Easy Tech TutsHow can I Block a Buyer on ebay on site, app, from purchasing 2026 Easily
By Impran M N
If a buyer has caused issues in the past — an unpaid order, a harassing message, a pattern of last-minute cancellations — eBay lets you cut them off from your listings entirely through the Blocked Buyer list. The page itself is short, but the wording on it matters: it tells you precisely what gets blocked and what doesn't, plus rules about how often you should revisit the list. This guide walks through that page as it actually appears, and covers the same setting's app equivalent.
01Find the Block buyers page in your account
On the website, this setting lives under your account's selling tools, reached from My eBay → Account. The page itself is headed "Block buyers from your listings," and it opens with the exact rule eBay enforces: members on your blocked list "will be unable to bid, buy, make an offer, or send you messages on any of your listings" until you remove them. That single sentence is the entire scope of what blocking does — it's specific to your listings and your inbox, not a platform-wide restriction on the buyer's account.
02Add a username to the blocked list
The instructions on the page are direct: to block a member, enter their username in the Blocked buyer list field and click Submit. If you're blocking more than one person at once, separate usernames with a comma rather than submitting them one at a time. You can block up to 5,000 members in total, which is more than enough headroom for even a high-volume seller dealing with repeat problem accounts.
03Remove someone once they no longer need to be blocked
The same field works in reverse — select and erase a username from the list, then click Submit again, and that member is removed and regains normal access to bid, buy, and message you. eBay explicitly recommends reviewing your blocked list at least once a year rather than letting it grow indefinitely, since a block that made sense for one bad transaction years ago may no longer be necessary and is just quietly shrinking your buyer pool in the meantime.
04Know that blocking has a recovery option
If you've ever cleared your blocked list by mistake, or want to reinstate an older set of blocks, eBay's Restore list feature can bring back a previous version — but only from within the last three months, so it's not a permanent archive. If you do restore an old list, eBay suggests informing the members added back onto it, since they'll suddenly lose the ability to bid on or buy your items again without necessarily knowing why.
05Use the app's equivalent setting on mobile
The same blocked-buyer functionality exists in the eBay seller app, tucked into account or selling settings rather than a standalone menu item — the underlying rule and 5,000-member limit are identical, since it's the same account setting surfaced through a different interface. If you manage listings primarily from your phone, it's worth locating this screen once during a quiet moment rather than trying to find it for the first time while dealing with an actively problematic buyer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I block a buyer from the eBay app?
Yes — the same blocked-buyer list and 5,000-member limit apply on mobile, accessed through account or selling settings in the app rather than a separate desktop page.
What does blocking a buyer prevent them from doing?
eBay states it directly: a blocked member can't bid, buy, make an offer, or send you messages on any of your listings, until you remove them from the list.
How many buyers can I block?
Up to 5,000 members. You can add multiple usernames at once by separating them with commas before clicking Submit.
How do I unblock someone?
Select and erase their username from the Blocked buyer list field, then click Submit — they'll immediately regain the ability to bid, buy, and message you.
Is this useful for small sellers or only high-volume stores?
Both. A small seller dealing with one repeat problem buyer benefits just as directly as a high-volume store managing dozens of listings at once.
Watch the full walkthrough
The same steps, demonstrated on screen from start to finish.
