Verify the seller by checking whether you can identify the real business behind the shop, not just the website name. Before you order, look for a legal company name, company registration number, VAT ID if the seller claims to be VAT-registered, and a real contact address you can match to official records.
Start with the seller’s own site or seller profile:
- Find the legal business name, not only the brand name.
- Check the footer, “About,” “Contact,” “Terms,” and returns pages for a registration number, VAT ID, registered office, and a working email address or phone number.
- If you are on a marketplace, open the individual seller profile and seller information page. The marketplace brand is not the same as the trader who will actually fulfil your order.
Then compare what you find with outside sources:
- Search the company register in the country the seller says it is based in. Look for the exact legal name and company number shown on the site.
- If the seller gives an EU VAT number, validate it in the official VAT lookup service for that country or through the EU VAT system. A valid VAT number helps identify the business, but it does not by itself prove the shop is trustworthy.
- Check whether the address is a normal business address and whether the company status is active. If the register shows a different name, inactive status, or no matching record, treat that as a warning sign.
Watch for the most common trap: the shop name can look polished while the legal entity is hidden or different. That is not automatically a problem, but the legal name on the website, checkout, and invoice should make sense together. If the site says one company, the order confirmation shows another, and the bank card statement later shows a third name, you may have trouble identifying who sold you the item.
Before paying, check the checkout page:
- See whether the merchant name, country, and currency look consistent with the seller details.
- Save the order page, contact page, terms, and any registration or VAT information before you place the order. These pages can change later.
- If the store offers only a contact form, no address, and no registration details, that is a reason to pause.
If the seller gives incomplete or conflicting details, ask for the exact legal company name, registration number, VAT ID, and registered address before you buy. Ask for an invoice or receipt that will show those details after payment. If they cannot provide them, or the answers do not match the website, choose another seller.
If you want a quick final check, compare three things: the legal name on the site, the official register entry, and the merchant name you see at checkout or on the card payment page. If those three do not fit together, do not order until they do.
Practical tip: take screenshots of the contact page, legal notice, VAT number, and checkout merchant name before paying, so you can compare them later if something goes wrong.
