Selling online is a breeze. Once you arrange for inventory all you need is a seller account on an online marketplace and you are ready to begin. Sounds simple enough, right? Then why is it that online sellers have difficulties opening accounts on various marketplaces? The problem for this could either be caused by internal kinks in the system or on account of errors from your end during the setup of your account.
To help ease your frustration when registering as an online seller we put together a checklist of the different areas where you may go/ have gone wrong.
When setting up a seller account on an online marketplace, it is essential to provide a unique
If you have used these details previously while opening a new account and the marketplace registers them, you cannot use them again to apply for another seller account. You will face marketplace rejection if you do.
When applying for a seller account on an online marketplace it is essential for a seller to provide complete and correct documents. The following documents are mainly essential –
a. Original copy of PAN card
This must be valid and registered in the name of the company or partnership that wants to register on the given online retail platform. In case of sole proprietorship, the individual seller’s PAN card will be accepted.
The VAT certificate must be valid and registered in the name of the company, partnership or sole proprietorship that wants to do business on the given marketplace.
Here documents like proof of address with a PIN code must be submitted. You can provide a copy of your Adhar card, telephone bill, electricity bill, bank statement, etc. When bills are provided as proof of address, make sure they are not older than 3 months.
In this case as well you can provide your telephone bill, electricity bill, bank statement, etc. to justify the location of your warehouse. Again, if bills are provided as proof of address, make sure they are not older than 3 months.
A cancelled cheque must be submitted to confirm your bank details. In case of a sole proprietorship, your personal account cheque can be submitted. For a company, the cheque provided must bear the company seal and authorised signatory must sign on it.
If you plan to sell your products on Amazon, you will need to complete the brand registry stage. For this, a trademark certificate must be provided. You can opt for GTIN or EAN/UPC exemption which allows you to list you products for 3 months without brand registry. However, once the 3 months period is complete, you must renew this exemption or go through with brand registry.
All the documents you are requested to provide must be copied clearly. Unclear or illegible documents will result in account rejections.
In addition to the submitting documents, you will be required to fill out a form with information from the submitted documents. In case the information in the online forms does not match the information in the provided documents, your account application will be rejected. For example, your address in the form must be the same as the address provided in the documentation of proof. Spelling mistakes must be avoided. They could be another reason why information mismatches happen.
In case the documentation you provided has expired or is no longer valid, you face chances of account application rejection. Also, note the kind of format your files need to be in before they are uploaded to your account application.
In case a marketplace cannot find your VAT/CST details on state government websites, your account application may be declined. In this case you will either need to have the status of your VAT/CST registration updated with the sales tax authorities or submit your VAT/CST certificate again to the online marketplace.
If you manage to get your seller account registered. However, you face document verification failure you can:
Do note, on some occasions a delay in the set up of a seller account on marketplaces may be the result of internal system errors. It usually takes a minimum of 48 hours for a seller account to get activated. So don’t beat yourself up over a long wait and make sure you have checked all the areas that could lead to trouble for you.
If you have had trouble while setting up your seller account on an online marketplace share your story with us in the comments section. We’d love to know how you overcame your difficulties.
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