How to ban a customer or an IP address
Block a customer from signing in, or an IP address from reaching the storefront, permanently or until a date — for fraud, abuse or harassment.
The Bans screen is two separate lists: blocked IP addresses and blocked customers. An IP ban cuts off access to the storefront — nobody from that address can use the site. A customer ban stops that account from signing in. They solve different problems: use an IP ban against someone who keeps opening fresh accounts, and a customer ban against a person whose account you know.
Before you start
- A panel account with permission to manage customers
- The IP address or customer record you want to block
- A decision on whether the ban is permanent or runs until a date
Steps
Screens are illustrative; the data in your own panel will differ.
Step 1: Open the Bans screen
Customers > Bans has two tabs: Banned IPs and Banned customers. Each row carries the Reason, the Banned date, the Expiry and the Status. The status filter switches between Active, Lifted, Expired and All — an expired ban is not deleted from the list, it stays as history.
BannedBans
Banned IPsBanned customersStatusActiveIP address Reason Banned Expiry Status 203.0.113.4 Fraudulent order attempts 28.08.2026 Permanent Active 198.51.100.9 Comment spam 12.08.2026 01.09.2026 Expired Bans — example view from the panel Step 2: Ban an IP address
On the Ban IP address form, enter the address — the panel shows the expected format. Reason is optional, but fill it in: months later, whoever looks at this row has no other way to know why it was blocked. For Duration pick Permanent or Until a date, and the second needs an expiry date.
Ban IP address
Block this IP from accessing the storefront.
IP address203.0.113.4ReasonFraudulent order attemptsDurationPermanentBan IPCancelBan IP address — example view from the panel Step 3: Take the shared-IP warning seriously
Before banning an IP the panel tells you how many customers use that address. Home broadband, an office network or a mobile carrier's IP can be shared by dozens of genuine customers, and blocking such an address blocks all of them. If the warning shows a number, a customer ban is usually the better tool.
Ban IP address
14 customers use this IP — they will be blocked too
This is your own IP
Ban my own IP anywayCancelBan IP address — example view from the panel Step 4: Ban a customer
You can Ban customer from the Banned customers tab or straight from the customer record. It blocks that customer from signing in; the account, its orders and its history are not deleted. A banned customer carries a Banned badge in the lists, so you see the situation immediately while looking at their orders.
Ban customer
Banned IPsBanned customersThis will restore access immediately.
ReasonRepeated fraudulent refund claimsDurationUntil a dateExpiry date01.12.2026Ban customerBan customer — example view from the panel Step 5: Lift a ban
For a mistaken ban or a situation that has resolved, use Lift in the Actions column. The panel says this will restore access immediately and asks you to confirm. A lifted ban is not deleted — it stays with the Lifted status, so you can see the history if the same person becomes a problem a second time.
Lift ban
This will restore access immediately.
Customer Reason Banned Expiry Status A. Yılmaz Repeated fraudulent refund claims 20.08.2026 01.12.2026 Active Lift banCancelLift ban — example view from the panel
Tips
Try a temporary ban first
A permanent ban is rarely the right first move. Until a date with a few weeks on it settles most situations and leaves a bad call without a permanent consequence. When it expires, access comes back on its own.
Always write the reason
Because Reason is optional it usually gets left blank. Months later whoever reads the list — quite possibly you — cannot tell why that IP was blocked, and either lifts it needlessly or keeps it needlessly.
Do not ban your own IP
The panel warns you when you are about to block your own address and makes you confirm separately. Do it anyway and you may lose access to your own storefront; when you see that warning, stop and think.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between an IP ban and a customer ban?
- An IP ban cuts off everyone coming from that address, signed-out visitors included. A customer ban only stops that account from signing in; the same person can still browse the site signed out, or with another account.
- What happens to a banned customer's orders?
- Nothing. The ban only blocks sign-in; the account, past orders, addresses and contact history stay exactly as they were. That is deliberate — you still need to work an order in progress or a refund that is under way.
- Why are expired bans still in the list?
- A past decision is information too. Rows with the Expired status let you see that a person or address has been a problem before. If you would rather not see them, set the status filter to Active.
- I banned an IP but the person still orders
- Their address has most likely changed: home and mobile connections rotate their IP regularly, so an IP ban does not hold a determined person for long. To block a specific person, a customer ban is the right tool.
Related plugins
This feature is included in every plan — no separate plugin needed.
Try it in a live demo
Real stores running this feature. Open one and click around.
Related guides
Approving and managing customer reviews
Read your product reviews under İçerik > Yorumlar, filter them by rating, and approve, hold or reject each one before it reaches the product page.
How to manage orders in the panel
Work the order list by status tab, filter down to the order you want, print shipping labels in bulk, and enter phone orders by hand.
Approving and resolving return requests
Set your return policy, find incoming requests on the order list's returns tab, inspect the goods line by line, then refund the money or open an exchange.