Impressum and other Seller Disclosure Requirements

In the world of online sales, maintaining transparency and compliance with legal regulations is paramount. Depending on where you are located and the nature of your business on Whatnot, certain consumer protection laws may require you to publicly disclose information about yourself or your business so that buyers can identify you. As a reminder, our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines require all users to comply with applicable laws while on Whatnot.

The German Impressum

German law requires a legal disclosure notice of certain information that must be provided by certain sellers who offer goods or services into Germany, commonly referred to as the “Impressum”. If you operate in Germany or specifically target German buyers, and you use Whatnot to help run a business, it is highly possible that you are required to post an Impressum. The Impressum includes the following information:

• Your name, legal address, type of registered company and authorised representative (if applicable);
• Your contact details, including email address;
• Information from the commercial register, including your registration number;
• If your business activity is subject of approval from a governmental agency, details of the relevant supervisory body;
• VAT ID, if available; and
• If your business requires a special license/permit, then information about the authority granting that license/permit, and professional rules and how they can be accessed (likely not applicable to most Whatnot sellers). 

The above is a non-exhaustive list of the information that you may be required to disclose under the German Impressum law.  As always, Whatnot is unable to offer you advice or direction on legal compliance, and you should consult independent legal counsel if uncertainties arise in regarding the Impressum law, or what you need to do to comply with it. Note that similar requirements may exist under the laws of other countries. 

We provide sufficient space in your Whatnot Bio for you to post an Impressum. To update your Bio, tap “Profile” and then “Edit Profile” in the Whatnot App. 

Other Disclosures

Please note that depending on where you are located and the nature of your sales, other consumer protection laws may require Whatnot to collect and share information about you and your business on the platform with buyers. We understand that many of our sellers are individuals operating from home rather than large brick and mortar businesses, and as always, we will continue to strive to protect your privacy in compliance with law and our Privacy Policy.