
eBay lets sellers block buyers, but does it go far enough?
eBay states on its help page that it gives sellers control of who can buy from them through its Blocked Buyers list feature. According to the eBay help page:
"eBay sellers have control over who can bid on and buy their items. You can block individual buyers or set buyer requirements based on specific criteria."
"If you've had an issue with a buyer and don't want them to purchase or bid on your items, you can add them to your Blocked buyers list. They'll be unable to place bids or buy from you until you remove them from the list."
It also explains:
"You can also choose to block buyers based on certain criteria. For example, buyers living in a country you don't ship to, or buyers with excessive canceled orders because they didn't pay for items."
But sellers have long sought ways to share information about bad buyers so they don't have to wait to encounter them themselves - they can learn from the bad experiences other sellers have gone through.
One reader recently asked whether EcommerceBytes would consider hosting a list of suggested eBay Blocked Bidders. The explained their thinking, writing:
"To provide some measure of credibility, I would have eBay member ID, eBay item number, amount of transaction, and a reason the reporter blocked the member; ie. abused returns, malicious FB, and a few others, along with the eBay handle of the reporter, and EcommerceBytes handle if different."
That way, the reader explained, "Anyone looking at the list can take reports with the appropriate grain of salt. Let's see if we can help others avoid unpleasant dealings with these assorted low-lifes."
eBay is in a far better position than we are to evaluate buyers and determine their worthiness to conduct business on its marketplace.
How well do you think eBay does in suspending buyers who cause problems by not paying or engaging in bad behavior? What solution would you offer to sellers to avoid bad buyers?