business germany
Is it mandatory to register a business account at online shops?
<p>I have a small computer business.
I order about 5 devices (printers/SSDs/notebooks/...) total  for my clients a month in different online stores.</p>

<p>On many online stores you can register as private person (consumer) or business customer.
Private persons have different conditions.</p>

<p>Examples are Amazon and eBay.</p>

<p>Is it mandatory to register as business customer?
Or is it ok to use a private account?</p>

<p><strong>TL;DR: Don't use a private account.</strong></p>
<p>There are some issues with the VAT (see amon's comment). In addition the (European) consumer protection law doesn't apply on you. Because of that, the shops don't want you to use a consumer account.</p>
<p>If there are no problems no one will gripe, but if there are problems (defect devices etc.) the shop may notice you weren't a consumer and this may impair your position. In the end you may not get the consumer rigths but also not the better parts of buisiness contract.</p>
<p>In addition if your lie causes a pecuniary loss for the shop, it may be fraud (§ 263 StGB) or computer fraud (§ 263a StGB).</p>
<p>The other way around (consumer with buisiness account) it isn't OK, too.</p>
