How to block a customer on Shopify
Updated · 4 min read
Shopify has no button that blocks a customer. You can disable their account or cancel their order, but both happen after they checked out. To stop the order before payment, you block the details they have to type at checkout.
The six things you can block
| Block by | Catches | Leaks when |
|---|---|---|
| The exact address from the bad order | They create a new free address | |
| Phone | Their real contact number | The field is optional and left blank |
| Address | Where the parcel must arrive | They ship to a locker or reshipper |
| Name | Checkouts under that exact name | The name is common, or invented |
| Customer account | Orders placed while signed in | They check out as a guest |
| Customer tag | Everyone carrying the tag, in one rule | No customer record is matched |
Read them as layers. Any single one can be replaced. Replacing three at once, while still receiving the parcel, is a different problem.
Create your first rules
- Open the problem order in Shopify admin. Copy the email, phone and shipping address.
- Install Chargeback Blacklist and open it from the admin sidebar.
- Add one rule per detail. For the address, tick the fields that must match — street plus ZIP is a good default.
- Test it: start a checkout with the blocked email. You should see the generic error and no order in admin.
Screenshot placeholder: Shopify checkout showing a generic 'unable to process your order' error.
They will try again with new details
This is the part that matters. A rule blocks one detail, and the obvious next move is a fresh Gmail address. So when a checkout is blocked, the app also bans the device fingerprint and IP address behind it. The retry fails even though every field on the form is new. Getting through means changing the details and the browser and the network — which is where nearly everyone gives up. Here is the honest version, including what still gets through.
Blocking people who haven't hit you yet
Every rule above needs the damage to have already happened to you. The community blacklist is the exception: emails and phone numbers reported by multiple stores are checked at checkout, and you set how many reports are required before a block. It is the only method that stops a serial chargebacker on their first visit.
Add the email, phone and address from your last bad order. The next matching checkout stops before payment, and the device behind it gets banned automatically.
Install Chargeback BlacklistFour mistakes to avoid
- Blocking only the email. Cheapest field in the world to replace.
- Blocking a common name. You will eventually stop a paying customer who never tells you.
- Blocking a whole ZIP code after one bad order. Narrow first, widen on evidence.
- Deleting the customer account. They can still check out as a guest.
Plan note: checkout blocking runs on Shopify Advanced and Shopify Plus stores.
FAQ
- Can you block a customer on Shopify without an app?
- Not before the order is placed. Shopify lets you disable a customer account or cancel an order after the fact, but neither stops checkout. Blocking before payment requires a checkout validation app.
- Does the customer know they were blocked?
- No. Checkout shows a generic message saying the order cannot be processed. It does not mention a blocklist or name the detail that matched.
- What if they come back with a different email?
- The first blocked checkout also bans the device fingerprint and IP address behind it, so the next attempt from that browser fails even with brand new details.
- Which method should I start with?
- Block the email, phone and shipping address from the bad order. Three rules, about two minutes.