How to find the best e-commerce insurance agent in your state
A good e-commerce agent holds a license in your state, places online sellers as regular work, and can reach insurers that take imported or own-label goods. Check the license on your state's lookup, then use the scorecard below.
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- Verify the license in the state where the business operates before you share any details.
- A specialist asks where your stock sits, who imports it and how your sales split by channel, before quoting.
- State rules for workers' comp, data breaches and product claims differ, so the agent has to know yours.
How do I tell an online seller specialist from a generalist?
A specialist can tell you, before quoting, which insurers take sellers like you and what each will ask about your stock, your channels and your products. A generalist may send the same form everywhere and learn the details afterward.
| Question to ask | A good answer sounds like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Which online sellers do you insure now? | Kinds of goods and channels, with no client names | "We insure all small businesses" |
| Who counts as the maker of my goods? | Asks who imports and whether you sell under your own label | "The factory's insurance covers you" |
| Where will my stock sit, and who insures it there? | Asks about your warehouse, a third-party one and a marketplace's; explains what each policy leaves out | Prices property for your address only |
| What do you need from me to quote? | Sales by channel, product categories, where goods ship from | Quotes from a revenue number alone |
| Which of my products would go to a specialist market? | Names categories such as children's goods, supplements or fur | "Everything is standard" |
| Does the policy cover a suspended marketplace account? | Business interruption generally responds to physical damage, not to a suspended account | "Yes, lost income is lost income" |
Start with the license, which is a state's permission to sell insurance, called a producer license. A state's lookup shows license status and often which lines the holder may sell. A license does not make someone a specialist, so use the table. See questions to ask your broker and spotting an upsell. The guide to why online sellers are hard to insure and the quote checklist show what an agent will ask for.
Anvo Insurance, an independent agency (legal name Baos Insurance LLC), writes online sellers who are already selling to customers, on their own site or a marketplace, including newer businesses and sellers who import their own inventory. It places accounts with standard carriers and, where needed, the surplus linesExcess and Surplus Lines (E&S) Coverage from insurers your state permits but does not license, used for risks standard insurers decline. Insurers call this the excess and surplus lines market. more → market through wholesale access. It does not write a side business run from a spare room.
| State | Is Anvo licensed there? | Where to check a license |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | Yes | Kansas section below |
| Missouri | Yes | Missouri section below |
| New York | Yes | New York section below |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | Pennsylvania section below |
| Massachusetts | Yes | Massachusetts section below |
| Louisiana | No | Louisiana section below |
| Maryland | No | Maryland section below |
| Washington | No | Washington section below |
In the five Yes states, search "Baos Insurance LLC" on the state lookup. In the other three, Anvo is not licensed. Use that state's lookup to check any agent you consider.
How do I find the best e-commerce insurance agent in Kansas?
Search the Kansas Insurance Department's license lookup, then ask how Kansas's product claim rule treats goods you import. (Source: Kansas Insurance Department)
Kansas shields a seller only if the maker can be served and would likely pay a judgment. An importer whose maker is out of reach can lose that shield.
How do I find the best e-commerce insurance agent in Missouri?
Missouri's insurance department links its license lookup from its producer page. (Source: Missouri Department of Insurance)
Missouri workers' comp generally starts at five employees, or one in construction, so ask the agent how a busy-season hire changes your policy.
How do I find the best e-commerce insurance agent in New York?
The state's financial services department runs a licensee search. (Source: New York Department of Financial Services)
New York requires a business holding a resident's data to keep reasonable safeguards. Ask how the agent would handle a cyber liability claim involving New York customers.
How do I find the best e-commerce insurance agent in Pennsylvania?
The state insurance department offers a search to verify an agent's license status. (Source: Pennsylvania Insurance Department)
Pennsylvania workers' comp starts from the first employee, part-time included, so ask how the agent reports a seasonal packer.
How do I find the best e-commerce insurance agent in Massachusetts?
The Division of Insurance runs an online verification service for agents and agencies. (Source: Massachusetts Division of Insurance)
Massachusetts data-security rules reach any business holding a resident's personal data. Ask how the agent would handle a breach involving those customers.
How do I find the best e-commerce insurance agent in Louisiana?
The state's department of insurance has a search to verify a producer's license status. (Source: Louisiana Department of Insurance)
Louisiana treats a business that labels a product as its own as the maker, so tell any agent if you sell under your own label.
How do I find the best e-commerce insurance agent in Maryland?
The Maryland Insurance Administration's licensee lookup shows license status and expiration date, so check both. (Source: Maryland Insurance Administration)
Maryland gives a business 45 days at most to notify customers of a breach, so ask how the agent supports that deadline. (Source: Md. Commercial Law §14-3504)
How do I find the best e-commerce insurance agent in Washington?
The Office of the Insurance Commissioner has a public lookup that shows whether an agent is licensed, with disciplinary history. (Source: Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner)
Washington does not allow private workers' comp: you buy it from the state's Labor & Industries department or qualify as a certified self-insurer, so your agent will not place it. See our workers' comp page. (Source: Washington Department of Labor & Industries)
Frequently asked questions about choosing an e-commerce insurance agent
No, but generally the agent must hold a license for the state where your business operates, resident or non-resident. Check it on that state's lookup.
Search the agency's legal name as well as its trade name. If nothing appears, ask for the license number and call the state insurance department before you pay or share details.
Anvo writes online sellers who are already selling to customers, including newer businesses and sellers who import their own inventory. It does not write a side business run from a spare room. You can reach it on +1 (913) 845-9688 or through the quote form.
Talk through your online store with an agent
Send us your sales channels, where your stock sits and who makes your goods, and we'll tell you whether we write the account.