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!

[noahs*arcade]

Ahh ok. I think I might roll the dice and go with option #1 since I now have both an EIN and DBA. I tried asking eBay support, but unfortunarely they had no idea, lol. Thank you for your help!

[mcdougle4248]

@noahs*arcade 

If you scroll along the right-hand side gutter on this page https://www.ebay.com/sh/fin/summary  do you see a request for a callback?  If yes, I would request a call back from the Managed Payments Team.  They will most likely be your best source of information for setting up your business account.

This is what I see on the linked page, click on the ? mark:

[simply-the-best-for-you]

Just an FYI, I'm a Sole Prop, but have had an EIN for years.  When MP came along, it didn't play well with my EIN & the only way it works is if I use my SSN.  Very frustrating, as the whole reason I got the EIN was for Ebay.  It's not hard to get the EIN, so it may still be helpful for you, but you may not be able to use it for Ebay. 

[readyforyoutowear-4]

Thank you very much!

[mcdougle4248]

@readyforyoutowear-4 

You are welcome!

[noahs*arcade]

Man, what a freaking nightmare. Just spoke with them and was told that they cannot advise me on what to select due to legal reasons, that I need to reach out to a tax professional. I have a feeling my tax professional is going to end up exactly where I did. eBay also told me that once I make a selection, I cannot change it. What. The. Heck.

[mcdougle4248]

@noahs*arcade 

I am sorry to hear customer service was not able to help you. 

You can try contacting eBay another way by sending a private message on social media. You leave a message, and an eBay employee will get back to you as soon as possible. To speed things up you can leave your registered account information in the PRIVATE message: Full name, address, phone number, email address, user ID, and a brief explanation of your problem.

twitter.com/askebay

facebook.com/eBay/

If that does not work, you may need to try getting help from your tax professional.

[movieman630]

More government overreach.  When do we have "enough laws"?  Seriously, has anyone ever asked that question?  I'm so sick and tired of government getting involved in our business. 

[minimum54]

So basically as long as you list it as "like new" it doesn't leak your information until 20k sales

Or is "like new" still considered new ?

So maybe need to make it used very good?

Any one in ebay know if "like new" triggers the system for the 200 items?

Or should everyone just list as pre-owned very good to avoid leaking info and retaining privacy up to the $20k amount

So basically you can sell up to 20k if you sell not "new"

Just need to find out if "like new" triggers used or new category

[prettypink4444]

This only affects the address though, your REAL name is still shown 

[richard1rst]

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@prettypink4444 wrote:

This only affects the address though, your REAL name is still shown 

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NOT true. This is what my return address looks like on all of my shipping labels:

[kh-stanley1]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.