The INFORM Consumers Act and keeping your identity private.. Sole Proprietor w/ DBA?

[noahs*arcade]

Long time seller here with an 'individual' account. Seeing as I run a store, seems like switching to a 'business' account isn't a big deal, however the reason I'm exploring it is in an attempt to keep my identity private when selling items. Currently buyers just see my store name and PO Box, however with the INFORM act going into place in the coming weeks, I believe 'by law' eBay will have to start listing my actual name on emails/invoices to buyers. If I register a DBA and switch my 'individual' account to a 'business' account and select 'No, I manage my business as a sole proprietor or owner,' will I be able to set my account to only display my DBA to users?  I have been operating as a 'sole proprietor' with my SSN for years and no plans to register as a business/obtain an EIN. Thank you!

[wes-4507]

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@dirk12955 wrote:

Much to do about nothing.    I've been selling on ebay for over 23 years and it never 

occurred to me to hide my identity.

Of course,   I'm old enough to remember when the phone would ring,   I'd pick it up and 

say Hello without knowing who was calling.  

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If you were selling gold coins or Rolex watches, would you still feel that way?

[wes-4507]

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@cornerbooth4u wrote:

So unless your inventory is free, you aren't making enough money to claim

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Not making enough money to claim what?

[mcdougle4248]

@readyforyoutowear-4 

I requested an exemption on this Seller Center page:

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/inform-consumers-act/ 

Below is a screenshot of the contact information (I redacted the first part of my business for sharing here) that will be shared with buyers after the purchase with the exemption in place on my account.

[noahs*arcade]

Question, I'm assuming you have an eBay business account. Do you use an LLC or a DBA? I ended up filing for an EIN and DBA. I've still gotta change my eBay account from 'individual' to 'business,' but I believe I'll need to open a business checking account as well to match my DBA, in order for eBay to be able to make deposits.

[mcdougle4248]

@noahs*arcade 

Yes, I have a business account.  I am a sole proprietor (no LLC).  eBay has my account listed as Sole proprietor/Single-member LLC in my account settings.

You are correct, you will need a business checking account.  The name on the business checking account must match exactly with the business name you use to register your business account on eBay.

[noahs*arcade]

Awesome! Thank you for that information. I'm going to go get a business bank account setup asap. Did you end up using an EIN? And also, one more quick question, do you recall which of these you had selected (in the image below). I'm assuming it's the 2nd one, for 'sole proprietor,' however the 'this means you're selling under your own name' part throws me off, given that I'll be using a DBA. Thank you again for your help!

[mcdougle4248]

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@noahs*arcade wrote:

Awesome! Thank you for that information. I'm going to go get a business bank account setup asap. Did you end up using an EIN? And also, one more quick question, do you recall which of these you had selected (in the image below). I'm assuming it's the 2nd one, for 'sole proprietor,' however the 'this means you're selling under your own name' part throws me off, given that I'll be using a DBA. Thank you again for your help!

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I selected the first option as my business is registered in my state, I have a state TPT  License (to collect and remit sales tax for local sales outside of eBay) and I have a city business license.  I have an EIN and it is registered with eBay.  eBay also required my SSN as I am the only stakeholder, this may be an IRS requirement, but I am not sure.

I do not see the selection in your screenshot that I made when setting up my business account.  I remember selecting Sole proprietor/Single-member LLC and that does not seem to be a choice now.

Here is a screenshot of how my information appears in account settings:

[ms.rodriguez*]

Hopefully the Beanie baby does not sell for $20,000.   I will make sure that I do not exceed 20 grand in sales.  Oh wait, I have a po box and a very, very common surname. I'm safe.

Anyway,  I really long for  how ebay was in the very beginning.   I miss opening 10 envelops and driving to the bank to deposit all of those payments....

[richard1rst]

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@readyforyoutowear-4 wrote:

Thank you! How do I find this email so that I can request an exception?

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It came to me through standard eBay messaging.

https://settings.ebay.com/legal-policy-landing?mkevt=1&mkpid=2&emsid=0&mkcid=27&bu=43058489885&osub=...

[cornerbooth4u]

Maybe you make $500, how is your information relevant to anyone but yourself?

[cornerbooth4u]

And before trying to make this about death and taxes, I pay mine. My point is, I don't think that my phone number and address should be public knowledge. It's a matter of privacy that everyone seems to be ignoring. A work-around? There shouldn't be any. We are not being protected here imo.

[rugerskick]

I contacted ebay support on this.

Sellers will not get this email with the exception instructions until you meet both criteria, $20,000 in gross sales AND 200 new items sold.  Until then the contact instructions you have setup for your account will still be working.  So whatever is your current return address, thats what they see now, and will continue to see.

I asked and was told sellers cannot pre-emptively set up an exception.  The system generates that email and from there you can set it up, but not before you qualify for an exception.

[rugerskick]

If you don't have a po box and use your home address, if you set the exception because you use your home address, the only thing that would be shown would be your state, and USA.  Thats it.  But you have to request the exception, otherwise the full address info would be shown.  For seller privacy and security it should be an opt-in for sellers, rather than an automatic in, opt-out they are forcing on us. 

[rugerskick]

Just because you haven't run into any psychopaths or sociopaths does not mean they are not out there, or others haven't.  Glad it works for you, it doesn't for most others.

[rugerskick]

It makes more sense to have buyers phone numbers as they are the ones ordering items, in case there are issues with the order/fulfilling the order.  And a phone number doesn't tell me exactly where they live as almost all people have a cell phone entered in.