Sellers can maintain personal privacy and shield themselves from harassment by utilizing the Anonymous LLC.
Beginning September 1, 2020, Amazon will display a seller’s business name and address on their Amazon.com Seller Profile page. For individuals, Amazon will display the individual name and address associated with the Amazon seller (typically a home address).
Amazon is making this change in order to “help customers learn more about the businesses of a seller and the products that they are selling” and “ensure there is a consistent baseline of seller information to help customers make informed shopping decisions” (Read the Amazon Announcement).
For many who sell on Amazon, the notion of having one’s full name and home address on display for the world to view is not a pleasant one. While it is important to follow the rules as Amazon has outline for their sellers, it is also important to know that as a seller, you have a choice as to what personal information you share with Amazon.
How to protect you privacy
By forming an Anonymous LLC for your business, company owners are not publicly identifiable by the state or to public at large. An Anonymous LLC provides all of the same benefits of a regular LLC, but with the added benefit ownership privacy on the Internet.
L4SB knows a lot about Anonymous LLC’s because L4SB was the first law firm to provide an Anonymous LLC service to the public, by avoiding public disclosure of ownership information (i.e. members) of the LLC in the state in which the LLC is registered. This is accomplished by L4SB acting as the organizer and registered agent for the new LLC in select states, as well as utilizing its status as a law firm to convey attorney-client privilege and confidentiality.
When filing an LLC, most states require identification of the owners or managers. It is possible to prevent the publication of the ownership information of an LLC to the public, by putting in a careful structure. Law 4 Small Business accomplishes this in a number of ways, depending on the state (or states) you’re located and/or conducting business.
Note that anonymity is not absolute. An Anonymous LLC will not prevent you from paying taxes or hiding ownership information from the IRS or your bank. Furthermore, an Anonymous LLC is not immune to lawsuits, and a competent attorney may use the subpoena power of the courts in a lawsuit, to identify the owners of an LLC.
Finally, Amazon does have a legitimate legal interest and need to know ownership information of its sellers, especially those sellers that are using Amazon for merchant account services. An Anonymous LLC will need to be setup carefully, lawfully and may require a new account with Amazon.
The following benefits are unique to Law 4 Small Business’s Anonymous LLCs:
- ATTORNEY/CLIENT PRIVILEGE- As a law firm, our ability to assert attorney/client privilege can help limit disclosure in legal settings.
- ATTORNEY/CLIENT CONFIDENTIALITY- As attorneys, our communications are confidential and immune to discovery requests (in most, not all, circumstances).
- PRIVACY PROTECTION- Ownership information is not made publicly available. Our staff is specially trained to maintain client confidences.
- HARASSMENT PREVENTION- It is not possible for members of the public to look up the ownership information of Anonymous LLCs, which prevents owners of the Anonymous LLCs from becoming harassed due to the type of business, subject matter or other issues involving the business.
- CONFIDENTIALITY- Conducting business or business deals under the guise of an Anonymous LLC helps preserve confidentiality among the participants.
- COUTURE OPERATING AGREEMENT- Only L4SB has it: a high-quality, highly customized Operating Agreement that helps maximize asset protection, minimize exposure, and addresses those issues critical to your business. The only better Operating Agreement you will find, is a custom Operating Agreement you obtain from a licensed attorney. Learn more.
As an added benefit to Amazon Sellers who want to take the steps to protecting their privacy, we are offering one full year of Registered Agent Service, for free. That’s correct. Our firm will serve as your registered agent, for free, for one full year. That means if we are served any legal documentation or correspondence, we will forward it to you confidentially. Only a law firm, connected to your business as a Registered Agent, can provide a strong deterrent to others who may seek to find or harass you. If L4SB is served a summons or subpoena in an attempt to identify you, we will first attempt to negotiate the summons or subpoena away and failing that, we will work with your local counsel so they may assert our attorney-client privilege.
Want to learn more? Check out our videos regarding the Anonymous LLC located on our YouTube Channel:
Prefer to read a quick knowledge base article about this, instead of watching a video? Read our Knowledge Base Article about Preserving Anonymity in States that Require Disclosure of Ownership Information.
Need to speak to an attorney? Consider scheduling a 30-Minute Business Attorney Consult with a Law 4 Small Business attorney. Our team of experienced attorneys will be here to help.
Law 4 Small Business, P.C. (L4SB). A little law now can save a lot later. A Slingshot company.
