But how do you know when youre actually buying from a small business?
How do you know if that business is located in the United States?
Identify the Seller and Where Theyre Located
The first thing youll want to check is the seller.
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To find this information, start by clicking on the product page.
Youre looking for a link that reads Sold by _____ and includes the sellers name.
If the business is listed in the U.S., youre ready for the next steps in the vetting process.
Check for a Website or Social Media Presence
Not all small business owners are digitally savvy.
If the business doesnt have a website, look for them on Facebook.
Youll likely find contact information like the businesss address and phone number there.
(Few businesses have this kind of presence on other social media platforms.)
In reality, though, fake review schemes remain an ongoing problem for Amazon.
Or you could just end up buying from a legitimate small business with horrendous customer service.
By checking multiple review sites, youre more likely to find any patterns that raise red flags.
Next, find your states searchable business registrations.
These records are provided by the office of each states Secretary of State (SoS).
It should be as easy as doing an online search for [your state] SoS business registration search.
Search the state registrations for the small business in question.
If it does, youll know the state has checked out the businesss paperwork.
If youve done all the research to vet a company, you might as well buy directly from them.
Think Target, Walmart, etc.
Weve found these stores to havehigher standards for the third-party vendorslisted on their website.
This allows you to support the same small business without quite as many safety concerns.
Brynne Conroy is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
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