This change is set to roll out as of September 1, but third-party sellers were sent a formal notification about the changes on June 8. This is not a measure they can opt-out of, either. All third-party sellers will be required to state their names and addresses going forward. This is a major change from the previous policy, which allowed sellers to display a store name, but not any personal details. The new rules make it more difficult (if not impossible) to stay anonymous as a seller on the platform, but it also has the potential of deterring counterfeiters, who may face swifter legal action now that their information is exposed.
This is all well and good, but will it really stop counterfeiters?
This is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? While potential legal exposure is a potent deterrent, there are still likely to be some miscreants willing to spoof an address and name in order to push some fake products in spite of the new rules. Not only that, but it’s also still entirely possible for sellers to write bogus descriptions for their products that may exaggerate or mislead what they actually do. As long as the language is vague enough, the scammers may be covered. Thankfully, this new rule only applies to sellers, so don’t expect to be required to publicly give up your own address anytime soon. If you plan on selling, however, you may want to invest in additional fraud-protection software like our sponsor IDGuard. For a limited time, Identity Guard is offering its Junkmail and Robobcall Stopper Add-on for free to Kim Komando listeners with the purchase of an Identity Guard plan. Your identity is valuable. Don’t chance it. Get 33% off at IdentityGuard.com/Kim. Switch or sign up today.
