When you block someone on Facebook, it limits their ability to see your profile and interact with you. However, there are some Facebook features that a blocked person may still be able to access, depending on your privacy settings.
Quick Answer
A blocked person cannot see your Facebook Marketplace listings or interact with you on Marketplace. However, if your Marketplace privacy settings allow it, a blocked person may still be able to view your Marketplace listings as a guest.
Can a Blocked Person See Your Marketplace Listings?
When you block someone on Facebook, you completely block them from interacting with you on Facebook Marketplace. This means a blocked person cannot:
- See your Marketplace seller profile
- Message you about your Marketplace listings
- Make offers or purchase your Marketplace listings
- Leave reviews about transactions with you on Marketplace
So a blocked person has no direct access to interact with you or your listings on Marketplace in any way.
What About Your Marketplace Privacy Settings?
However, your Facebook Marketplace privacy settings also come into play here. Marketplace has a “Hide your listings” privacy option.
If you turn on “Hide your listings”:
- Only people who are connected to you as friends on Facebook can view your Marketplace listings.
- A blocked person definitely cannot see your listings, since they are not your Facebook friend.
But if you turn off “Hide your listings”:
- Anyone can view your listings as a “guest”, without being logged into Facebook.
- This may allow a blocked person to browse and view your listings anonymously as a guest.
So if you choose to make your Marketplace listings public, a blocked person may still be able to view them, but won’t be able to interact with you at all.
What Can a Blocked Person See on Your Facebook Profile?
Now that we’ve covered Marketplace, what exactly can a blocked person see from your general Facebook profile and activity?
When you block someone on Facebook:
- They can no longer see things you post on your profile, including posts, photos and videos.
- They won’t see you listed as a friend or follower.
- They can’t start a conversation with you or interact in groups.
However, a blocked person may still be able to:
- See and comment on posts made publicly by others where you are tagged.
- See some information about you if viewing posts you made in the past.
- See posts you made in groups if the group has open membership.
So blocking prevents direct interaction, but some indirect visibility is still possible depending on your privacy settings.
How to Customize Your Privacy Settings
You can customize your Facebook profile and Marketplace privacy settings to limit what a blocked person (or anyone else) can see. Here are some tips:
- Adjust your privacy settings for posts, photos, videos and more. Make things visible to “friends only”.
- Limit old posts. Change the audience of previous posts to “friends only”.
- Review tags. Remove tags that add visibility from public posts by others.
- Leave public groups. Exit any open membership groups you’ve joined.
Taking steps like these helps minimize what someone blocked can indirectly see from your profile and activity.
What Happens When You Block Someone on Marketplace?
Looking specifically at Marketplace, here is exactly what happens when you block another user:
- They can no longer message you about your listings.
- They won’t see your profile picture or seller rating.
- Your listings won’t show up in their Marketplace feed.
- They can’t submit offers or purchase from you.
And as mentioned before, if you hide your listings, they cannot view them at all. If your listings are public, they may be able to see them anonymously, but cannot interact.
Blocking Buyers on Marketplace
If you block a buyer on Marketplace:
- Their offer history and any open orders with you are canceled.
- They can no longer purchase your listings.
- You can issue a refund for any completed orders.
So blocking completely cuts off a buyer’s access to your Marketplace activity.
Blocking Sellers on Marketplace
If you block a seller on Marketplace:
- You won’t see their listings or seller profile.
- You can no longer make offers or purchases from them.
- Your offer history and any open orders with them are canceled.
Again, this completely eliminates any Marketplace interaction between you and that seller.
Can You Unblock Someone on Marketplace?
If you change your mind after blocking someone on Facebook or Marketplace, you can unblock them to restore interaction.
To unblock someone:
- Go to your Facebook Settings.
- Select “Blocking” from the left menu.
- Select “Unblock” next to the person’s name.
This will remove the block and allow normal Marketplace communication again. Any open offers or orders canceled due to blocking may not automatically be restored, however.
Things to Consider Before Unblocking
Before unblocking someone on Marketplace, consider:
- Why you blocked them originally – is the issue now resolved?
- Whether they are likely to behave differently moving forward.
- If limited interaction is better, keep them blocked.
Unblocking restores complete access, so evaluate if that’s the right move.
Can You Block Someone Who Hasn’t Contacted You?
On Facebook Marketplace, you can block any user, even if they haven’t directly interacted with you before. This may be useful in some cases, like:
- Blocking someone behaving inappropriately in Marketplace groups.
- Preventing contact from someone you know but don’t want to interact with.
- Blocking someone who keeps viewing but not buying your listings.
To block a user you haven’t interacted with:
- Visit their Facebook profile.
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Select “Block” from the dropdown menu.
This will block them from contacting you or transacting with you on Marketplace or Facebook.
When Is Pre-Emptive Blocking Justified?
Some situations where pre-emptive blocking could be reasonable:
- You feel harassed or unsafe due to their behavior.
- They violated Marketplace policies in interactions with others.
- You ended a real-life relationship and don’t want further contact.
However, blocking without a direct interaction should be used cautiously and intentionally.
Can You See a Blocked Person’s Marketplace Listings?
Blocking someone on Facebook is not reciprocal. So if Person A blocks Person B:
- Person A cannot see Person B’s activity and listings.
- But Person B can still see Person A’s public activity and listings.
This one-sided nature of blocking applies on Facebook Marketplace as well.
So if you block someone on Marketplace, you will no longer see their:
- Marketplace seller profile
- Listings in Marketplace feeds
- Posts in Marketplace groups
However, they can still see your public listings or posts unless you also hide your listings or leave groups.
Why Blocking Is Not Reciprocal
Blocking is one-sided because the goal is to protect the blocker, not punish the blocked user. Some reasons blocking only restricts the blocker’s experience:
- Lets the blocker avoid unwanted interaction or harassment.
- Avoids retaliation if the blocked person knows they are blocked.
- Allows the blocker to control their interactions.
Making blocking reciprocal could undermine these protections.
Pros and Cons of Blocking on Marketplace
Blocking has some potential advantages but also drawbacks to consider:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Stops unwanted communication from a buyer or seller | Cannot complete open transactions with a blocked buyer |
| Prevents harassment from someone behaving inappropriately | Reduces visibility of your public listings to blocked users |
| Lets you avoid interacting with certain people | Can block customers unintentionally if done rashly |
| Removes access of someone violating Marketplace rules | Does not prevent indirect interactions like viewing your public posts |
| Easy to undo if you change your mind | Blocking without contacting first can seem extreme |
In many cases, the benefits of blocking outweigh the limitations. But consider these tradeoffs when deciding whether to block.
Conclusion
Blocking on Facebook Marketplace cuts off direct interactions in both directions:
- You cannot see or transact with a blocked user’s Marketplace activity.
- They cannot contact you, view your private listings, or purchase from you.
However, your privacy settings determine if a blocked person can still view your public listings anonymously. And some indirect visibility of your profile is still possible.
Blocking is a useful tool to control unwanted Marketplace interactions. But use it thoughtfully, as it also limits your exposure to blocked users.
With Facebook Marketplace’s growth, blocking problematic users is becoming more common. Understanding exactly how blocking works allows you to use it effectively as both a buyer and a seller.
Fortunately, if used well, blocking can help improve your overall Marketplace experience by eliminating unwanted interactions. The benefits usually outweigh the downsides when handled appropriately in situations involving harassment, policy violations or inappropriate contact.