I knew someday this would happen...Did I say the right thing?

[bluerose9978]

I got a question today on eBay. That isn't at all unusual. But this was a question from a bidder wanting to know why I had blocked them when they hadn't even bought from me before, saying they always paid promptly. So that means I had blocked them as a result of someone else having dealt with them and having a bad experience.

I knew someday this would happen, but at first I wasn't sure what to say. Then I told her I was a member of a pony forum and that someone else had had a bad experience with her and she might be on several blocked lists. And then I told her that sellers on eBay aren't given very good protection, that sharing our experiences on the forums help us protect ourselves against buyers who like to leave undeserving negatives, neutrals, low stars and non-paying bidders. I also told her that I know it's a he said/she said situation, but because of eBay's lack of protection, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Did I say the right thing? I wasn't ready to be confronted by someone I had blocked.

[Dewprincess]

It sounds fair to me.  I know that if I'm blocking someone that I've not dealt with before, it's for a very good reason mentioned here in Trader Support.  Chances are that if she's blocked for that reason, she can figure out the reason why she was mentioned here.

[Sebby6]

You definitely said the right thing. Might even make her think twice before she does, whatever she did, again.
If she's really bothered about the item she'll tell you her side of the story and then you can make a decision based on that.

[ponylady]

I have had it happen before and my response was the same as yours.

I am sure you had a legit reason for them being on your list. I would just leave it as it is at this point and not engage in a full blown conversation. I think you were polite and informative and there is really nothing more to say.

Did you know though you can actually block folks, whom you have blocked from contacting you?  If not I suggest doing so and then that way you won't have to worry about this sort of awkward situation in the future.  Because no matter how bad whatever they did to make it to your blocked bidder list, it still makes you feel like a jerk for blocking them. 

[bluerose9978]

Did you know though you can actually block folks, whom you have blocked from contacting you?  If not I suggest doing so and then that way you won't have to worry about this sort of awkward situation in the future.  Because no matter how bad whatever they did to make it to your blocked bidder list, it still makes you feel like a jerk for blocking them. 

No, I didn't know this... How?

[ponylady]

Just go to your my ebay, account, site preferences, selling preferences, buyer requirements, edit, then scroll down and select the box that says "Don't allow blocked buyers to contact me. They will now not see the "Contact Seller" button on your Q&A page.

Hope that helps!

 

[Shenanigans]

I thought if the person was blocked then your listings wouldn't show up in their searches

[bluerose9978]

Thanks, Ponylady, I'll do that now!

Edit: I just went to that option and the box where it says don't allow blocked bidders to contact me was already checked!    I don't understand!!! So how did she contact me. I checked my blocked bidders list and she was definitely on it!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

*pony hugs*  Sometimes it is very awkward having to converse with people, especially when it's unexpected. 

[lunar_scythe]

She may have saved your email, since they said they bought from you before?

[bluerose9978]

No, she never bought from me before.

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[MikeysGrrrl]

Although I've never had a blocked buyer contact me before, I have been on the other side of this.

I was interested in some clothing by a seller in the US, they have really cute stuff. Anyways, I tried bidding and it wouldn't let me, I tried contacting them through ebay and it wouldn't let me. Then I tried to contact then and chose "other" as the option and it allowed me to message them.

Needless to say I did send a message asking why I was unable to purchase as I do have 100% positive feedback as a buyer and they responded by saying that they must've had a good reason to block me, although they never had any type of interaction with me, perhaps I had problems with another seller that they were friends with.

To be honest, that really ticked me off. In all the time that I've had my account and the 400+ transactions as a buyer, I've only ever had problems with 1 seller and it was the sellers fault, not mine, I was never rude to the seller, left positive feedback and everything.

I think that there is always a possibility that when someone is having problems with a buyer or seller that they may not give all of the details, or perhaps they make it sound far worse than it is because they are frustrated.

In any event, I did respond back politely stating that I appreciated their response and I was sorry that they weren't willing to give me a chance.

There are 2 sides to every story. That was the only reason I posted this, I just wanted to show how even someone with stellar feedback can wind up on someone's blocked list for pretty much no reason, or at least no reason that the seller can recall. *Clearly not in the pony community*

I am sorry that they contacted you and you felt uncomfortable and unsure as to how to respond to them. I would probably feel the same way if that happened to me. 

[bluerose9978]

I agree that there is always two sides to every story. And thank you for letting me know how there is ways around the contacting option. I reviewed her feedback left for others and also listened to what she has to say. And I decided to give her a chance. She is a pony collector so she can't be all bad and she seems super excited about bidding on a couple of my ponies. She only seemed to have had a problem with that one seller. And I have had problems with sellers and although I have only ever once left a negative, I can understand frustration.

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[Ringlets]

I think you did the right thing explaining to her about why she is blocked  
 Also its up to you if you want to give her a chance after weighing everything up -  I'm glad you checked out her feedback etc first and I hope that all goes well with your sale