How to Block a Buyer on Etsy?
As an online reseller, you have to deal with dozens of buyers every day. Most of your interactions will be unproblematic, but every now and then, there will be a buyer who will test your patience, and you'll want to block them. So, how to block a buyer on Etsy and keep your e-commerce business stress-free? Let's go over the things you can do to protect yourself as a seller on this popular marketplace platform.
Why Sellers Sometimes Need to Block Buyers
Online resellers work hard to build their e-commerce businesses from the ground up. This can sometimes mean endless conversations with potential buyers, and it's undoubtedly a job that requires a lot of patience. If you have an Etsy shop, you know this platform puts a lot of effort into ensuring that everybody is treated fairly - customer service is of utmost importance.
But what about sellers? What if they're the ones being treated poorly? The solution is the same as it would be on any online selling platform - blocking the unpleasant buyer. Sure, this could mean you don't make a sale, but we all know that your mental health is more important than one single deal. What are the circumstances under which you might consider blocking someone on Etsy? Usually, the reason is simply because a person is being rude to you.
Whether it's inappropriate messages or harassment, you shouldn't tolerate that. In other cases, you might find a user suspicious - their buying patterns or behavior could point to a scam, so you don't want to risk interacting with them. Lastly, the user could be leaving negative feedback repeatedly, which could affect your Etsy shop.
Things You Can Try Before Blocking a User
A kind word goes a long way - if a buyer is giving you trouble, the first thing to try is to kindly ask them to stop purchasing from you and messaging you. Note that you need to do this in a specific way - be very professional and pleasant, but also spin it in a way that will make it sound like the buyer isn't the problem.
Regardless of the situation, you have to make them believe that you simply can't provide them with what they need - and that it's in their best interest to look elsewhere. If they keep messaging you, you can report the messages as spam. If they keep ordering from your shop, you can simply cancel their orders.
How to Block a Buyer on Etsy?
As with most online platforms, blocking a user only takes a few quick steps. There is no limit on the number of users you can block on Etsy. If you've decided that this is the only way forward with the user in question, follow these steps to block their Etsy account:
- Go to the user's profile page,
- Find the Block button at the bottom left part of the screen,
- Click the button to block, and you're done.
What Does Block Option on Etsy Mean Exactly?
Now, there are a few things you should know about blocking on Etsy. It's not as efficient as most online resellers would want it to be. When you block a buyer, they are prevented from interacting with your profile or seeing any updates you post. Essentially, you can prevent them from following you, but they can still purchase items from your Etsy shop - and they can still send you messages.
This can be a problem if a buyer is too persistent, so sellers are recommended to simply mark any new unwanted messages as spam. Sellers can still see old messages with the blocked buyer unless they delete or archive them. If you want to learn more about this, take a look at the video below that talks about blocking on Etsy and what it truly means.
Will the User Know They're Blocked?
No, the buyer you've blocked won't be notified about that action. Etsy is very discreet about these things - maybe even too much, seeing as how blocked users can continue communication with the seller (meaning they likely have no idea you've blocked them).
What if Blocking Doesn't Help and the User Is Still Harassing You?
Let's say you've tried everything - you asked the buyer nicely to quit any interaction with you, you've blocked them, and the harassment still won't stop. Is there something else you can do? If all fails, the only thing that's left to do is contact Etsy - report a buyer who's harassing you.
Can You Unblock the User if You Change Your Mind?
The chances are that you won't find yourself unblocking buyers often, but in case you want to do this, it's good to know that you can. You can unblock a buyer if you change your mind (or if you've accidentally blocked someone) in a few simple steps. Return to their profile. At the bottom of the page where the Block button used to be, you'll see the Unblock button. Just click it, and the user will regain access to your profile.
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