05-16-2021 06:27 AM
When a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced The Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act at the end of March 2021, it was well received as an effort to address the growing problem of illicit goods sold online. In its current form, however, provisions in the INFORM Consumers Act would disproportionately harm women, as they make up a significant proportion of individuals who own online stores and earn income on third-party platforms.
Under the INFORM Consumers Act, a third-party vendor would be classified as a high-volume seller if they "entered into 200 more…sales or transactions" in a twelve-month period on eCommerce sites such as Etsy, Amazon, or eBay. Once classified as a high-volume seller, sellers would be forced to provide consumers with their full name, business address, information as to whether the vendor manufactures, imports, or resells products. Additionally, vendors would be forced to provide the online eCommerce platform with verified bank account information, a government-issued photo I.D., a government-issued record verifying business information, and a business tax identification number. This information must be provided within two business days.
Failure to provide this information in the required timeframe would force eCommerce platforms to suspend stores, preventing them from making sales and earning additional income. The suspension would only be lifted once the owner provides the required information.
05-16-2021 06:43 AM
Has that act been passed into law yet or is it still in congress?
05-16-2021 06:48 AM
Still in congress, I think
05-16-2021 06:51 AM
...more control and tax from our government...
...will this also apply to the sellers in vintage category or occasional selling off family heritage on eBay...?
...wonder if everyone will bend over or just simply quitting...this is a killing job...!!!
05-16-2021 06:55 AM
Exactly -- although the Senate may pass legislation in its own chamber, that proposed bill must then move to the House of Representatives for approval. The House would probably make changes to the law and then vote upon it, at which point the abridged law would be sent back to the Senate for approval. If the Senate approves, the bill is sent to the President for either approval or veto.
On the other hand, if the original bill has been sent from the Senate to the House, and the House refuses to "take it up," the bill is dead, and does not become law.
Contact your representative in the House to find out the status of this bill.
05-16-2021 06:58 AM
05-16-2021 06:59 AM
WAR gets one day closer....Yes, the government is TYRANNICAL!!!!
05-16-2021 07:00 AM
@bbravo65 wrote:...more control and tax from our government...
...will this also apply to the sellers in vintage category or occasional selling off family heritage on eBay...?
It will apply to anyone selling more than 200 items and $5000 dollars worth of goods, so yes, closet cleaners will be hit with this law (if it passes in its present form).
05-16-2021 07:01 AM
You left out the "reconciliation" option which they like to use these days....and Clueless Joe will sign whatever they tell him to.
05-16-2021 07:09 AM
the id stipulations seem to be aimed at counterfeiters who can't be identified currently.........
05-16-2021 07:09 AM
...for sure my representative will vote "Yea" ...he a sheeple, he has been led by his party...and definitely his party craves for controlling and taxing...
05-16-2021 07:17 AM
I've bought from eBay UK sellers for donkey's years, and their names, addresses, etc., have always been shown in the listings.
=
05-16-2021 07:25 AM
@bbravo65 wrote:
...will this also apply to the sellers in vintage category or occasional selling off family heritage on eBay...?
I stand corrected in my previous response to this post. Sellers of used items are not bound by this act.
The text of the bill can be found here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3431/text
05-16-2021 07:32 AM
I predict ebay is not going to like this bill as it requires contact info for the seller in each listing, i.e. name, address, phone number and email. Ebay will see that requirement as an open invitation to take sales off ebay. There are some exceptions for small sellers that are just operating out of their homes but the email address requirement is not one of the exceptions.
Another requirement of the bill is for ebay to have a hotline phone number so that consumers can report suspicious listings. A lot of sellers may get hurt by this provision when competitors or angry buyers report them for allegedly selling counterfeits.
Amazon has already written a letter opposing the bill.
05-16-2021 07:36 AM
Isn't it ironic that Ebay is worried about contact info and taking sales off Ebay when all their recent changes have eliminated sellers anyway? This whole caving to Ayden on the "adult" categories is going to hit them hard I think....I don't think they thought this MP system through fully....which will all mean higher fees for everyone left.