Using a Pen Name or Pseudonym with Paypal?

[angelicshadow]

Hi, all!  I was curious about the topic of using a Pen Name or Pseudonym with Paypal.  Specifically, I am an artist wishing to sell a different genre of art than what I sell currently.  My two studios would have vastly different products and different studio names.

From what I understand, the smartest course of action is to legally establish a business name then sign up with a Paypal Business Account, where only the company name on file is shared with the customer.

My question is this - What are the options if we already have a Business and a Personal account in use?  My main studio is already taking up my alotted Biz account.  Is there a way to prove to Paypal that you legally run multiple businesses or a legal pen name so that you can have a second biz account? Is this allowed on a case by case basis?

Any pen name I plan to use I would be legally filing for in my state.

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi angelicshadow, and welcome to the forums!

You've got it exactly right - you would open a Business account with that name as the business name, using your real name as the business contact name associated with the account. If you've got a different business that is operating separately from the business on your current business account, that's the best way to differentiate the activity and still keep accurate information on your PayPal account.

Since you're running multiple businesses, you may with to discuss the plan with a Merchant Services sales representative to see if there are any other options you'd want to consider for organizing your accounts optimally.

I hope this helps!

Olivia