Amazon recently announced a new, optional process to complete Amazon seller verification that promises greater convenience, improved accuracy, and faster approvals. For now, this is a test of procedures that employ forgery detection, facial recognition, and liveness detection technologies to quickly verify the authenticity of government-issued identity documents provided by prospective Amazon sellers. The new Amazon seller verification process is only available to Amazon sellers based in the United States; whether it is eventually offered to non-U.S. sellers depends on test feedback received.
Let’s take a closer look at what Amazon seller verification is, the reason behind the new Amazon seller verification test process, and how it works.
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Amazon Seller Verification Optional Pilot Announced
What is Amazon Seller Verification?
Amazon seller verification aims to protect buyers (as well as Amazon) from unethical sellers who misrepresent their products and to prevent fraud, money laundering, and other illicit and illegal practices. The Amazon seller verification process requires the submission of identity documents (e.g., passport, business license, or other government-issued ID) as well as proof of business address (e.g., bank or credit card statement). Amazon only accepts documents uploaded through the Seller Identification Verification page found on Seller Central.
Documents must be valid (i.e., not expired, revoked, or inactive) and submitted in the proper format. Approval can take several days. Some sellers complain the process can take a month or more. Rejected documentation can be submitted within 30 days, after which time seller onboarding is closed.
Beginning in 2020, Amazon offered “enhanced vetting” that involved the human review of documents in verifying identity via video calls or even weeks. These video calls did not use facial biometric software to validate seller identities. Amazon maintained that video calls allowed for a better one-on-one connection with prospective sellers while at the same time making it easier to identify fraudsters.
Why Amazon is Testing a New Amazon Seller Verification Process
According to Amazon’s official announcement of the Amazon seller verification test, “Some small businesses have told us they would like an even more efficient way to complete our identity verification process, one of the key steps before someone can begin selling in our store…Our test will determine whether we can achieve the same robustness of identity verification as our current processes while also providing a better experience for sellers who choose this verification process.”
How the Amazon Seller Verification Test Process Works
The Amazon seller verification test is available only to U.S.-based sellers, and only on a voluntary basis. Basically, the Amazon seller verification test requires a prospective seller to provide access to a device camera. The camera is used to capture the seller’s face and government-issued documentation. Facial recognition software verifies the seller’s identity and matches it to the provided documentation in real time. During the test, verification is expected to take a few days, but the expectation is that Amazon seller verification decisions eventually become automated and communicated instantly.
Amazon emphasizes that facial biometric data is not stored and is not used for any purpose other than to verify identity. All images captured during the test are encrypted. The test is in full compliance with video privacy laws such as BIPPA (Biometric Information Privacy Act) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act).
In announcing the Amazon seller verification test, Amazon emphasized, “We take pride in creating a trustworthy shopping experience that allows customers to shop with confidence. That’s why Amazon has built industry-leading tools to verify potential sellers’ identities by using a combination of advanced technology and expert human reviews. We make it straightforward for entrepreneurs to set up a selling account, but very difficult for bad actors to do so.”
GETIDA Verifies Amazon FBA Sellers Receive What They Are Owed
Once verified, third-party sellers can choose various fulfillment options. One of the easiest options, and perhaps most suitable for new Amazon sellers, is Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). You concentrate on sourcing your products and building your brand, Amazon handles your inventory, ships orders, and manages customer returns.
Given the number of Amazon FBA sellers worldwide, it’s not surprising that occasional mistakes are made. Amazon owes you reimbursement for these errors. However, many of these errors go undetected and unclaimed. It is mostly left up to the Amazon FBA sellers to identify these errors and submit the necessary claims.
Is it worth worrying about a few errors now and then? Well, maybe if they are only a few errors now and then. However, typically Amazon FBA reimbursements account for anywhere from 1% to 3% of your annual revenues. That represents potentially significant dollars you actually need to worry about.
GETIDA offers a cost-effective solution that saves you the time and expense of trying to track all this on your own. GETIDA software reviews the previous 18 months of your Amazon FBA transactions to identify errors that qualify for reimbursement. Appropriate claims are filed with your approval.
GETIDA’s only fee to provide this service is a percentage of approved claims. And the first $400 in FBA reimbursement is free.
As many Amazon FBA sellers can verify, GETIDA saves you time and hassle, not to mention that it saves you money.
