Purchase Order Policies

What is a purchase order: Its when you want to place an order and have me bill you later for it. They are expensive and time consuming for me to process, so I don't like doing it. Please consider using a VISA or Mastercard instead.

	Purchase orders are reluctantly taken from corporations or large institutions. VISA or Mastercard are the preferred methods of payment. Purchase orders less than $500.00 are charged a $15.00 handling fee.
	I will not provide my Federal Tax ID for retail sales. If this causes your institution problems, please use VISA or Mastercard. See below for details.
	I only accept purchase orders from corporations in the USA. International customers please use VISA or Mastercard.
	You are responsible for all Shipping Charges.
	Purchase order terms are Net 30. Overdue payments are assessed a monthly 1.5% finance charge with a $5.00 monthly minimum.

All other Normal Orders terms and conditions apply to purchase orders.

My Federal Tax ID

This number is used in the process of filing reportable income to the IRS. According to IRS rules, 'Payments for merchandise, telegrams, telephone, freight, storage, and similar items' are not reportable on a 1099-MISC. Therefore a W-9 form is not required.

My business is a sole proprietorship. That means my Federal Tax ID is my social security number. This is a confidential number that I do not provide unless required by federal law.

By recommendation of my attorney, accountant, the IRS, and the Social Security Administration, I am no longer willing to provide my social security number unless required by law.

Instructions for 1099-MISC from IRS

But I must have your Federal Tax ID number...

Legally, you don't. If you have a corporate rule or policy that you are following, I sympathize. I do accept Mastercard and VISA as the preferred form of payment.

If you just need a 9 digit number, I suggest using 42-5785985 which is derived from my FAX telephone number. This is NOT a tax ID number, it is just a 9 digit number you can use for your own purposes.

Why be difficult about the tax ID number?

Identity theft is a real and growing problem in the USA. With just your name and social security number, it is possible for someone to create huge credit problems for you. It is highly recommended by most federal authorities that you do everything in your power to protect the confidentiality of your social security number.

I used to provide my number on request. Usually, it is requested by large institutions as a matter of normal business operations. It also turns out that many institutions create a vendor ID number that contains this federal tax ID. Unfortunately, most institutions have extremely lax security rules when it comes to vendor information.

On more than one occasion, I was able to find my social security number on the internet using a search engine. This was caused by my name showing up on a preferred vendor list by two large universities. However my social security number, which was my vendor ID number at these universities, were included on these lists. (I have since had my information removed.)

Interesting Links on this issue:

When Someone Misuses Your Number