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Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

I've scoured the forums for 24 hours and can not come up with a real solid answer to what is a critical question for me.

My situation is as such. I would like to start an online retail business across multiple platforms. My products are low risk, no Vero. Primarily estate sale stuff, collectibles, equipment and inventory from business liquidations.

Over the holidays I had the opportunity to work briefly with a drop shipper of video games. Their fulfillment ran in to a problem and I had to cancel 17 of 100 sales. My performance rating dropped like a brick, I was unable to save it and I am currently suspended.

I had no idea how the entire system works and did not know about suspensions in general. I had not used eBay in a decade. Now I know and it is a worthwhile lesson. I take the business seriously and intended to register a LLC any way. I understand how all the tracking works IPs cookies/flash etc. I am a business major and understand the basic tax ramifications of an LLC. Bought the book, definitive time saver there. Problem is, the area that is a little sketchy is weather I can use a EIN instead of a SSN#.

I want to never ever ever be asked for my SSN. The book says I need the LLC to look like a person's name to use a EIN instead os SSN. The forums say that some times paypal asked for a SSN any way. I hope and pray that I can build this business in to a very large enterprise. Whatever, hopes, dreams. Say what you may. I want to plan for that and do not want to start out knowing that after so many thousand in successful sales I will suddenly hit a ceiling and have to provide a SSN.

Does any one know the answer to this with any level of certainty?

thanks

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

The answer is always 100% a resounding yes!

LLC or Corp Partnership etc...

Not ideal for a sole proprietor

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

You want certainty this is stealth. Pp and ebay change rules daily no one knows what they may ask for at anytime. Right now if you create an llc and use an ein you rarely run into the ssn issue.

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

run your stealth account until paypal demands tax info and as of today anyways, no SS or user info is required.

IF you open a business paypal to start, users info including SS is required.

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Also worth spreading sales over multiple accounts.

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Thank you all for your replies. I think I may be a little confused about the process though. So to avoid the SSN issue I need to open it as a regular stealth account then convert it to a business account later. Is that correct?

Also, must I get an LLC that is the same as my Alias? I actually have two last names. One of which I have never in my life used but is on my birth certificate and Driver's license. I had planned on using that. I do not want to get an LLC that is my name though. I would prefer it to be a company name like "Selling Cheap stuff LLC" or whatever.

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Also, any one know how to increase frequency of thread change notification emails? I'm at daily and can't seem to find the setting to make it live.

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Start your PayPal account as a Personal account, and you can either wait until you are asked to provide a tax ID from PayPal to convert to a Business Account or you can convert to a Business account anytime before hand

Just always wait to provide the tax ID, do not enter it in until PayPal asks for it, there is no reason to give more info than necessary

You experienced one of many ways to get suspended, and there are a lot of suspensions that are handed out that seem to be for nothing sometimes.

This is a reason that you should spread your sales over multiple accounts, with eBay, the thinner you spread sales the better off you will be.

If your accounts look like high volume accounts, than you will be looked at more closely by eBay, who loves suspending big accounts with all those discounts

And you attract unwanted attention from scammers and competition

If you run each account and make it look like your just selling a few hundred a month , not many take notice

And a few hundred times multiple accounts adds up quickly

And if one goes down your sales still continue, you do not want to be in the position you are now, because if you think you will run one big account with no future issues, than your not looking at this realistically

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

DmShark,

Thank you for the good advice. I appreciate the specifics. I had one paypal account that asked for copies of driver's license physical address and SSN#. This was after issuing a paypal mastercard to another person who's name was not on the account. That scenario is what worries me.

I had arrived at essentially the same conclusion regarding running multiple accounts. At this point I am planning full launch of the business in one year. For the time being I intend to run just the one account under an LLC until I reach volume. I'm just getting the systems set up now. I kind of want to find out all the ins and outs now before I jump in. I've got a 9-5 so this suspended account did nothing to me. I want to figure out all the mistakes in the thousands of dollars world so that if I am one of the lucky ones to make it to the millions of dollars universe I can avoid a big mistake.

In a year when I'm ready to go guns blazing I will split out in to five or more all under LLCs. I do understand the issues with separating the accounts, cookies IPs all that. I have worked at numerous ISPs and web devel companies so dealing with that stuff is ok by me.

The fact that any of this is needed is absolutely asinine. But at least there are people like this community to help get through it. So silly. I just want to sell quality stuff at a good price. Yet there is a mine field out there.

However, if it was easy....

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Forum is here to help guide you thro' that mine field.

One small tip is to avoid ever offering paypal that SSN.

Learn ( as you have described) how to make stealth accounts that can run well. You can then give paypal other options for ID if ever needed.

Before you make any account, run the plan by the forum. We can help you tweak any points you need.

:welcome;

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Alright. I'm registering LLC tomorrow and then getting an EIN. I've got a few things to put to bed on the old ebay and paypal accts. After that is done I will lock them down, change passwords and start killing cookies and IPs. Should be creating new in a week or two at which point I will post a plan.

Here's a question.... I don't even know. Wireless access, like 4g. My fiance logs in to the accounts from her sprint iphone. Do they get real IPs or are the 192.169.x.x?

Appreciate all the help.

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Just make a new user account on your PC, and it will be separate from the user account with your old account in terms of cookies

And again wait until PayPal asks for the EIN, don't give it to them when making the account, there is no Advantage

You could go through the trouble of forming and paying for the LLC , and find that the eBay account lasts a week , if you used the EIN , than you will need to get another

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Very good point. Forming the LLC any way because I need it for tax purposes. However I will hold on to the EIN till it asks.

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

and you can use your business checking and savings accounts to withdraw funds. Very good move!

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Unfortunately for reasons which can not be circumvented and are far to complex to explain, creating another user acct is not an option whatsoever at this time. In the future I will have infrastructure to easily run multiple accts. I planned a network of VMs with a dozen static IPs any way. This scenario makes that that much more appealing.

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Even form LLC, you still need SSN when open a new paypal account. If you input banned SSN, you will be flagged.

what is the value for point?

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Sorry but that's not true, not sure where you got the idea that you have to enter an SSN in PayPal. If you convert your PayPal To a business account, they can ask for either an SSN or EIN once that happens.

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Maybe currently paypal policy change.

I just create a business account. After I enter EIN, they continue to ask last 4 digit of SSN and DOB. this account stop here.

Also I try another path. I create the personal paypal account. Then, when I try to upgrade business account, they still ask EIN. After I enter EIN, they still ask ask last 4 digit of SSN and DOB. this account stop here too.

Do you have better idea to work around?

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Yes, stop making business Paypals right away....how about you make regular Paypals and then upgrade to Business when needed.

Re: Once and for all can I use a EIN instead of SSN with a LLC or not?
 

Dont do this. It will require the SS as you stated.
We keep saying open a regular paypal account and ONLY WHEN paypal demands tax info upgrade to business and add the EIN. Never sooner.