Account Suspended/Deactivated Incorrectly: System Demands SSN/ITIN for Non-U.S. Resident LLC (Have EIN & W-8BEN)
Summary: hynoraretail is facing issues with their eBay account being restricted due to a demand for an SSN or ITIN, despite being a non-U.S. resident with a U.S. LLC and having an EIN. Other participants suggest that the issue arises from the way the account was registered, indicating that correct setup requires registration from the user's actual location, Azerbaijan, not the U.S. They provide guidance on registering as an export seller and explain that a non-resident LLC owner cannot fulfill certain U.S. tax requirements without being a resident. hynoraretail is frustrated and seeking practical solutions, but responses indicate the need to align registration with international selling protocols.
Hello eBay Community,
I am reaching out to fellow sellers and moderators for advice or assistance, as I am completely stuck and unable to get help from customer support.
My eBay account has been restricted/deactivated, and I am facing a major verification issue:
The Problem: The system is incorrectly demanding an SSN or ITIN from me.
My Status: I am a citizen of Azerbaijan, living outside the U.S., and I own a remotely formed U.S. LLC. As a non-U.S. resident, I do not have (and am not eligible for) an SSN or ITIN. Instead, I have a valid company EIN (Employer Identification Number).
What I Submitted: I have already submitted my passport, proof of address, and a completed Form W-8BEN via the verification portal and emailed them to
Informationreporting@ebay.com.Support Issue: I cannot reach a human via live chat because the automated assistant only offers a phone callback option, which is not practical or working smoothly for my international situation.
My account remains deactivated, and my business is completely halted through no fault of my own. Has anyone experienced this issue as an international remote LLC owner? How can I get eBay to manually review my EIN and W-8BEN form instead of demanding an SSN?
Any guidance or help from eBay staff would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
kensgiftshop
·3 weeks agoIt is your fault, it shows you're registered in the US.
lacemaker3
·3 weeks ago · Edited@hynoraretail ,
"Has anyone experienced this issue as an international remote LLC owner?"
Yes, I have seen this issue reported many times, by other people who have mistakenly tried to set up business this way. They have also come here to ask for help, but unfortunately, none of them have been able to fix this and start to sell because this is not how you are supposed to sign up for an eBay selling account if you are not in the USA.
You don't need a non-resident LLC to sell on eBay. But you DO need to register correctly in the country where you live, as an export seller, with your correct address in your country.
Here are the instructions for signing up as an eBay export seller:
https://export.ebay.com/en/first-steps/how-to-create-seller-account/
This website has all the instructions and regulations for eBay export sellers:
https://export.ebay.com/en/
hynoraretail
OP3 weeks agoI will conduct all transactions on behalf of my business, not in my own name. And I can register on eBay and similar platforms using my company, which is legally registered in my name. This does not pose any problems.
albertabrightalberta
·3 weeks agoIf it doesn't pose any problems, why are you having problems? Why are you here asking questions?
lacemaker3
·3 weeks ago · Edited@hynoraretail , the problem is that you can get an LLC, but that doesn’t make you eligible for a work visa in the USA.
Unless you get a USA work visa, then you can own a non-resident LLC in the USA, but you are not legally allowed to operate it, run it, work for it, or “do transactions” for it.
You would have to be a completely passive owner, which is a legal term that means you can’t do anything in your LLC at all. (But then it wouldn’t make any money.)
If the registered address on the account is in the USA, that tells eBay that the owner/operator of the account lives in the USA. So you have to give proof that you are allowed to work in the USA (meaning you have to provide an SSN).
And, if you’re registering using a business setup of LLC/Sole Proprietor (which is by far the most common type on eBay), then the default tax structure for this is a pass-through entity, which means that all profits from the LLC are “passed through” to the owner of the LLC and are reported on their personal tax return to the IRS. (This applies to a business in the USA, and may not be relevant anywhere else.)
Obviously in this situation, the owner of the LLC has to provide their SSN so the income can be reported.
The online companies who tell you that you can get a non-resident LLC usually don’t explain this, or else they just mention it briefly and don’t tell you what it really means. (They wanted to take your money for setting up the LLC for you.)
Look up: “non-resident llc visa requirements”
TL/DR:
In order to operate or run an LLC in the USA, you have to have a work visa. And a person with a work visa in the USA can get an SSN.
redmodelt
·3 weeks agoGreat reply!
hynoraretail
OP5 days ago · EditedWhat I'm trying to say is that when I enter my company information—my location is Azerbaijan—I'm being asked for an SSN and an ITIN. I want to cancel this request, regardless of the fact that my location is Azerbaijan.
lacemaker3
·3 days ago · EditedWhen you register an eBay business account for an LLC, with the registered address in the USA, then you have to provide either an SSN or an ITIN for the business owner(s), so that the LLC income can be reported to the IRS. (An ITIN (or individual tax ID number) is for a person who needs to file US taxes, but is not eligible for an SSN.)
That is because of the way LLCs are taxed in the USA. LLCs are considered pass-through entities in the USA. That means that the income is passed through to the owner's personal tax returns. The income has to be reported to the IRS on the owner's personal form 1040, or on partnership tax forms, if there are multiple owners. So the owners have to provide either an SSN or an ITIN.
Just because some US states allow foreigners to have an LLC, does not mean that it is a good idea when Federal taxes come into the picture. If your country doesn't recognize an LLC as a pass-through entity, then you might end up with double taxation on the income. (And you would still have to provide either an SSN or an ITIN to eBay, so that the LLC income can be reported to the IRS.)
The only way to avoid providing an SSN or an ITIN is to register correctly using your registered address in Azerbaijan.
Why do you not want to register your business correctly as an export seller? (An export seller is one who sells on eBay.com, but is not resident in the USA.) This is the solution that eBay provides for sellers in your situation.
I provided these instructions for registering correctly a couple of weeks ago:
https://export.ebay.com/en/first-steps/how-to-create-seller-account/
janet9988
·3 weeks agoEveryone must give their ACCURATE personal information.
roccotacodad54
·3 weeks ago"Member since: Jul-19-26 in United States"
So you are misrepresenting your location and you want help to continue to do so ?.................?
hynoraretail
OP3 weeks agoNo, I’m not misrepresenting my status. My legal company is incorporated in the U.S. and only has an EIN number. However, during the registration process, they’re asking me for an SSN and an ITIN. By law, I don’t have either of those. I can’t connect with the eBay support team via chat or reach them by email. If you know of any email addresses, please let me know so you can help me.
redmodelt
·3 weeks ago · EditedYOU as the owner of the account are not located in the USA so as OWNER of the account you have to register on eBay with the country YOU are located in not where the warehouse/business is located. Not doing so is why the request for the needed information is coming up.
Because you are located in Azerbaijan you would need to register that as your location not where the business/warehouse is located then show the location they are shipped from when making the listing. Pretty much the same thing as many Chinese sellers, they are located in China but ship from USA located warehouses.
If your account was suspended, there is no coming back and at this point any accounts you try to open can/could be suspended too and you may need to find a different site to sell on.
Hope you do get this sorted out.
This question has come up before with pretty much the same wording so wonder if the OP has asked this before under a different username?
The people replying here are not eBay employees, we are other buyers and sellers that try and help and good chance that any that will see and respond don't have any international business experience, there a few.