Amazon Seller Account

[OMGVape]

Anyone familiar with setting up an Amazon seller account? We’ve been trying since December and it’s getting beyond a joke.

They are now asking .. for proof of address of the beneficial owner of the business in the form of an official bank letter signed and stamped.

“”

After carefully reviewing the information you provided and your current account status, we found that the verification team is requesting you to provide a certified bank letter for the beneficial owner, not a bank statement.​

Previous to this I asked our bank and they provided an official statement showing my name and address but it was not accepted and they say they want a signed and stamped bank letter.

The problem is they don’t explain what this “Letter” should contain.

Can Anyone Advise?

 

[foxinthebox]

Perhaps not a direct answer to your question, but when I struggled with amazon, I went on their forums to seek advice there. A lot of helpful people with ways around the corporate stupidity.
PS: It took me just over 1 years to open my Amazon Renewed account, which I just got up and running this week. Hang in there, I feel your pain!

 

[Mister B]

It's notoriously difficult at the moment to start on Amazon, they really are making potential sellers go through all types of hoops.

As for your letter from the bank, we had our relationship manager write on headed paper with an official signature that we are who were are and trade from the relevant address.

Sadly though, the ineptitude of seller support may see you going round in circles for a while.

 

[AmazonGeek]

Hi - sorry for the late reply on this. I've been down with man flu/covid.

It is now as hard to start up an Amazon account as it is a bank account. This is actually a good thing as it has cut out a lot of the dodgy sellers who didn't bother registering for VAT, disappeared when they get caught and just set up again. Amazon also now collects VAT at the point of sale from foreign sellers, which again has made a massive difference.

Anyway, bear in mind the following...

• If you have registered the Amazon account in a company name, the address on your Amazon account must match the one on Companies House exactly.
• When you add the bank account to your Amazon account, the name and address on the bank statement must match those for the company on the account
• When it comes to trademarking with the IPO and buying barcodes from GS1, the same rule applies - the name/address must match across the board
• Anyone that owns 25% or more of the company shares must be added to the account and must go through the ID process. This usually involves a video call and you will be asked to hold up your passport and riffle through the pages, amongst other things.
• Some of the things they ask you for are to identify you personally (home utility bill, personal bank account, passport, etc)
• Some of them however are to identify your company (company bank account, company utility bill, certificate of good standing from Companies House, etc)
• Make sure you recognise what they are asking for and don't get them confused! Amazon will just reject them and sometimes won't tell you why. It is then up to you to figure out what you have done wrong and put it right. Get it wrong too many times and they will stop answering.
• A certificate of good standing can be ordered from Companies House. Find your company record and go to the 'more' section. They cost £15 and take a few days to arrive.
• It can really complicate matters if the beneficial owner of a company is another limited company, or a trust. In these cases consider setting up a new LTD company just for Amazon with a simple structure. It won't cost much, can be done very quickly and will save a lot of time. However, all the details will now need to match this new company!

Hope that helps. If you are still stuck, either send me a message or book a quick zoom call using the following link - https://calendly.com/amazongeek/discovery (however, I don't have many free slots at the moment so it may be a few days before you can find a slot).

Cheers, Adrian