If you’ve been selling on Amazon for awhile, you may have seen an announcement Amazon has made in the past few weeks. “Advance notice: Business name and address to be displayed on the seller profile page starting September 1, 2020.” It’s understandably a cause for concern. Sellers expect a certain level of confidentiality from Amazon, just as a customer would. But as we’ve tried to point out repeatedly, Amazon’s isn’t always the most rational marketplace. In fact, some of their policies don’t always seem to make any sense at all.
It’s not the first time Amazon seller privacy concerns have been brought up. It’s not likely to be the last. But Amazon’s reasoning seems slightly curious: “This is consistent with Seller Profile pages across Amazon stores in Europe, Japan, and Mexico.” What does this really mean to you as a North American seller?
Your Privacy Rights As An Amazon Seller
Amazon claims that the change is to better ensure a consistent baseline of information about your practices as a seller. And in theory, this does appear to be a best practice. The concern, however, can affect individual sellers who are likely none too eager to have their home address published on their seller profile.
Whether you’re selling part time on Amazon for additional income or full time, it’s still a source of income. And if you want to be successful on Amazon, you need to think like a business. That means changing your profile from an individual to a business. But that can also mean registering with your state corporation registry as an LLC or limited partnership—a fairly inexpensive process that’s far less daunting than you might actually expect. Alternatively, a mail drop or PO box used exclusively for your retail is also a great way to keep your personal address and business separate.
Hijacked listings have always been a considerable problem for Amazon sellers. And while Amazon has taken steps to reduce the amount of pirated listings, it’s still not enough. With this new change in policy, hijackers can no longer hide behind a veil of anonymity. And the policy is actually a convenient way to keep track of competitive listings internationally if you’re looking to expand your current market.
Changing Your Account Settings On Amazon
The process of changing your account settings from an individual seller to a company is actually quite simple:
Login to your Amazon account.
In the Settings menu of Seller Central, click Account Info.
Under the Business Information section, click Display Name. To change the address, click Business Address.
Edit your current information to reflect the changes you want to make.
To change your profile, go to Settings and click Your Info & Policies. Select Profile and enter the changes you need to make.
Click Submit in order to save.
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