A seller needs a current account not "just to have one", but to receive marketplace payouts, pay suppliers and avoid fighting the bank over transactions it finds odd. Here is which account fits your form of registration and what to look at when choosing.
Which account you need: sole trader (IP), LLC (OOO), self-employed (samozanyaty)
Marketplaces send payouts to the bank details tied to your status: a sole trader (IP) and an LLC (OOO) work through an R/S current account, while a self-employed person (samozanyaty) usually gets paid to a linked card or a personal account. What to choose at the start and what the limitations are is covered in the guides sole trader, LLC or self-employed and documents for selling on a marketplace.
What actually matters to a seller
- Receiving incoming payments from the platforms — regular credits from marketplace legal entities should go through calmly, without a manual check every single time;
- Transfers to suppliers — including large one-off payments for a batch purchase: buying goods in China and wholesale in Russia or China;
- Limits on cash withdrawals and transfers to individuals — the most frequent reason behind a "suddenly expensive" month;
- Currency control, if you buy directly from abroad;
- Integration with accounting — a statement that drops into your books without manual re-entry: seller accounting and financial records;
- Credit products — an overdraft and working-capital financing matched to the payout cycle: financing for sellers.
Money and gaps: why the account is tied to turnover
The platform pays with a delay, while the supplier has to be paid today — hence the typical cash gap. Before picking a bank by its overdraft rate, work out how much money you need to keep in circulation at all: working capital for a seller. Payout cycles differ from platform to platform — payouts on Ozon and WB, how to get your money on WB; what to do when a payout is late — delayed payouts.
How not to end up under review
The bank is obliged to monitor transactions under anti-money-laundering law, and payments it finds "strange" trigger a document request. A seller rarely faces this, but the cure is always the same: payments with a stated purpose, supplier contracts and delivery notes at hand, taxes paid on time (taxes for a seller, VAT on the simplified tax regime (USN)), and no money withdrawn to a personal card without grounds. A separate account for the business and order in the paperwork close almost every question in advance.
FAQ
"Which bank should a marketplace seller choose?" The one where your particular month is cheaper: incoming payments from the platforms, payments to suppliers, withdrawals and transfers. Price your real set of operations under the tariffs of several banks — that is the only honest comparison.
"Does a self-employed person (samozanyaty) need a current account?" Usually not: payouts arrive on a card or a personal account. A separate account for the business is still more convenient — it is easier to count income and not mix it with personal spending.
"Can marketplace payouts be received on a sole trader's personal card?" The platforms work with the bank details specified in the seller account, and for a sole trader (IP) that is the R/S current account. Mixing personal and business money complicates bookkeeping and raises the bank's interest.
"What should I do if the bank requests documents for a transaction?" Reply within the deadline and attach the grounds: supplier contracts, delivery notes, platform reports. Ignoring the request leads to account restrictions far more often than the request itself does.
