The company that clears Seller Central's tax interview.
You can sell on Amazon as a foreign individual with a W-8BEN and no EIN. The moment you form a US LLC to do it properly, the rules change: your LLC needs an EIN, an annual Form 5472, and the correct tax form in Amazon's own interview -- which is not always the one its system defaults to.
What's included
- LLC or C-Corp formation in the state you choose, in 1-2 business days
- EIN from the IRS, no SSN or ITIN required, for Seller Central's tax interview
- Registered agent and US business address, both required for account verification
- Guidance on the W-8BEN-E vs W-9 question Amazon's system does not explain
- Form 5472 filing support once your LLC is formed, so a $25,000 penalty never becomes your problem
- US business bank account guidance for your Amazon disbursements
What it costs
Plus your state's filing fee, paid directly to the Secretary of State. The same formation plan every other NameMarshal company uses.
What Amazon's own tax interview does not tell you
Amazon's system often pushes foreign-owned LLCs toward the wrong form
A single-member LLC owned by a non-US person is a disregarded entity for tax purposes, which technically points to Form W-8BEN-E. In practice, Amazon's automated tax interview frequently defaults sellers with a US-registered LLC toward Form W-9 instead, and W-8BEN-E is not always offered as an option. Real sellers hit this exact conflict in Amazon's own seller forums as recently as April 2026, with no clear resolution from Seller Support. Get this wrong and you risk a TIN mismatch that triggers 24% backup withholding, or an IRS notice over a year later.
An EIN is not strictly required to sell on Amazon -- until you form the LLC
As an individual foreign seller, a W-8BEN and your home country's tax ID is enough to clear Amazon's interview and avoid backup withholding. The moment you incorporate a US LLC, that LLC needs its own EIN to file the Form 5472 the IRS now requires of it annually, even at zero income. Forming the company without getting the EIN sorted at the same time just creates a second, harder trip later.
FBA inventory sitting in Amazon's warehouses is a different exposure than dropshipping
Amazon distributes FBA inventory across fulfillment centers in multiple states without much visibility for the seller. Unlike a dropshipper with no US footprint, that inventory can create state-level tax exposure in states you never chose to be in. It is worth knowing this is a real, FBA-specific risk before assuming your setup is identical to a dropshipping or Shopify store's.
Built to work with the platforms you already use
Especially relevant if you're in
Not a generic country list -- these are the specific markets where this service solves a real, documented problem.
One of the largest Amazon FBA training and reseller communities anywhere, and total Stripe blockage makes the LLC route the real unlock, not an optional upgrade.
No direct Stripe access at all -- an EIN and a real US LLC is how Nigerian FBA sellers actually get paid, not a nice-to-have.
PayPal's forced 8% conversion on withdrawals makes a US LLC with its own bank account and Stripe access a genuine payout upgrade for Amazon disbursements.
Everything else your US company needs
Bookkeeping
Categorised transactions, connected bank feeds, invoices out the door, reports you can hand a lender.
Business taxes
Federal and state filings handled on time, with a licensed professional on a call when you need one.
Registered agent
Required in every state. Yours is included, and your mail is scanned to you.
E-commerce analytics
Shopify and Amazon sales, orders and ad spend in one dashboard, next to your books.
EIN without an SSN
The biggest blocker for founders outside the US. We run the SS-4 process end to end.
US company for e-commerce
The entity, EIN and address Amazon, Shopify Payments and Stripe expect before they verify a seller.
Sales tax & nexus
Economic nexus and marketplace facilitator rules, tracked and filed so a threshold crossed in a state you have never visited does not turn into a notice.
US LLC for Shopify
Built for the operational-presence check behind Shopify Payments, not just a certificate and an EIN.
US LLC for dropshipping
Wyoming-first, priced for a business with no US inventory and a real answer on nexus.
US LLC for TikTok Shop
The domestic-track entity, EIN and bank account TikTok Shop's cross-border track does not give you.
US LLC for content creators
The privacy, banking and liability separation an individual creator account does not have.
Form the company
LLC or C-Corp in any of the 50 states, with the EIN and registered agent included.
How this works. NameMarshal is not a law firm or an accountancy practice, and nothing on this page is legal or tax advice. Formation, EIN and registered agent are delivered through NameMarshal's formation network. Foreign-owned US LLCs generally have to file Form 5472 with a pro-forma Form 1120 every year, even with no income, and the penalty for missing it is steep. Ask us and we will point you at someone licensed to handle it.