When you’re selling vintage apparel, sneakers, and small luxury pieces, one bad transaction can eat the profit from five good ones.
So, this is the complete guide — not just how to block bidders, but why, when, and the hidden settings that most sellers overlook.
Why the blocked bidders list matters
eBay’s buyer-friendly culture is great for trust, but not always for sellers. One unpaid item or damaged-return request can tank your week. Blocking bidders gives you control over who touches your listings.
My main reasons to block
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Non-payment after offer accepted (most common)
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Feedback below 0 or repeat cancellations
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Harassment or spam in DMs
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Suspicious addresses / freight forwarders
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Switcheroo scams (buyer returns different item)
Anecdote — September 2023:
Sold a vintage Carhartt Detroit jacket for $175. Buyer returned a different size, claimed “defect.” Filed appeal → eBay refunded him anyway. Blocked permanently. Never again.
Opinion: blocking isn’t being harsh — it’s boundary-setting in a system that often rewards persistence over honesty.
Where to find the blocked bidders list on eBay
Here’s the path I still keep bookmarked:
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Go to https://www.ebay.com/bmgt (Block bidders page).
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Sign in.
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Enter usernames separated by commas or spaces.
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Click Submit.
That’s it — instant block.
You can add up to 5,000 usernames at once, and the list applies to every current and future listing automatically.
Pro tip: keep a small text file backup of your list. I learned the hard way — when eBay did a 2022 system update, my older entries disappeared.
How to block bidders from specific actions
1️⃣ Stop them from bidding or buying outright
Add their username to your block list. Immediate effect.
2️⃣ Prevent contact messages
In the same settings page, tick “Don’t allow blocked users to contact me.”
It’s optional — but I always enable it. Saves hours of nonsense messages.
3️⃣ Cancel existing bids (auctions only)
If they already bid before you blocked:
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Go to Selling → All Listings → Cancel Bids
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Choose reason → “Problem with buyer”
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Confirm
Anecdote — March 2024: a low-feedback user bid five times on my Dunk Low “Pandas”, then sent “ship faster or I’ll report.” Cancelled his bid, blocked him. Listing sold smoothly next day.
Buyer Requirement Filters — your silent shield
Here’s where most sellers miss out. eBay lets you auto-filter buyers before they ever click “Buy It Now.”
How to set it up
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Account → Site Preferences → Buyer Requirements.
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Toggle the following:
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Block buyers with 2+ unpaid items in 12 months.
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Block buyers with feedback score below 0.
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Block buyers without a PayPal account (legacy but still useful).
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Block buyers outside countries you ship to.
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Save and apply to all active listings.
Anecdote — February 2023:
After enabling these filters, my unpaid-item rate dropped from 11% to under 3% in a month.
Opinion: buyer filters are like guardrails — invisible but essential when scaling.
Blocking bidders across multiple marketplaces
I crosslist through Closo, so my eBay blocked-bidders list connects indirectly with my FB Marketplace and Poshmark workflows.
When someone burns me on eBay (e.g., return fraud or no-pay), I tag them in Closo’s CRM as “Do Not Sell.” It auto-flags their email or shipping address if they appear again through another channel.
It sounds paranoid — but once you’ve shipped a $200 pair of sneakers twice to the same scammer under two usernames, automation feels like common sense.
Managing your blocked list efficiently
| Task | How I Handle It | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Add new names | After every issue | Weekly |
| Review list | Delete inactive users | Quarterly |
| Export backup | Copy → Notes → Cloud | Monthly |
| Integrate with Closo | Sync flagged addresses | Continuous |
I’ve currently got 46 blocked users, and about half came from the same three months during Q4 2022 — peak sneaker-drop season when scammers get creative.
Honest failures and lessons
Failure #1 — Blocking too fast
In July 2022, I blocked a buyer after a slow payment. Turns out he’d just switched cards. Messaged me politely from another account, still bought two jackets later. Sometimes patience beats paranoia.
Failure #2 — Not backing up my list
During the November 2022 eBay outage, my list reset to zero. I had to rebuild it from messages and memories. Now I export it monthly.
Lesson: automation helps, but manual discipline still wins long-term.
How to unblock a bidder (yes, you might need to)
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Go to the same Blocked Bidder Page.
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Find username.
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Delete from the text box.
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Click Submit.
I’ve unblocked maybe five users in four years — usually when I realize the issue was eBay’s system, not them.
Anecdote — August 2023:
A buyer once got auto-blocked for “feedback under 0” after a bug wiped his account history. Verified through message thread; unblocked; he became one of my repeat sneaker buyers. Mistakes happen both ways.
Comparison — Manual Blocking vs Buyer Requirements vs Automation
| Method | Speed | Scope | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual Block | Instant | Specific users | Small shops |
| Buyer Requirements | Passive | Policy-based | Medium volume |
| Automation (Closo + rules) | Continuous | Multi-platform | High volume |
Now the tricky part: eBay sometimes overrides manual blocks for offers from managed-payment buyers. Automation helps re-block instantly if that happens.
Preventive filters you should set today
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Feedback score filter: block under 0.
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Item limit per buyer: cap at 3 to avoid hoarders.
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Country restriction: ship zones only.
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Immediate payment required: prevents “I’ll pay later” ghosts.
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No message requests from blocked buyers.
When I activated “Immediate payment required” on my sneaker listings in October 2023, unpaid orders dropped to zero overnight.
Opinion — why blocking bidders isn’t bad business
I used to think blocking hurt my reach. In reality, it protected it.
Every minute spent fixing refund disputes or fraud claims is one less listing uploaded.
Uncertainty admission: occasionally I wonder if I over-filter and miss legit buyers — but my data says otherwise. Gross margin rose ~12% after I got strict.
People always ask me… “Can blocked bidders still see my listings?”
Yes, they can see them, but they can’t bid, buy, or message you (if you toggled that option).
So, if you notice views from the same usernames, ignore it — visibility isn’t access.
eBay doesn’t hide your listings from blocked users; it just disables transactions.
Common question I see… “Does blocking a bidder hurt my ranking?”
No measurable effect. I tracked 60 days of listing data before and after heavy blocking in 2024 — impressions stayed flat, sales up 9%.
eBay cares about transaction success rate, not buyer count. Quality > quantity.
Bonus — Using Closo for automated bidder management
I integrated Closo in late 2023 for automation across eBay, Poshmark, and FB Marketplace. It tags problematic buyers automatically using feedback data, unpaid logs, or repeat returns.
Now, when I delist/relist sneakers or vintage jackets, Closo cross-checks the buyer list and avoids sending offers to previously blocked users.
I use it mainly for bulk relisting — and it still saves me about 3 hours weekly.
Automation doesn’t replace judgment, but it enforces consistency — which matters more than anything when you scale.
Worth Reading
If you’re tightening your eBay buyer filters, the Closo Seller Hub has an excellent walkthrough on automated delist/relist workflows and fraud-prevention tagging. That’s where I first learned to sync buyer restrictions across eBay, Poshmark, and Depop.
Explore here → Closo Seller Hub.
(It’s now my go-to reference every time I update safety settings.)
Conclusion
Blocking bidders on eBay isn’t about being picky — it’s about running a clean, scalable operation. I’ve learned this over four years of selling vintage, sneakers, and small luxury goods: the best transactions start with the right buyers.
Set your buyer requirements, maintain your blocked list, and back it up regularly. Use automation where possible — I rely on Closo to handle delist/relist cycles and tag risky buyers automatically, saving about three hours a week.
Protecting your store isn’t paranoia. It’s professionalism.
