eBay, Etsy, Mercari, Offerup, and Poshmarket have formed a coalition to address a new act in the US that would force online marketplaces to disclose personal information about its sellers.

The information would include their full address, email, and phone number.

The Protect America’s Small Sellers (PASS) coalition said that the new ‘marketplace verification requirements’ would “impose impractical, burdensome requirements that would jeopardize the privacy of millions of Americans while big box retailers are gaining more and more advantage over small businesses and casual sellers.”

“Etsy serves as an on-ramp to entrepreneurship, empowering millions of artists, makers and designers to build creative businesses from their homes,” said Jeffrey Zubricki, head of US government relations at Etsy. "We are committed to working with policymakers to find creative solutions that protect both consumers and small businesses, but a one-size-fits-all approach to combating counterfeit or stolen goods threatens the makers and curators of unique and vintage goods that rely on marketplaces to build their businesses.”

Cathy Foster, vice president, government relations at eBay said that the past year has demonstrated that e-commerce can help power economic recovery.

“…entrepreneurs and small businesses selling on eBay have been able to stay up and running online and, in many cases, grow their business in spite of the pandemic,” she said. “eBay is proud to collaborate with other marketplaces that put sellers first. We have a shared goal to protect America’s small online sellers and ensure that legislative and regulatory bodies hear the voices of individuals and small businesses that use our platforms.”

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