Blocking a bidder on eBay keeps them from snagging your listings while still letting them browse your products. As of 2026, sellers can block up to 5,000 buyers per account, and blocked users get a polite heads-up that they can’t bid or buy from you. Blocked buyers won’t realize they’re blocked unless they actually try to place an order.
Quick Fix Summary
Head to Account → Site Preferences → Buyer Requirements. Toss the buyer’s username into the Blocked Buyers list. Flip on “Don’t allow blocked buyers to contact me” if you want to silence their messages completely.
What’s Happening When You Block a Bidder?
Here’s the deal: your blocked bidder can still scroll through your active listings like nothing’s wrong. But the moment they try to place a bid, send an offer, or click “Buy It Now,” they hit a wall. They’ll see a generic “This seller is not accepting bids from you,” though this message only pops up if they actually attempt to purchase. They can still watch your items or toss them in their cart—checkout just fails with a block notice instead.
How Do You Actually Block a Bidder?
Follow these exact steps in the current eBay Seller Hub (version 2026.1.0).
- First, sign in to your eBay Seller account.
- Click Account in the top-right menu → Site Preferences.
- Under Seller Account, hit Buyer Requirements.
- Scroll down to Blocked Buyers and click Edit.
- Type in the username of the bidder you want to block.
- Click Add, then Submit.
- Want to go the extra mile? Turn on Don’t allow blocked buyers to contact me to block their messages entirely.
- Don’t forget to Submit again at the bottom to lock in your changes.
What If Blocking Didn’t Stop the Bidder?
- Try reporting the buyer instead: Head to Orders → find the transaction → More actions → Report buyer. Pick a reason like “abusive behavior” or “shill bidding.”
- Set up buyer requirements to auto-block problem buyers: Account → Site Preferences → Buyer Requirements → Edit. Set a minimum feedback score of 98 and block buyers with unpaid items.
- Lean on eBay’s Seller Protection Program: Turn it on in Account → Seller Dashboard → Preferences. This flags risky bidders without outright blocking them.
How Can You Prevent Problem Bidders in the First Place?
Use eBay’s Automatic Blocking to stop repeat offenders before they even think about bidding. Go to Account → Site Preferences → Buyer Requirements → Edit. Turn on “Block buyers who have unpaid items” and set a minimum feedback score (say, 95). Flip on Delivery Address Verification to catch sketchy shipping details. Check your Blocked Buyers list every month and tweak your rules based on what you’re seeing. Oh, and respond fast to unpaid item cases—it’ll boost your seller metrics and keep future headaches to a minimum.
