How do I report and block an abusive Etsy buyer after canceling their order?

Hi! The quickest “best practice” on Etsy for an abusive buyer is: send one clear no-contact message, then stop replying entirely, mark any new messages from them as spam/report them, and contact Etsy Support so Trust & Safety can investigate and (if needed) restrict the buyer’s ability to message you.

Here’s the step-by-step I’d do:

1. Send ONE final boundary message (then don’t reply again)
   Keep it short and unemotional, like: “Do not contact me again.”
   This matters because Etsy specifically looks for you making it clear you want the contact to stop.

2. Report the messages the right way (Spam / inappropriate report)

• In Etsy Messages (on desktop is usually easiest), select the abusive thread/message and use Mark as Spam. This both reports it and should prevent them from continuing that same message thread.
• If you see an option like Report as inappropriate inside the message view, use that as well.

Important: even after you report/spam a conversation, you may still see email notifications about that thread depending on your notification settings, and sometimes messages can still appear (often routed differently). That’s why the next step matters.

1. Block them, but know the limitation
   Blocking (from their Etsy profile page) is still worth doing, but on Etsy it’s not a perfect “they can never interact with me again” button in every situation. It generally stops messaging/following, but if you’re still seeing messages come through (or they’re creating new accounts), you’ll need Etsy Support involved.

2. Escalate to Etsy Support (Trust & Safety) with specifics
   Go to Help → Contact support and report harassment/threats. When you contact them, include:

• That you canceled the order and the buyer is now sending repeated abusive/threatening messages
• That you already told them not to contact you again
• That you marked messages as spam/reported and blocked, but messages are still coming through
• Screenshots of the messages (especially anything threatening)

If there are threats of violence or doxxing-type threats, say that clearly in your support request—don’t downplay it.

1. Protect your shop (practical safety + account safety)

• Do not engage further. No explanations, no debating, no warnings. Engagement often escalates it.
• Keep everything on Etsy Messages (don’t move to email/text/social).
• Screenshot/record the messages as they come in (date/time visible if possible).
• If you feel personally unsafe or they’re making credible threats, contact local law enforcement. Etsy can review policy violations, but immediate safety threats shouldn’t wait on marketplace support.
• For future orders: if they manage to purchase again from a new account and you recognize the pattern, it’s fine to cancel/refund promptly (as long as you follow your shop policies and Etsy rules). You’re not required to continue a business relationship with someone who’s harassing you.

If you tell me whether you’re seeing the messages in your Etsy inbox, your email, or both, I can help you narrow down whether this is mainly a notification-settings issue vs. the buyer still being able to start new threads.