How To Block Someone On Etsy: Step-By-Step Guide + Tips (2024)
You might be here because you’re wondering how to block someone on Etsy.
It could be a nasty customer or someone unkind to you on the platform.
I mean, you guys know that my go-to solution for anyone who is rude to me is BLOCK O’ CLOCK!
I don’t need that negative energy in my life and neither do you, my friend!
So, rest assured – I’ve been in your shoes before, and I’ve also wondered the same — can you block someone on Etsy, and what happens when you block someone on Etsy?
You see,I helped my sister set up her Etsy shop and we are learning together how to sell other products on Etsy! You can check out her shop here!
We realized there are lots of rude weirdoes out there, so we had to learn how to block people on etsy asap !
The great news is that you CAN block someone on Etsy.
Knowing how do you block someone on Etsy is as simple as going to their profile page, clicking on the Block word on their profile, and that’s it!
But bear in mind that when you block someone, it doesn’t restrict them from contacting you or buying from your shop.
It simply prevents them from following you and seeing your personal account activity.
You might then wonder how to block someone from messaging you on Etsy.
Read on to find out!
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Note: If you are super busy and you want to start making money selling on Etsy fast, you can check out this Etsy course. It will help to step up your Etsy game and start earning within 3 months!
Alternatively, you can also check out this free Etsy Ebook that will share a list of best-selling products by month and teach you how to capitalize on seasonal trends to make sales.
Step-By-Step Guide On How To Block Someone On Etsy
If you’re here because you want to know how do I block someone on Etsy, here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how to do so:
- Go to the person’s Etsy profile page
- Scroll right to the bottom
- Look for a link or button that states “block”
And that’s it. That person is now blocked from following you and seeing your personal activity and your product announcements.
They’ll not know that you’ve done this as they would not get a notification.
However, the person can still message you.
That said, whenever they message you, their messages will go into your spam folder. So, hopefully, out of sight, out of mind?
If it is a very serious case where you were being threatened or harassed by someone on Etsy, however, you can write to Etsy Support and ask them if they can prevent this person from contacting you.
Other Steps To Take After You Block Someone On Etsy
While you might think that blocking someone on Etsy doesn’t do much, there are other steps you can take to protect yourself as a seller on Etsy.
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself against some buyers who may be unkind or border on harassment:
- If their messages still appear in your Inbox, mark their messages as spam so they do not appear.
- Contact Etsy Support with screenshots and evidence of the harassment if it is severe.
- You can choose to refuse the sale if the customer is persistent and tries to buy from you. You can do this by canceling the order, refunding, and selecting the reason ‘seller refuses sale’.
- If they follow you on other social media networks like Instagram or Facebook, block them there so they cannot harass you on those platforms.
- If you want to pre-empt or prevent bad buyers, you can make it clear in your Etsy message to buyers that you reserve the right to decline sales to anyone in the event of a dispute or improper behavior.
If I Block Someone On Etsy, Can They Still See My Shop?
Yes, if you block someone on Etsy, they can still see your shop activity and purchase from your shop. It will not stop them from coming to your shop or contacting you via Etsy messages.
If you block someone, it simply means that they cannot follow you anymore and see your personal activity updates or see your product updates.
Unfortunately, Etsy isn’t like social media networks where you can just block someone and not have them find your profile.
Tips On How To Deal With Bad Customers On Etsy
As someone who has run an Etsy shop before and also my own online shop on this blog, I have my fair share of bad customers.
Here’s how I deal with bad customers on Etsy or my own blog and online store:
- I stay cool
- I avoid cursing — don’t stoop to their level. Go high when they go low.
- If they ask for a refund, I usually ask for a reason. If it is legitimate, I will issue the refund — no dramas.
- If they ask for a refund and their reason is unreasonable, I’ll refer them to my refund policy. If Karen still wants to kick up a huge fuss, I’ll employ the big old ‘block’ button and ignore their subsequent messages.
- If I’m in the wrong, I will acknowledge my mistake, but I will not stand for the customer being unkind to me and will also block them if the need arises.
- If they try to make another sale, refuse it on all accounts — you are the shop owner, and you have the right to decide who you want to make a sale to.
If you don’t even want to deal with bad buyers at all, I found this gem of a resource called Free Etsy Buyer Check, which details the past review history of your customers.
Use this if you have an inkling of a bad buyer from the get-go so you can decide whether or not to decline the sale or to message them preemptively.
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What Happens When You Report Someone On Etsy?
When you report someone on Etsy, someone from the team will be tasked to review your report.
They may then contact you to clarify the situation and determine if a violation was made.
Etsy has also clarified that reporting is anonymous, and the person being reported will not know you have reported them.
FAQs On How To Block Someone On Etsy
How To Block Inappropriate Content On Etsy
Here’s how you can block inappropriate content on Etsy:
- Go to your profile page
- Click on ‘Account Settings’
- Go to the ‘Privacy’ tab
- Go to ‘Personalized advertising’ and untick the box
- Update your account settings
- Then clear your recently viewed listings to finalize your settings
Can I Block Someone From My Etsy Shop?
You can block someone on Etsy by going to their profile page and clicking on the block link at the bottom of the page.
However, when you block them, you’re not actually blocking them from your shop.
You’re simply blocking them from viewing your personal activity and product updates.
The person can still message you and view your shop when they go to your account on their own accord.
However, blocking them does eventually filter their message into your spam section.
If you’re adamant about blocking the person or if the person is harassing you, you may wish to report this to Etsy Support to escalate the situation.
How Do I Report An Abusive Seller On Etsy?
If you want to know how to report an abusive seller or report a listing that violates Etsy’s policies, you can report it to Etsy by going to report at the bottom of the listing or the shop.
You can choose to report a listing individually or report the whole shop by clicking ‘Report this shop’.
Here is also what Etsy recommends you do:
- Send the person a message to tell them you wish to cease communication and will not tolerate their abuse.
- Contact Etsy Support if the abusive behavior continues so that Etsy can look into the situation.
If you receive abusive messages and want it to not appear in your Etsy inbox, you can also take the following steps:
- Go to your messages
- Select the checkbox next to the unwanted messages
- Select ‘mark as spam’ for these messages
If the messages do not stop despite you doing this and you still feel harassed, do contact Etsy so they can look into the matter.
How Do You Report A Buyer On Etsy?
You cannot technically report a buyer on Etsy via any buttons. You can only report a shop or a listing.
However, if you are really displeased with the buyer’s behavior, you can report it directly to Etsy Support.
You can also block the buyer through their profile.
This will not stop them from contacting you, buying your items, or leaving a review on your shop. But it will stop them from seeing your activity.
It will also filter their messages to your spam, so hopefully, it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind.
Can You Find Out Who Reported You On Etsy?
No, you absolutely cannot find out who reported you on Etsy.
Anyone who files a report will be anonymized. Etsy will not reveal to you who had reported you on their platform.
You also do not know if they have opted to block you on Etsy.
It will be the same if you opt to do the same for another individual on Etsy — they do not know if you report them or block them.
Can You Delete Bad Reviews On Etsy?
The short answer to whether you can delete bad reviews on Etsy is no, you cannot do so.
You can only request to remove a review if it violates Etsy’s policies.
If you think that a review you’ve received potentially violates Etsy’s policies, you can choose to report it within 100 days.
However, if it doesn’t violate any policy, and you’re not sure how to go about it, here’s what you can consider doing:
- Apologize to the buyer if the fault lies on your end.
- See if you can reach a middle-ground with the buyer by offering a refund or resending the item and asking if they can amend their review if they are happy thereafter
- If you are certain you did not do anything wrong, you can choose to respond to the review publicly so that others visiting your shop can see why you may have received the bad review.
Want more tips on how to handle a negative review on Etsy?
I have a whole article here! Just remember to take a deep breath before you deal with a bad review.
One bad review isn’t the endgame for your shop — you can still fix it!
If You Block Someone On Etsy Can They Leave A Review?
Yes, if you block someone, they can still leave you a review on your shop.
However, if they leave you a bad review, you can choose to dispute it through Etsy or leave a reply to the bad review justifying the interactions.
If the review complies with Etsy’s policies, Etsy might not be able to do much, even if you report it to them or dispute it.
Another way you can prevent the buyer from leaving a review if you know the interaction is going south is to cancel the transaction.
The buyer can still leave a review within 48 hours, so adjust your shipping timeline such that they do not have a chance to leave a review after you’ve canceled their order.
I hope this article has helped you to know how to block someone on Etsy.
Being a seller on Etsy isn’t easy at all, and meeting bad customers is sometimes part and parcel of doing business.
Of course, there are ways to mitigate this, but most of the time, you just prevent meeting bad customers or even receiving bad reviews in the first place.
You can find out what I do to ensure a positive experience as a seller on Etsy by reading my seller tips here.
Or you can learn best practices from reputed Etsy sellers, so you reduce the risk of meeting nasty or unreasonable buyers.
Whatever you decide to do next about that nasty person on Etsy, I pray that you’ll never have to encounter any other nasty Karens on Etsy or anywhere in your everyday life!
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