When my inventory is stored in the UK, I am required to upload a UK VAT number in Seller Central - SOLVED!
Hi there, I wonder if anyone can help, I did check out older posts, but wondered if anything had changed between now and the last post asking this. I’m a sole trader in the UK, reside and have a UTR number all UK based. I’ve opened an amazon seller account with these details and believed this would be fine and dandy as a sole trader.
Today I received the message shown in the title however, when trying to upload inventory. I thought I didn’t need to be VAT registered until I got to 85k sales, as of today, I have none. Why are Amazon asking me to confirm VAT registration?
Have I done the set up incorrectly or is this what Amazon require now? TIA
Seller_DTufFoxJuMU0M
You can do it as a sole trader.
But you need to make sure you have signed up as a sole trader and not an individual. Amazon’s wording are a bit… lost in translation at times.
Also make sure that you aren’t confusing the account type with the payment plan, they both have “individual options”.
If you are buying/making something with the intention of making a profit, then you should have a business account.
Then you need to decide if you want a professional or individual selling plan (basically pay monthly, or pay an extra fee per item, usually the financial break even point is around 30 sales a month, though there are other benefits to the professional selling plan)
23 replies
Seller_esvgLzKXw2YAl
If you are a UK resident, then you need to check all of the addresses that Amazon hold for you.
However, if you are not actually a UK resident and live elsewhere, then you will need to register for VAT.
Amazon obviously think that you are not resident, which is why they are stating what they are.
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
are you logging in from a UK IP address ?
or using a VPN ?
Are any addresses on your account non uk ie a Chinese Ship from address for FBA stock etc ?
Does it let you proceed with just acknowledging it or is it not letting you past the VAT number section
I’m wondering if its to do with the new compliance info and the fact that so many non uk sellers don’t realise they need to register for UK VAT when sending stock to UK so they are adding it to all sign ups?!
Seller_KOSLMOYjNxDx2
Hi there, thanks for your reply! I don’t think I’m logging in from anything other than a UK IP address (it’s just a standard BT line). Not using a VPN either. No addresses on account for stock, as I was just sending in vintage books.
Ahh, now that’s interesting, it’s just a tick box saying I must acknowledge it. I haven’t tried what would happen if I didn’t check it, perhaps I should?
I did wonder if it’s a new compliance thing. Sad if so, as I doubt I’ll ever meet the 85k UK threshold just selling old books. Looks like i’m out of fba if that’s the case.
Seller_KOSLMOYjNxDx2
I have to confess it was a shock for me, I watched a stack load of YouTube videos, thought I could do this as a sole trader and now shocked to see that’s probably not the case. Maybe Amazon only want big sellers. 
Seller_EHYOwAkoZV3Hb
Probably most of us started this way and many still continue to be STs.
Seller_DTufFoxJuMU0M
You can do it as a sole trader.
But you need to make sure you have signed up as a sole trader and not an individual. Amazon’s wording are a bit… lost in translation at times.
Also make sure that you aren’t confusing the account type with the payment plan, they both have “individual options”.
If you are buying/making something with the intention of making a profit, then you should have a business account.
Then you need to decide if you want a professional or individual selling plan (basically pay monthly, or pay an extra fee per item, usually the financial break even point is around 30 sales a month, though there are other benefits to the professional selling plan)
Seller_esvgLzKXw2YAl
First, ignore what you have learnt on the YT videos.
An awful lot of it is simply out of date or at worst, wrong!
The best place to find out about Amazon is Seller University.
It gives you all of the basics.
If you don’t understand business entities and what is required, then the .gov website is the place to go.
As to being a Ltd company, you most certainly do NOT need to be.
It makes far more sense for most people starting out, to be a sole trader.
And it makes absolutely no difference to Amazon whether you a ST or Ltd.
And the same think applies to VAT.
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
no you can still do FBA if you live here with no VAT
Can you screenshot the section and what exactly you can see
that way we can see if its a warning that you need to heed or just a message from amazon making sure you are compliant
Seller_esvgLzKXw2YAl
I have a sneaking suspicion, that this is just one of those things that Amazon are posting, to try and cover their own backs! With no thought at all, for those who doesn’t apply to.
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
just a thought from a post I saw the other day, it had a list of legal entities
one said Sole Proprietor , the other was UK Sole Proprietor
when you signed up did you get both those options ?
Have you uploaded your UTR number and have amazon asked for proof of it yet ?
