US Amazon Sellers to Display Their Name and Address

In an effort to avoid fraud and problems with counterfeit goods, giant retailer Amazon gave notice to its US sellers that they will have to post their business name and address on their Amazon.com individual seller profile page. Similar measures are being implemented in Europe, Japan and Mexico, in accordance to local laws. Company representatives say Amazon has taken this decision because it wants to make sure sellers’ information is consistent across the platform, so online shoppers can make better buying decisions.

There are over 461,000 active US Amazon sellers and there are close to 2.2 million worldwide. In total, there are 8.6 million registered sellers across the world and the company adds approximately 1 million more every year, according to Marketplace Pulse data.

For a while now, Amazon has been accused of avoiding fraud issues although it more pledged to spend billions to address the problem. The company even had to take on some legal battles with fraudulent sellers and counterfeiters over the past years. These disputes have been with designers and accessory makers.  

Last year, Amazon launched a set of guidelines for brands and manufacturers under its “Project Zero” initiative, which works to proactively combat counterfeiting, reports TechCrunch. In April, Amazon announced it was piloting a new system with the intention of verifying the identity of third-party sellers over video-conferencing — previously the company was doing in-person verifications but due to the pandemic, these had to stop. TechCrunch reports that through this system, Amazon checks that the individual seller’s ID matches the person and the documents they shared with their application. US sellers’ business name and address will need to be added to their profile by September 1, 2020, according to Amazon´s officials.

These minor modifications will help businesses to fight fraud and take legal action against sellers of counterfeit goods. Consumers will also have an address available if the product has been damaged and need to contact the seller or initiate legal action.

“Over the years, we have developed many ways for sellers to share more about their business, including through features like the seller profile pages, ‘Store’ pages for brand owners and handmade ‘Maker Profile’ pages,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “These features help customers learn more about sellers’ businesses and their products. Beginning Sept. 1, we will also display sellers’ business name and address on their Amazon.com seller profile page to ensure there is a consistent baseline of seller information to help customers make informed shopping decisions.”