How To Open A Secondary Stealth Amazon Account
Disclaimer: Doing this is technically against Amazon's rules & TOS and could result in possible suspension or a ban. Only proceed with doing this if you are 100% comfortable with it and understand the potential risks. There are also things that may happen in this process that we did not experience or are outside of our control, such as Amazon requesting specific documentation. We are just sharing our personal experience with this process and will not be held liable in any case if Amazon catches you doing this, suspends your account(s) etc.
Opening a secondary account is a lengthy and can be an expensive process This guide also does not go into the tax implications of having a secondary corporation, the additional costs associated with it etc. so you should consult your accountant & thoroughly read through this guide and understand all of the steps and costs before proceeding with any of this to ensure this is for you.
What is a secondary "stealth" Amazon account?
Simply put, it is another Amazon account that is not linked to yourself in any way possible.
Why would I want a stealth Amazon account?
In general I personally believe that most people should not do this and most people do not need this. Many people are concerned that their Amazon account will get suspended or deactivated for invalid reasons outside of their control. Although there are cases where this has happened, I believe that it is extremely rare and the majority of people you see online that have been deactivated have been for a specific reason that they are deliberately not telling everyone. They most likely broke TOS and either are ignorant to it or are lying about it. I have also never personally heard of any one getting legitimately deactivated for an invalid reason and not getting access back to their account in any longer than 48 hours. If someone has had an invalid deactivation, I have always seen them regain access to their account very quickly. With that being said, there may be a few reasons you may want a secondary stealth account including:
You still have concerns over your account being deactivated outside of your control.
To add to the point above, this is your fulltime income/you have employees that rely on you for a paycheck.
You want to skirt around limitations put in place by Amazon (such as when they have inventory restock limits in place)
Other reasons such as you are wanting to build and sell Amazon accounts, you are wanting to separate specific brands for a PL brand or you are doing potentially shady things on Amazon, which I of course would not recommend.
What you will need:
A friend or family member you can trust OR the ability to purchase another Amazon account. You will want to ensure that this friend or family member has never logged into your personal wifi and you have never logged into theirs.
A secondary internet connection that you have NEVER connected to yourself. You can purchase a mobile hotspot, use a hotspot on your secondary phone line, use someone else's internet etc. I personally utilize the hotspot from my secondary phone indicated below. I only use this phone specifically for this account and for my secondary computer, never for anything else.
A secondary computer that has NEVER connected to your personal internet or to any internet connection that may be linked to yourself. I personally bought a used laptop off of Facebook for around $150. This computer is only used for this secondary account, never anything else and none of my personal accounts for any websites are ever connected to this computer.
A secondary phone that has NEVER connected to any internet connection you have connected too or been used by you in any capacity. For this, I bought a Motorola G phone from Costco which cost approx. $200 to buy the phone outright and then the monthly cost for the phone plan. You will want to open this phone line in the corporations name.
A secondary mailing address that you have access too. This should be an address that is completely different than the one you currently have connected to your Seller Central account. If you currently utilize a UPS address on Amazon, the secondary address should be at a different UPS office. UPS is a great option for this as you can make it appear to not be a PO box, which is needed for things like the corporation, phone line etc. Make sure you can add on additional names to the mailing address (such as your personal name, your corporation name after you open it etc.).
A secondary corporation. If you live in a province where your name appears on the articles/incorporation documents, you may need your trusted person to open this corporation for you. This may come with additional costs and tax implications.
A bank account & credit card details in the 2nd corps name.
The general process:
This process may look different for yourself and you may be able to do it in a different order but this is the process that I personally followed with success:
Have your friend or family member open an Amazon seller account in their name with all of their own personal details. They will have to attach their personal documents, may be required to do a video interview etc.
Open or obtain your secondary mailing address (as mentioned above, you can open it in your personal name, just ensure that you can add on a secondary name i.e. your corporations name) when the time comes (ask the UPS employee).
Open your 2nd corporation. As mentioned previously, if you live in a province that displays your personal details on the incorporation articles/documents, you may want your friend to do this for you as it is a possibility Amazon may ask for these when you switch over your details in Seller Central. Keep in mind if you go this route, you may have to "buy" the corporation from your friend which may have additional tax implications which you should discuss with your CPA. If you do need to purchase the corp from your friend, you will likely want to ensure everything is switched over on the Seller Central account before doing so.
Add your 2nd corps name to your 2nd mailing address.
Activate your secondary phone line under the 2nd corps name and address. Most phone companies will not allow you to use a PO box for a mailing address which is why UPS comes in handy. If you sign up through their online web portal and have the SIM shipped to you, this should not be an issue. You may need to contact the telephone company to ensure only your corporations name will appear on the bills. I personally utilize Telus for this.
Open your bank account and credit card in the 2nd corp. Again most banks will not allow you to use a PO box for an address so this is where a UPS address comes in handy. This step can typically be done before the step to open the phone line.
Have some transactions come through this bank account and credit card (such as your phone bill, paying for your UPS box etc.). Then wait a month until you receive your first bank statement and telephone bill.
Once you have your bills (you should have these just in case Amazon requests them when you change the information on SC, which they do not always do), go into SC on your secondary workstation connected to your secondary hotspot and change the information on the account to the corporation info (you will likely still need to leave a personal contact name as your friend/family member that you dealt with), change the deposit and debit details & finally change the password so now only you have access. Ensure you utilize the secondary phone number for your OTP.
You should now be completely set up. Ensure going forward you only ever utilize the specified hotspot, computer etc. to access the new account. Also ensure that if you need receipts/invoices for Amazon that the correct billing and shipping information is present and that you never upload the wrong information to the wrong account.
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