SIV (Seller Identity Verification)

Amazon & D2C glossary · Harpy Media

SIV (Seller Identity Verification) is the process of proving that a seller is who they claim to be: business entity details, identification documents, bank information, and the links between them all checked before the account is allowed to trade.

What is SIV?

SIV (Seller Identity Verification) is the process of proving that a seller is who they claim to be: business entity details, identification documents, bank information, and the links between them all checked before the account is allowed to trade.

It is a gate rather than a formality. Verification failures stop operations entirely — no selling, no disbursements, and for a brand expanding into a new marketplace, inventory that cannot reach customers while the paperwork is resolved. The speed of that resolution depends almost entirely on the quality of the documents submitted.

Why verification issues are common and expensive

Most failures are not fraud; they are mismatches. The address on a utility bill does not match the registered business address, or the name on the bank account does not exactly match the account holder, or a document has expired. These are trivial to fix and catastrophic to discover during a launch.

And the cost is asymmetric. A delayed verification halts trading from the moment it applies, freezes disbursements, and stalls any inventory that was being prepared for a new market. The delay is measured in the time taken to produce exactly what was requested — which is why having the documents in order before you need them is the whole defence.

Getting verified, and staying verified

The routine is methodical: prepare consistent documents in advance — business registration, identification, proof of address, and bank details that agree with each other in name and address; submit clear, legible, complete files; and respond to any query precisely, with the specific document requested rather than the nearest thing available.

Then keep them current. Documents expire, registered addresses change, and bank details get updated; any of those can trigger a fresh review. Maintaining a compliance file with expiry dates and a named owner turns verification from an emergency into a piece of filing.

In practice

Before opening a new marketplace account, a brand assembles its verification pack: registration documents, identification, proof of address, and bank details, all consistent on name and address and all legible. Verification clears without a query, and the launch timeline is untouched — the inventory arrives with the account already trading.

How Harpy Media helps

Compliance readiness is part of our account work: verification files prepared in advance, documents kept consistent and current, and new-market launches scheduled with the paperwork already in place.

SIV FAQ

What is seller identity verification?

The process of confirming a seller’s identity and business details before they can trade — covering registration documents, identification, address evidence, and bank details.

Why do verifications fail?

Usually through mismatches: names or addresses that differ between documents, expired paperwork, or illegible scans. The documents themselves are valid; the inconsistency is the problem.

How long does verification take?

It varies, and delays are usually attributable to incomplete or inconsistent submissions. Providing exactly what is requested, in clear copies, is the way to avoid a protracted review.