From unverified to verified

Verification on 12sell is the strongest credibility signal you can have. A verified badge appears next to your business title across every deal, showcase, tale, message, and profile view. It's a one-time setup that pays back over the entire year of validity.

This guide walks the full path: when to apply, what to prepare, what happens during review, and what changes for your account afterward.

When to verify

You can verify any time after signing up — there's no waiting period. The optimal timing depends on where you are:

If you're a serious B2B trader for whom 12sell is a real channel, the answer is verify in week 1. The token cost (3,000 tokens ≈ $99.99) is paid back many times over by the increase in reply rates and visibility.

Cost summary

You can pay the fee from any token balance — purchased, earned via Referrals, or a mix.

What you'll need

Have these ready before you start the wizard. Trying to gather them mid-flow is the most common reason people abandon the form.

Documents (uploaded as images or PDFs)

1. Trade license / business registration certificate

   • Must clearly show the legal company name and registration number.
   • Must be current (not expired).
   • Common formats: UAE trade license, Singapore ACRA business profile, UK Companies House extract, US EIN letter, etc.

2. Owner ID card

   • Government-issued photo ID of the person who owns the 12sell account.
   • Passport, national ID, or driver's license all work.
   • Must be valid (not expired).
   • The name on the ID must match the listed owner of the trade license. If you're a different role (e.g. CEO of a company someone else owns), be ready to explain.

Information to type in

3. Company details: legal name, country of registration, location, landline (optional), employee count.
4. Your role in the company: Owner, Director, CEO, Manager, etc.
5. Business description: 2–3 sentences on what your company does.
6. Online presence: at least one of website / Instagram / LinkedIn URL. More is better. They must work.
7. Categories, subcategories, brands your company actually trades in.
8. Company logo: clean square image, no watermarks, no screenshot quality.

The wizard, step by step

Step 1 — Company Info

Fill in the basics. Things to know:

• Company name must match the trade license exactly. "Alpha Phones Trading LLC" not "AlphaPhones".
• Country is where the company is registered, not where you live.
• Location is the city/address shown publicly.
• Number of employees — pick the range that fits.

Step 2 — About & Online

Write a real description and link your online presence:

• Description that explains what you do and who you serve. Avoid marketing speak; reviewers prefer concrete.
• At least one of website / Instagram / LinkedIn is required. The link must load and have content.

The strongest applications have all three plus an additional channel like Telegram or WhatsApp Business.

Step 3 — Logo

Upload a clean company logo:

• Square works best.
• Plain background (white, or transparent if PNG).
• High resolution.
• No screenshots, no watermarks, no product photos — this is your brand mark.

Step 4 — Categories

Pick categories, subcategories, and brands your company actually trades in. Be precise:

• Three accurate category/brand picks beat ten random ones.
• The reviewer will check that your description, showcases, and historical activity broadly align with these picks.
• This becomes the official catalog signal for your verified Company.

Step 5 — Documents

Upload trade license + owner ID. The same rules as in What you'll need:

• Both documents must be valid.
• Names must match each other and the company name.
• Files should be clear and unedited.

When all 5 steps are complete, tap Submit. The 3,000 tokens are deducted and your application enters the Pending queue.

During review

Review usually completes within 24 hours. You don't need to wait actively — you'll get a notification when the status changes. While waiting:

• The badge is not visible yet.
• Your deals/showcases work normally.
• You can keep posting, messaging, and trading.

A typical review pipeline:

1. Document validity check (license valid, ID valid, names match).
2. Business sanity check (website loads, social presence is real, description is consistent).
3. Cross-checks (no signals of fraud, no overlap with previously banned accounts).
4. Approval, request for clarification, or rejection.

Possible outcomes

Verified ✅

You get a notification + email. The badge appears on your account immediately, valid for 1 year. The Verification page shows your expiry date.

What changes immediately:

• Badge visible everywhere your business title appears.
• Your account is automatically promoted to a verified Company profile (with you as owner).
• You can now create Private Lists.
• You're eligible for verified-only platform features (high-trust dropdowns, certain dashboards).

Pending review (rare delay)

If your application takes longer than 24 hours, the team is doing additional checks. You can still use the platform normally. You'll be notified when the status finalizes.

Rejected ❌

You get a notification with the specific reason. Common reasons:

In most cases the 3,000 tokens are not refunded — they're considered a review fee, and you can resubmit without paying again as long as you address the cited reason. Submit again with the fix.

Expired

After 1 year your verification expires. The badge is removed; your account stays intact. You can renew anytime by tapping Extend 1 Year — 3,000 tokens on the Verification page. No documents needed for renewal as long as the original record is still on file.

What changes once you're verified

The visible changes:

• Badge everywhere — every deal, showcase, tale, profile, message header, and search result.
• Public Company profile — a polished page combining your verification info into a clean public business profile.
• Higher feed ranking — the platform's algorithms factor in verification when ranking content.

The compounding changes:

• Reply rates increase. Anecdotally, 30%+ uplift on the same deals.
• Boost ROI improves. Boost amplifies; verification multiplies. Together they compound.
• Counterparts trust you faster. The first message gets engaged with rather than scrutinized.
• Access to Private Lists. You can now create tier programs for distributors and repeat customers.
• Access to Company features. Invite team members; they inherit the verified badge.

After verification — first 30 days

Make verification work for you in the first month:

1. Update your existing showcases to reflect the verified status — sometimes a fresh photo set or refined description is enough to reactivate older content.
2. Boost a strong showcase with a 1-month boost to capitalize on the badge while it's "new" in the algorithm.
3. Post a Tale announcing the verification — daily presence pinned with the badge converts viewers.
4. Invite team members if applicable — see Company.
5. Create your first Private List for your top customers — high-value deals offered to a curated audience close at higher rates.

Common questions

Is the verified badge transferable to a new company?

No. Verification is tied to the legal entity reviewed. If you start a new company, submit a fresh application under the new entity's documents.

Can I verify a freelance / sole proprietorship?

Yes. As long as you have a registered business (sole prop, sole trader, individual entrepreneur) with valid government documentation, you can verify.

What if my company name has special characters or non-Latin script?

Submit it exactly as it appears on the trade license. The reviewer handles non-Latin script.

Can I have my company verified without sharing my personal ID?

The owner ID is required to confirm a real person owns the account. If you're concerned about privacy, the document is encrypted and used only for review — never shown publicly. See the Verification page → Privacy.

What if my license is in a country 12sell doesn't have many users from?

Doesn't matter. 12sell verifies businesses globally as long as the documentation is genuine and verifiable.

What happens to my existing deals when I get verified?

Nothing — they stay live. The badge is added to all of them retroactively. Old deals get a trust uplift.

Can my company members verify themselves separately?

They don't need to. As Company members, they inherit the verified badge through your verified Company. One verification covers the team.

Can I expedite review?

Reviews are first-come-first-serve. Cleanly submitted applications go faster — make sure documents are clear, names match, and online presence loads. Most applications complete in 24 hours regardless.

Next steps

• Verification — the feature reference page.
• Tokens — top up to cover the verification fee.
• Referrals — earn the verification fee for free by inviting active businesses.
• Company — what your verified Company unlocks.
• Private Lists — verified-only feature for tier programs.
• First hour on 12sell — the wider context if you're new.