@springyzone wrote:
What I would be interested to know is not so much how many blocks people have in place against individuals but how often these blocks have stopped that individual from making a repeat purchase. I realise the general blocks will filter out some bidders, but do sellers here find that their trouble makers try to return? I suppose some might, if only to get revenge/cause trouble. Just wondered how often it tended to happen.
The blocked bidder activity list doesn't show buyer IDs unless the reason they were blocked is inoccuous - eg if you don't post to a buyer's country and they try to buy, their ID will be shown, but if it's because they have UPI strikes, the log will show the attempt but disguise the ID. If a buyer on a BBL tries to purchase, it won't show in the log at all, so there's no way of knowing if they ever try to buy from you with that ID again.
Here's a story, though... (I know it's long, but I swear it has relevant information to your question 
) A couple of years ago, I had a buyer purchase an item and contact me after about 4 days to tell me the item hadn't arrived. I very politely explained it hadn't been enough time for delivery yet (the first ETA hadn't even passed, let alone the last one, eBay's MBG was in force so they couldn't actually open a dispute yet). I asked a couple of questions, like wanting to confirm the delivery address and so on, then asked them to wait until X date (another 4 days, including a weekend as the last ETA was on a Monday). I also advised what my protocol is if when an item doesn't arrive. I did not mention or offer a refund.
She sent back a messgae that didn't answer any of my questions, or points, and just said "yes, I would like a refund".
Instantly blocked.
Then, I realised she had bought another item already, before she messaged me about the "INR". Straight away I knew what had happened (newsflash to buyer who try to pull stunts like this, some sellers can be foolish, but this one aint stupid 
). The first item she had bought is quite difficult to use, it takes time and effort to hone your skills with the material, and requires specialised (i.e. more expensive) tools to work effectively. I mention this in the various listings I have for this product line. The second item she purchased is much easier and doesn't need such specialised tools. It seemed pretty obvious to me she had received the initial purchase, realised she didn't the skills and / or tools to use them, bought the easier one, and decided to just angle for a refund on the first purchase.
In one of her messages to me, after receiving the second purchse (which I sent registered), she asked a question about buying something else, I had to reply, and I advised further purchase was not going to be possible.
Oh boy, did that set things off. Cue a rant about how unfair that was etc etc etc. I told her outright that it was very unreasonable to ask for a refund on an "INR" that isn't even "due" to be delivered yet, and her response that she never would have asked for it if she'd known I'd block her because of it.
A short while later, several purchases are made and an invoice request comes through. Buyer's ID is new-ish, contains the original buyer's uncommon name, as did the first ID, address is identical to the blocked buyer's. That ID gets blocked, and I issue an invoice for the $20-odd purchases, but with $500 postage. I receive brief flurry of enraged messages, and threats to report me for fraud. I ignore.
Then a purchase for a similar product comes through, completely different (well-established) buyer ID. New buyer's name on file is completely different, but the delivery address is identical to the blocked buyer (again, I'm not stupid, lady). I call eBay, explain the situation completely, and they advise I can cancel this order. I also go into my buyer requirements and set up the block on unverified IDs, which I'd never had before (but kept until eBay removed the option 
). Meanwhile, another seller had found both my buyer and her friend on Facebook, so it was clear she had simply used her friend's ID to buy.
New buyer wants to know why I cancelled their order, I advised she is in breach of policy by using another account to purchase, advise that the order was cancelled on the advice of ebay's trust and safety team, and send them to eBay's policy page about circumventing blocks, and she legit tries to act confused, like just goes "huh? I don't know what your [sic] talking about, please just send the items to [different address than the one provided on the order]". I just say that for privacy reasons, I can't discuss the matter with her any further, and if she wants more information, to contact the trust and safety team herself.
So, I have one cancelled and refunded order, and several items I deliberately attempt to not ever even get paid for, under two separate IDs aside from the original.
Because I am a Power Seller, the buyer who paid had to wait 7 days to leave me a neg, but she certainly did, and the original buyer - having already left a positive on the first transaction, left a neg for the second she managed to sneak in. I went back into the invoice I'd sent for the unpaid items, unconbined them all, and instead sent several new invoiced with $200 postage each, because I realised that she could go in and uncombine herself, then pay the original postage ($3) on each one. Then I waited.
Unpaid item cases open and close on those, thus preventing any negs from those transactions - the invoicing thing was technically the "wrong" thing to do, but I'll be darned if I won't fight fire with fire, and it worked.
At this point, I also put all of the items they are targeting as "out of stock" (and left them that way for 3 months - which sucked because they were very popular items, one of them sold several times weekly).
I rang ebay, explained the entire situation again, and they immediately removed both negatives.
Then I checked my BBL - this *cough* person, had created a brand new ID, kept her uncommon name a part of it like her other two, and had attempted to purchase something again but got blocked due to being unverified. I added the new name to my BBL.
God, I miss that block.
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I love the window shopper....did she say who was going to pay the return postage once she had finished with the item?
