eBay Seller Asks to Share Blocked Bidder Lists

by: Marie

Anne

This has been asked many times over the years.  Here are just a few of the problems that can come from a site such as you suggest.

Who is going to create it?

Who is going to manage it?

There are around 80 million Ebay members.  Not sure how many are sellers, but I'd bet quite a few.  With that many members, chances of you having a buyer in common is remote.

Who is going to police it?  Meaning just because someone says a member is a bad member, does that really make them a bad member?

It is ripe for competitors to come and damage each other.  Or even just other members that want to hurt someone else.  If it is just open so everyone can post whatever they want, lots of innocent people will potentially get hurt.

You can only have about 5K in members on your BBL.  With over 80 million members, coming up with 5k bad buyers would happen pretty quickly.

How would you determine who should and shouldn't be on your BBL.

And no, I don't think you could get a responsible seller to publish their BBL.  It wouldn't do you any good anyways as it isn't likely you would have a buyer in common unless you are selling the exact same stuff.  And then that would beg the question as why your competitor would want to give you such information.

While certainly not a perfect solution, it will help if you set your Buyer Requirements to the strictest possible which is 2 in 12 for unpaid strikes.  IF other sellers file their UIDs when appropriate this block can really help.

In the Buyer requirements area on your Site Preference there is a report you can view too.  It is good for the past 60 days and will tell you how many buyers were blocked from purchasing your stuff due to the requirements you have set.

Good Luck.

by: Puck

Such a list would be, at the very least, problematic.

by: FREDDY

I'm sure ebay corp would love the list and those selling, adding and buying such a list.

by: kathy

I'm not sure if it's still there, but there was such a page, or group, on Facebook.

by: doboy

Anne:  

Yes, there is a Santa Clause.  My blocked bidders are here as well as many others.  Let your mouse do the walking on this site.

http://ebaybuyerblacklist.blogspot.com/2008/01/bad-buyer-
blacklist.html

by: cobalt50

There are a couple of places on FaceBook where people put bidders who have been blocked.

by: iheartjacksparrow

@Anne - The list already exists. Just Google or Bing "ebay bad buyer list" and a bunch of sites come up where sellers can report bad buyers. I haven't checked out each site, but you might find one that is better, or more complete, than others. So there are sellers who feel the same as you and are trying to get the word out.  

by: Anonymous Annie

Back when I was selling on eBay, I had also considered copying other people's BBL's.

Unfortunately, that's not a very practical solution (considering the fact that our personal BBL's have a limit of how many names can be included).

Also, the blocked buyers from one category (say, video games) are not at all likely to be buying from the category that I sold in... so why would I want to bother adding them?

So, instead, eBay had forced me into being exceedingly paranoid and suspicious of just about everyone. --- And frankly, that's no way to run a business... WHO HAS TIME to go around researching the background of every person who bids or asks a question?

For the most part, my BBL included people who were previous PITA's... or who asked questions that appeared to be overly-picky, or who seemed to be setting-up or creating a situation where they could claim SNAD.

In time, I figured out that the BBL was pretty much useless in protecting me from people that I had not dealt with before. Instead, it was little more than a ''go away don't bother me again'' list to avoid repeat-offenders.

Once again, I had to ask myself ''is this any way to run a business?''

Yes, an online merchant needs to take normal precautions against fraud... but if you're in a venue where fraud and scammers are MORE PREVALENT than you'd find in the ''outside world''... why stay at that venue?

To my great delight, I've discovered that the outside-world is not at all like the world within the eBay walls! People are nicer... more forgiving... courteous... communicative... willing to resolve issues rather than demanding a refund AND keeping the item.

eBay was a great teacher for me... I learned a lot of things about customer service and communication (and those things do apply to the real-world of online selling). But after leaving eBay, I learned that I don't need to live in constant fear and paranoid of every customer.

I actually LOOK FORWARD to answering customer's questions... I now see every question as a POTENTIAL SALE (rather than feeling the need to try and analyze their every word... looking for any nuances that would suggest it's a rip-off artist).

Life is good! Sales are good! I'm a much more relaxed and contented person without eBay in my life!

(I guess I'll always hold a grudge, and I'll always be resentful of what eBay has become. I must work on that... it's not good to hold grudges. Maybe one day I can let go of my anger... but I'll never forgive JD for what he did to eBay. Never.)

by: go-figure

@Annie - Well said!

by: joshua

Although I can not leave negative feedback for a buyer. eBay could easily do this. On the first Unpaid Item eBay leaves a Neutral feedback ''eBay notes one Unpaid Item''. On the second eBay leaves a Negative feedback ''eBay notes two Unpaid Items''. This would give visible consequences for their actions. I have reviewed my unpaid items. Many of the nonpayers still have 100% feedback rating and are receiving great feedback.

by: comet

@ANNIE===PERFECT as ever!!!!

@JOSHUA--

There is NO way for a buyer to EVER  HAVE anything LESS than perfect feedback--this is the sad state of affairs created by ebay to "boost"  these deadbeats self esteem.  

Now that said--MOST buyers are fine.  Even the ones that dare to ask a question!  (Or eat a peach!)  Most questions I get are reasonable say I for got a measurement or they want to see what postage is to Australia.  However it is the ones that do get a bit toooo picky about what nuance shade of teal IS that widget that set my alarm bells off.  Or the how LONG will it take to get my widget to Ulan Bator and can you ship that before I bid on it and oh yeah for FREE too please????  Now THOSE kinda potential "buyers" NO ONE has time for.  

I have just a few moments ago filed a NPB case against a bidder form Australia--the FIRST one I have ever had to file against an Aussie!!!---I had a spare phone case that is ONLY being sold from Hong Kong (Iron Man)  and offered it as the only one actually available FROM The USA.  Which it is!  This guy asked a legit question on my photo--I did NOT "steal"  the orig sellers pic!!!!---but did NOT tell me he wanted this shipped to Australia!

Now I suspect he got a bit of "sticker shock"  when he saw what the "Ebay Approved Shipping Method"  will COST to ship this.  I also noticed that he bought phone cases from the SAME SELLER IN HING KING!!!!   Now that seller has opted (since I bought mine!)  to make their items PRIVATE.  So I don't know what the deal is there.  

Now--will I be able to tell the world that this guy is in fact a DEADBEAT???   Heck NO

IS that RIGHT????   Heck NO

Should this be ALLOWED by ebay?  H. E. Double hockey sticks NO

Write your Congressperson;  your Senators;  your local City Councilperson;  call the Press!!!---this has to STOP!  

by: ebay refugee camp

Ebay is a haven for shoplifters and it will only get worse. The reason why is number one ebay gets its fees first even if buyers do not pay.
Number two is the 100 buyer satisfaction guarantee that they can offer buyers and do payment holds through their forced paypal payment system.
Number 3 is the report a buyer policy that ebay had, forget it they are not investigated buyers that I have reported and these buyers are filing cases or leaving negatives non-stop. One is using a false name ebay has done nothing months after this was  reported by phone to ebay's customer service.
The site is like a mine field for sellers now, it is very stressful and as each day goes by another bad buyer crops up, I did not have these problems before but now it is happening frequently and we have to fight them off. We have used ebay's p[olicy to win cases but it is time consuming hours on the phone with multiple CSR reps. I am busy, my time is valuable but here I am suppoting a CEO's bonus check.
The whole site has become a joke, if it were not for paypal JD would have been fired, I have no doubt about that.
The deceptive and unethical business practices of this company are off the charts and when are the lawmakers in our country going to stop this massacre of honest small business owners?
If you have not complained to your state's attorney general do so today.
Contact your represative AND ASK THEM WHY THIS COMPANY HAS NOT BEEN SLAPPED WITH RICO VIOLATIONS.

by: Henry

Annie your comments are well stated and I applaud you. Forgiving is one thing - which we all should do - forgetting is another.

Like you, I have often suggested that eBay can and should leave buyers neutral and negative feedback. It should be done for NPBs, abuse of the feedback system, improper filing of a case, etc.

eBay is not going to do this because of the fear it would drive other buyers away from the platform. Unfortunately they have found other ways to drive buyers away - bad search function being the most prevelant.

by: LAbay

I do my own search for bad eBay buyers from time-to-time.  I often read other sellers feedback in my category. I find the negatives and determine if the buyer was reasonable in giving the negative feedback.  If the buyer's expectations were ridiculous or vindictive, then they go on my block list.  If the seller gave full refund and the buyer gave a neutral or negative feedback, the buyer goes on my blocked list. Buyers do need to face some consequences for leaving bad feedback when treated fairly.

by: auctionguy

Unfortunately, ebay has fostered an environment where it is easy for buyers to take advantage of sellers through extortion and lying, so that the buyer can get a full refund and sometimes not even have to return the item. Ebay has supported this theft of product. You wouldn't be able to get a refund from Walmart by calling the store after you got home, telling them you weren't satisfied with their product, and have them issue you a refund without returning the item. On ebay, you can. Ebay is so gung-ho on supporting buyers and not doing anything to alienate buyers that they have set up the ideal system for buyers to scam sellers. Sellers be damned! Big Boss ebay will issue a refund when the buyer knows which strings to pull.

Ebay will actually cancel a buyer's registration, but only in extreme cases of multiple violations. I had one buyer that claimed a new item was not new and not usable. I even had a witness that helped inspect and pack it for shipment, and verified it was in new condition and perfect condition. I offered a full refund if the buyer returned the item. I never got it back. Two months later the buyer filed a chargeback through their credit card company for a refund, saying someone had used their credit card without authorization. Ebay covered me under seller protection. I had previously checked on other purchases by that buyer in the same time frame. There were about a dozen other purchases. Ebay wouldn't tell me, but I suspect the buyer filed chargebacks on all purchases. That buyer is now NARU on ebay. I hope ebay investigated and pressed fraud charges on this buyer, but I would guess they didn't. If the value of the items was over $500, it might have been a felony. In the state I live in, it would have been a felony, as I found out when getting a bad check for items I sold through another venue. That person ended up in jail and paying full restitution.

Fortunately, these cases are infrequent. However, ebay profits from these through the seller fees, and the sellers lose time and money, and sometimes the product, too. Sellers may lose Top Rated Seller status, often through no fault of their own (e.g. negative FB and low DSRs for an item the buyer received a full refund for), and ebay profits through higher seller fees. Some sellers have also been canned by ebay for too many low ratings, possibly through no fault of their own. This is one of the main reasons many of us sellers have already left ebay or are in the process of transferring over to selling through other venues. This, along with other anti-seller tactics being set up by ebay (ever-increasing fees, unfair feedback and DSRs, refunds (and paying for shipping both ways for returns when the buyer doesn't like an item - shouldn't the buyer bear some of the burden for this???), global shipping, the new ''Can't see me'' Cassini search where sellers listings might not even show up in search results for prospective buyers, etc.) could be the beginning of the death spiral for ebay. JD is gradually making changes that are gradually pushing the small sellers, many of whom made ebay what it is today (or was a few years ago, not the decrepit state it is today, thanks to JD), away from ebay so ebay can be more like amazon, but consisting mainly of Chinese sellers that sell high volumes of low quality products at low prices. They don't want the one-of-a-kind, unique, collectible, or hard-to-find items any more. Ebay's loss = gain for other venues.

by: MJRock

Add me to the long list of sellers who have been extorted by buyers.  

For example, I check the feedback left by each buyer when they purchase from me.  Had a buyer that was notorious for leaving negative feedback or rude comments, so I KNEW I would have problems with him.  In Gmail, you can label individual emails, and I have a label called "NEGATIVE WATCH" to remind me of potential problem buyers.  He of course received that label . . .  

His item shipped in one day, he received in two, and sure enough, he IMMEDIATELY contacted me about a "problem" with the BRAND NEW ITEM, that I know had zero defects.  He sent a very long message about how the item was "wrong" and that I would get what's coming to me.  

Needless to say, I've dealt with customers like this before (this is eBay we are dealing with).  So I DID NOT request pictures from him for prove of his "issue", DID NOT request he return, and wrote him a kind email response, gave him a FULL REFUND, and wished him well.  

Most of the time this takes care of the problem, and I have been able to keep 100% positive feedback, because lets face it, you have to give into buyers "shoplifting" techniques or they will DESTROY your eBay business.

Well, giving the refund did not work this time.  Received 5 or 6 hateful messages from the buyer, he was obviously delusional or psychotic or both. Received zero stars across the board and a negative feedback.

I'm VERY thankful for the BLOCK LIST, I'm just worried eBay will get rid of it.  WHY?  Because anymore I block as many potential buyers as I have sells in a week.  If someone asks a question that is covered in the listing, BLOCKED.  If someone whines about price, BLOCKED.  If someone asks a legitimate question, and they do not leave nice feedback for other sellers, or have a habit of leaving negative feedback, BLOCKED!

Honestly, I wish there was a way to screen buyers BEFORE they purchased, BECAUSE I CRINGE EVERY TIME I SELL SOMETHING ON EBAY!

by: cherrypieandroses

Check file tab at top of page plus follow posts.

by: tb

Personally I think everyone freaks out a little too much from a neutral or negative.

Anne: You said you were sad because this lady had a 97% feedback and that was why nobody was buying her sweater.  I just don't think that's the case. In my world 97% of anything is A+ excellent. One negative is nothing to worry about (unless she's only had like 10 sales). It's more likely that her sweater didn't sell because the buyers have dried up on eBay. Simple as that.

by: MJRock

@ TB

In the sane world, yes 97% or even 90% is still a grade A.

However in the insane world of eBay, if you fall below 98% feedback you are grade F failing, and you can pretty much kiss your eBay business goodbye.

by: auctionguy

Yes, 1 or 2 bad buyers can destroy your business, through no fault of your own.