--- title: "INFORM Act $20,000 rule: when buyers see your address" description: "At $20,000 a year on a marketplace, the INFORM Act makes it show buyers your name, address and contact. The home-address exception shows only state and country." canonical: https://resellerindex.com/seller-laws/inform-act-seller-disclosure/ last_updated: 2026-10-23 publisher: "The Reseller Index" --- # When does a marketplace have to show buyers your name and address? Once you are a high-volume seller with **$20,000 or more in annual gross revenues** on a marketplace, the INFORM Consumers Act requires that marketplace to show buyers your full name, your physical address and a way to contact you directly, either on your listings or in the order confirmation and the buyer's order history. If you have only a home address you can ask the marketplace to show just your country and state, but you then have to answer buyers' messages within a reasonable time, and if your only phone is a personal one the marketplace tells buyers to use email or messaging instead. General information about federal law, not legal advice. This page quotes the rule and the agency's own guidance; it can't tell you whether your business meets them, and state law and marketplace policies can add more. For your own situation, check with a lawyer. INFORM Consumers Act (15 U.S.C. 45f). Checked against the official sources below on Oct 23, 2026. ## The rule, in its own words > “…require any high-volume third party seller with an aggregate total of $20,000 or more in annual gross revenues on such online marketplace, and that uses such online marketplace's platform, to provide the information described in subparagraph (B)…” 15 U.S.C. 45f(b)(1)(A)(i). [United States Code, 2024 edition (GPO, govinfo.gov)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap2-subchapI-sec45f.htm); United States Code, 2024 edition. > “…in the order confirmation message or other document or communication made to the consumer after the purchase is finalized and in the consumer's account transaction history.” 15 U.S.C. 45f(b)(1)(A)(ii)(II). [United States Code, 2024 edition (GPO, govinfo.gov)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap2-subchapI-sec45f.htm); United States Code, 2024 edition. > “…disclose only the country and, if applicable, the State in which such seller resides…” 15 U.S.C. 45f(b)(2)(A)(i)(I). [United States Code, 2024 edition (GPO, govinfo.gov)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap2-subchapI-sec45f.htm); United States Code, 2024 edition. > “…has not provided responsive answers within a reasonable time frame to consumer inquiries…” 15 U.S.C. 45f(b)(2)(B). [United States Code, 2024 edition (GPO, govinfo.gov)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap2-subchapI-sec45f.htm); United States Code, 2024 edition. ## What buyers must be shown - **Your full name.** The statute says it "may include the seller name or seller's company name, or the name by which the seller or company operates on the online marketplace", so a shop name can serve (45f(b)(1)(B)(i)(I)). - **Your physical address** (45f(b)(1)(B)(i)(II)). The FTC adds that a physical address for product returns on the listing is enough for this part of the law. - **A way to reach you directly:** a working phone number, a working email address, or other direct electronic messaging, which can be the marketplace's own messaging. The marketplace may still monitor those messages for fraud, abuse or spam (45f(b)(1)(B)(i)(III)). - **Whether another seller supplied the item.** If a different seller supplied the product to the buyer, the marketplace must say so, and give that seller's name, address and contact details to an authenticated purchaser who asks (45f(b)(1)(B)(ii)). The marketplace can show these on the product listing page, including through a link, or in the order confirmation and the buyer's account transaction history. On every high-volume seller's listing it must also show buyers a way to report suspicious activity to the marketplace, both electronically and by phone (45f(b)(3)). ## The partial-disclosure exceptions You have to ask for these; the marketplace "may" grant the first two, and the third tells buyers how to reach you instead (45f(b)(2)(A)). *Partial disclosure under 15 U.S.C. 45f(b)(2)(A), at the seller's request.* | You certify that | What buyers see instead | | --- | --- | | You have no business address, only a residential street address, or a combined business and residential address | Your country and, if applicable, your state, plus a note that no business address is available and that inquiries go to you by phone, email or the marketplace's messaging | | You are a business with a physical address for product returns | Your returns address | | You have no phone number other than a personal one | A note that no phone number is available and that inquiries go to your email address or the marketplace's messaging | The exception can be taken back. If the marketplace learns a certification was false, or that you haven't answered buyers "within a reasonable time frame", it must give you written or electronic notice and 10 days to respond, then suspend your future sales unless you agree to full disclosure (45f(b)(2)(B)). ## Worked examples *The $20,000 disclosure rule in 15 U.S.C. 45f(b), one marketplace each. Illustrative figures; all sellers below are high-volume sellers unless noted.* | Seller | Annual gross revenues on the marketplace | Disclosure required? | What buyers would see | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | New-in-box toys, 400 sales | $19,500 | No | Nothing under 45f(b); the collection and verification rules still apply. | | Sneakers from a home office | $24,000 | Yes | If the seller certifies a residential-only address: name or shop name, state and country, and a contact method. | | Rents a warehouse unit used for returns | $31,000 | Yes | Name or shop name, the returns address, and a contact method. | | Used goods only, $50,000 | $50,000 | Not under the statute | Not a high-volume seller by the 45f(f)(3) definition, so 45f(b) doesn't apply; the marketplace's own policy may still disclose details. | | Ships from a wholesaler's warehouse | $40,000 | Yes | Name, address and contact, plus a statement that another seller supplied the item, and that supplier's details to an authenticated buyer who asks. | ## Edge cases - **The $20,000 is per marketplace.** The statute says "on such online marketplace". $12,000 on each of two marketplaces doesn't trigger disclosure on either. - **"Annual" isn't defined.** The statute doesn't say whether it means a calendar year or any 12 months, unlike the high-volume test, which spells out any continuous 12-month period during the previous 24 months. - **PO boxes and mailbox services aren't addressed.** The statute asks for a "physical address" and doesn't say whether a PO Box or a private mailbox meets it. Ask your marketplace what it accepts before you rely on one. - **The reporting mechanism is the marketplace's duty.** The FTC's first INFORM case (Sep 5, 2025) alleged that a marketplace failed to offer a phone option for reporting suspicious activity and didn't show seller information clearly on some listings; the marketplace agreed to a proposed court order with a $2 million civil penalty. - **Answering buyers is part of the exception.** If you keep your street address private, slow or missing replies to buyer inquiries are a ground for suspension under 45f(b)(2)(B). - **State laws can't conflict.** No state may keep a law that conflicts with 45f (45f(g)). ## What to do 1. Check your annual gross revenues on each marketplace against $20,000. 2. Decide which address you want buyers to see. If you work from home with no business address, request the partial disclosure through the marketplace before you cross $20,000. 3. If your only phone is personal, certify that so buyers are pointed to email or messaging instead. 4. Answer buyer messages promptly; the exception depends on "responsive answers within a reasonable time frame". 5. Look at one of your own listings and an order confirmation to see what the marketplace actually shows. 6. Keep your certifications accurate; a false one can lead to suspension after a 10-day notice. ## Penalties, as the agency states them The statute's penalties apply to marketplaces that don't collect, verify or disclose; for sellers, the consequence it spells out is suspension of future sales. State attorneys general can also bring a civil action against a marketplace in federal court (45f(d)). The FTC describes the marketplace penalty this way: > “…online marketplaces that don’t comply may face FTC law enforcement that could result in civil penalties of $53,088 per violation.” FTC, Informing Businesses about the INFORM Consumers Act. [Federal Trade Commission](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/INFORMAct); June 2023, edited January 2025. ## Questions ### Will buyers see my home address? Not if you certify to the marketplace that you have no business address and only a residential (or combined) address; the marketplace may then show only your country and state (15 U.S.C. 45f(b)(2)(A)(i)). You have to keep answering buyer inquiries within a reasonable time. ### Do I have to give buyers my phone number? The statute asks for a direct contact method: a working phone number, a working email address, or other direct electronic messaging, which can be the marketplace's own messaging. If your only phone is personal, the marketplace tells buyers no phone is available and points them to email or messaging. ### Does the $20,000 rule apply if I'm not a high-volume seller? No. 45f(b) applies to a high-volume third party seller with $20,000 or more in annual gross revenues. See [the high-volume seller test](https://resellerindex.com/seller-laws/inform-act-high-volume-seller/). ### Does a shop name count as my full name? The statute says the full name may include the seller's company name or "the name by which the seller or company operates on the online marketplace" (45f(b)(1)(B)(i)(I)). ## Related questions - [Are you a high-volume seller under the INFORM Consumers Act?](https://resellerindex.com/seller-laws/inform-act-high-volume-seller/) 200 or more sales of new or unused items and $5,000 in any 12 straight months of the last 24, counted marketplace by marketplace. Used goods don't count toward the 200. - [Does CAN-SPAM apply when you email your buyers?](https://resellerindex.com/seller-laws/can-spam-emailing-buyers/) Order and shipping emails are transactional. Anything whose main purpose is selling needs an ad notice, a postal address and an opt-out honored within 10 business days. - [Can your listing or shop policy stop buyers from leaving negative reviews?](https://resellerindex.com/seller-laws/review-gag-clauses-and-suppression/) No. A standard term that bans, restricts or charges for reviews is void under the Consumer Review Fairness Act, and threats to get reviews removed break the FTC's rule. Also on this site: [Form 1099-K for resellers](https://resellerindex.com/guides/1099-k-for-resellers/) · [Taxes for resellers](https://resellerindex.com/tax/) [All 14 federal rule questions for online resellers](https://resellerindex.com/seller-laws/) ## Sources Every rule, number and date on this page comes from these official pages, each read on Oct 23, 2026; quotes are copied word for word. General information, not legal advice. - [15 U.S.C. 45f: INFORM Consumers Act (collection, verification and disclosure of seller information by online marketplaces)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap2-subchapI-sec45f.htm) (United States Code, 2024 edition (GPO, govinfo.gov); United States Code, 2024 edition) - [FTC: Informing Businesses about the INFORM Consumers Act](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/INFORMAct) (Federal Trade Commission; June 2023, edited January 2025) - [FTC press release: first INFORM Act case, against an online marketplace ($2 million civil penalty)](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/online-marketplace-temu-pay-2-million-penalty-alleged-inform-act-violations) (Federal Trade Commission; Sep 5, 2025) Subscribe: https://resellerindex.com/subscribe/ Want these numbers next to your own sales? 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