Would like to block from buying, but don't want to block messages...

[sin-n-dex]

I got an INR yesterday. I don't like it when people wait until one day past the expected date of delivery to file an INR (it's a standard letter, so tracking may or may not show delivered when it finally gets delivered).

I would like to block this buyer from being able to buy until this is sorted out, but if I block him he can't contact me when he gets it and offer to repay me for it (like lots of buyers do on ESE when they file an INR).

I suspect being that it's a new buyer the INR was filed in an attempt to reach out to me and inquire about his item not received yet, but following prompts turned it into a request. It's insured anyway if I refund, but I don't want to sell any more to someone until the situation is sorted out in this type of case.

So this is another case of blocking messages not being ideal... I can either let him buy again, or block him and potentially prevent myself from being paid if the buyer is honest. Another package that was shipped the same date just arrived today, so I think it's just delayed.

Another complaint is that eBay doesn't provide enough time for items to arrive when mail is busier or things are happening. I put economy shipping on my listings but it's still not giving a very long time for items to be delivered before buyers can file an INR.

C.

[iamcara]

It is not possible to block a buyer from sending you messages, regardless of block status or any settings you have changed in the communicate with buyers settings page.

[sin-n-dex]

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@iamcara wrote:

It is not possible to block a buyer from sending you messages, regardless of block status or any settings you have changed in the communicate with buyers settings page.

---

They changed that over a year ago. There's been many threads on it. Someone on the forum was tagging the blues on examples of when receiving messages is welcome but you want to block someone from buying from you. People in the forum have even tested it to see if things have changed.

C.

[dbfolks166mt]

     You are in Canada and given the current postal strike it's hard to say when this will ever be delivered. The only carrier that I am aware of that is currently delivering into or out of Canada is UPS. Why would you block this buyer you should be protected from the INR as long as you respond to the INR? However, as long as the strike continues you risk a WHOLE lot of other INR's as long as you keep selling. Looking at your items the projected delivery dates are still showing as though there is no strike taking place. 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/Canada-Post-Strike-Update/ba-p/34781531 

[iamcara]

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

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@iamcara wrote:

It is not possible to block a buyer from sending you messages, regardless of block status or any settings you have changed in the communicate with buyers settings page.

---

They changed that over a year ago. There's been many threads on it. Someone on the forum was tagging the blues on examples of when receiving messages is welcome but you want to block someone from buying from you. People in the forum have even tested it to see if things have changed.

C.

---

No, I can confirm that a buyer is able to send messages no matter what even today. Last time this happened was Nov 2nd. When a buyer messaged me even though I had both options off; "allow customers to message you while they are shopping," and "allow customers to message you at checkout."

A blocked buyer was also able to send me messages near the end of July.

[sin-n-dex]

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@dbfolks166mt wrote:

     You are in Canada and given the current postal strike it's hard to say when this will ever be delivered. The only carrier that I am aware of that is currently delivering into or out of Canada is UPS. Why would you block this buyer you should be protected from the INR as long as you respond to the INR? However, as long as the strike continues you risk a WHOLE lot of other INR's as long as you keep selling. Looking at your items the projected delivery dates are still showing as though there is no strike taking place. 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/Canada-Post-Strike-Update/ba-p/34781531 

---

I'm not selling or shipping anything to Canada. Canada is excluded from all my listings (except for the problem I had at the beginning of the strike when they didn't all update).

These are letters shipped from Niagara NY via ESE to locations in the US. They're covered by insurance if an INR is filed and I have to refund, but that's not the point. The point is I would like to be able to talk to the buyer if his package arrives before I file a claim (since I won't if they repay me), but not allow him to purchase again until I've decided I want to sell to him again. Usually if they file an INR and the package arrives a few days later (which is likely), they contact me about repayment. By blocking his messages I'm saying that I don't care about being repaid. From the buyer's perspective I've gotten his message and chosen to ignore it, which is not what's happening.

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@iamcara wrote:

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

---

@iamcara wrote:

It is not possible to block a buyer from sending you messages, regardless of block status or any settings you have changed in the communicate with buyers settings page.

---

They changed that over a year ago. There's been many threads on it. Someone on the forum was tagging the blues on examples of when receiving messages is welcome but you want to block someone from buying from you. People in the forum have even tested it to see if things have changed.

C.

---

No, I can confirm that a buyer is able to send messages no matter what even today. Last time this happened was Nov 2nd. When a buyer messaged me even though I had both options off; "allow customers to message you while they are shopping," and "allow customers to message you at checkout."

A blocked buyer was also able to send me messages near the end of July.

---

I think we need to test this again. A couple of months ago someone in the forum blocked another member, the member sent a message, and it was never received. There was no option checked off in the profile to stop blocked buyers from contacting them, they simply added the ID to the BBL.

C.

[iamcara]

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

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@iamcara wrote:

---

@sin-n-dex wrote:

---

@iamcara wrote:

It is not possible to block a buyer from sending you messages, regardless of block status or any settings you have changed in the communicate with buyers settings page.

---

They changed that over a year ago. There's been many threads on it. Someone on the forum was tagging the blues on examples of when receiving messages is welcome but you want to block someone from buying from you. People in the forum have even tested it to see if things have changed.

C.

---

No, I can confirm that a buyer is able to send messages no matter what even today. Last time this happened was Nov 2nd. When a buyer messaged me even though I had both options off; "allow customers to message you while they are shopping," and "allow customers to message you at checkout."

A blocked buyer was also able to send me messages near the end of July.

---

I think we need to test this again. A couple of months ago someone in the forum blocked another member, the member sent a message, and it was never received. There was no option checked off in the profile to stop blocked buyers from contacting them, they simply added the ID to the BBL.

C.

---

Hmm. I know there are two ways to block a member. Through the block button on the eBay app, or by adding the username on to the block list via web browser. I think they do the same thing though.

Customers are not able to message you, and blocked users cannot message you, but if they have bought anything from you, they will be able to send you messages no matter what.

[sin-n-dex]

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@iamcara wrote:

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Hmm. I know there are two ways to block a member. Through the block button on the eBay app, or by adding the username on to the block list via web browser. I think they do the same thing though.

Customers are not able to message you, and blocked users cannot message you, but if they have bought anything from you, they will be able to send you messages no matter what.

---

The posts here (and the blues have confirmed) the block buyer (I do it from the web) is an instant block of all communication, even if a transaction has taken place. There's been lots of talk about how you can't communicate in a return and if you block the buyer, you can't communicate with them at all (well I suppose you can send messages to the buyer, the blocked buyer can't send messages to you).

Unfortunately I won't be able to test that (if it's blocked after buying) since the only person who buys from me that I can rely on for troubleshooting hasn't bought recently. When this has been tested by people in the forum it was just adding the name to the BBL and testing it.

@wastingtime101  Can you weigh in? I think you were on a bunch of those threads.

C.

[asset_liquidators]

We did check this just last week because I thought you could still get messages when you blocked someone as long as you checked to allow messages. I was wrong. 

Myself and another regular on the boards tested it. I blocked him and he sent me messages that I didnt get. If you block a buyer you can NOT get messages from that buyer.

[iamcara]

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@sin-n-dex wrote:

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@iamcara wrote:

---

---

Hmm. I know there are two ways to block a member. Through the block button on the eBay app, or by adding the username on to the block list via web browser. I think they do the same thing though.

Customers are not able to message you, and blocked users cannot message you, but if they have bought anything from you, they will be able to send you messages no matter what.

---

The posts here (and the blues have confirmed) the block buyer (I do it from the web) is an instant block of all communication, even if a transaction has taken place. There's been lots of talk about how you can't communicate in a return and if you block the buyer, you can't communicate with them at all (well I suppose you can send messages to the buyer, the blocked buyer can't send messages to you).

Unfortunately I won't be able to test that (if it's blocked after buying) since the only person who buys from me that I can rely on for troubleshooting hasn't bought recently. When this has been tested by people in the forum it was just adding the name to the BBL and testing it.

@wastingtime101  Can you weigh in? I think you were on a bunch of those threads.

C.

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Interesting. Maybe something funny was going on when the blocked buyer was messaging me. The buyer that I mentioned earlier, who had messaged me when I had messages off, was able to message me immediately after purchase, which to me is essentially the same thing as messaging me at checkout.

Anyways not sure what kind of technical things are going on. Maybe the blocked buyer was able to message me because they opened an INR case? That might have been it.

[12345jamesstamps]

Can you get a negative feedback deleted if buyer states he got blocked from future purchases...a lot of buyers have done that.

I would wait until that 60 day period and then block them.

Some buyers open a claim and never contact the seller...it's rather rampart here.

I blocked Israel because it's not enough time for deliveries to the ongoing mess there.

And of course with 'freight forward' we do not get enough of time for deliveries.

Sure, we are covered but the time, my time responding to 'where is my item' is taken away by no safeguards of having to rest assure the buyer that the package will get there. Buyer only sees 'estimated time of delivery' to Delaware or Florida...not estimated time to Colombia or Kazakhstan. But there is no profit in correcting these problems.

[sin-n-dex]

---

@iamcara wrote:

---

@sin-n-dex wrote:

---

@iamcara wrote:

---

---

Hmm. I know there are two ways to block a member. Through the block button on the eBay app, or by adding the username on to the block list via web browser. I think they do the same thing though.

Customers are not able to message you, and blocked users cannot message you, but if they have bought anything from you, they will be able to send you messages no matter what.

---

The posts here (and the blues have confirmed) the block buyer (I do it from the web) is an instant block of all communication, even if a transaction has taken place. There's been lots of talk about how you can't communicate in a return and if you block the buyer, you can't communicate with them at all (well I suppose you can send messages to the buyer, the blocked buyer can't send messages to you).

Unfortunately I won't be able to test that (if it's blocked after buying) since the only person who buys from me that I can rely on for troubleshooting hasn't bought recently. When this has been tested by people in the forum it was just adding the name to the BBL and testing it.

@wastingtime101  Can you weigh in? I think you were on a bunch of those threads.

C.

---

Interesting. Maybe something funny was going on when the blocked buyer was messaging me. The buyer that I mentioned earlier, who had messaged me when I had messages off, was able to message me immediately after purchase, which to me is essentially the same thing as messaging me at checkout.

Anyways not sure what kind of technical things are going on. Maybe the blocked buyer was able to message me because they opened an INR case? That might have been it.

---

Could it be something like "within 15 days" like you have that link for an email address (which is just some convoluted eBay thing). I actually have a rule of capturing the Sales Record within 15 days just to get that info, the email address works after 15 days... but they don't share it after 15 days.

Another poster just posted this was tested, but I don't suppose anyone tested it right after making a purchase. If I knew for sure they could message me because they'd purchase, I'd block pre-emptively. I'm not keen on selling people who's first action is to file an INR when an item is one day late, but in the event of it being a misunderstanding that later gets sorted out, I'd be willing to sell to that person again.

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

Can you get a negative feedback deleted if buyer states he got blocked from future purchases...a lot of buyers have done that.

I would wait until that 60 day period and then block them.

Some buyers open a claim and never contact the seller...it's rather rampart here.

I blocked Israel because it's not enough time for deliveries to the ongoing mess there.

And of course with 'freight forward' we do not get enough of time for deliveries.

Sure, we are covered but the time, my time responding to 'where is my item' is taken away by no safeguards of having to rest assure the buyer that the package will get there. Buyer only sees 'estimated time of delivery' to Delaware or Florida...not estimated time to Colombia or Kazakhstan. But there is no profit in correcting these problems.

---

In the case of this INR, I didn't block him yet... I'm thinking his letter will arrive this weekend or early next week, and if he's honest (which would make me willing to deal with him again), he might contact me to tell me it's arrived and asked how to repay. I had one buyer mail me a $5 USD bill for their postcard that got delivered a few days late (and she didn't have Paypal, but she had my address from my business card in the package).

C.

[dbfolks166mt]

@dbfolks166mt wrote:

     You are in Canada and given the current postal strike it's hard to say when this will ever be delivered. The only carrier that I am aware of that is currently delivering into or out of Canada is UPS. Why would you block this buyer you should be protected from the INR as long as you respond to the INR? However, as long as the strike continues you risk a WHOLE lot of other INR's as long as you keep selling. Looking at your items the projected delivery dates are still showing as though there is no strike taking place. 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/Canada-Post-Strike-Update/ba-p/34781531 

I'm not selling or shipping anything to Canada. Canada is excluded from all my listings (except for the problem I had at the beginning of the strike when they didn't all update).

These are letters shipped from Niagara NY via ESE to locations in the US. They're covered by insurance if an INR is filed and I have to refund, but that's not the point. The point is I would like to be able to talk to the buyer if his package arrives before I file a claim (since I won't if they repay me), but not allow him to purchase again until I've decided I want to sell to him again. Usually if they file an INR and the package arrives a few days later (which is likely), they contact me about repayment. By blocking his messages I'm saying that I don't care about being repaid. From the buyer's perspective I've gotten his message and chosen to ignore it, which is not what's happening.

     I believe, but who knows with the new messaging changes, that even though you block a buyer they can still message you if it involves something you have sold to them or if you are working an issue with them. It would be new listings they attempted to contact you about.