Key Takeaways

• Yes, resellers need sellers.json entries. DSPs verify every node in the supply chain, including intermediaries and resellers.
• The entry should list the reseller as seller_type: INTERMEDIARY. This matches the RESELLER designation in publishers' ads.txt files.
• A reseller without a sellers.json entry creates a verification gap. DSPs can't confirm the identity of that entity, which reduces trust for every publisher whose inventory passes through them.
• Publishers should verify that their resellers appear in sellers.json. It's not just direct SSPs that matter.

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Do Resellers Need sellers.json?

Yes.

Here's why.

How Resellers Fit the Verification Chain

When a publisher lists a reseller in their ads.txt, they're authorizing that entity to sell their inventory. The entry looks like:

text
reseller-exchange.com, 12345, RESELLER, f08c47fec0942fa0

When a DSP receives a bid request through this reseller, it checks:

1. ads.txt: Is the reseller authorized? (Yes, the RESELLER entry exists.)
2. sellers.json: Who is this reseller? (Checks reseller-exchange.com/sellers.json for seller_id 12345.)

If the reseller's sellers.json doesn't contain an entry for the publisher (or for the upstream SSP that feeds them inventory), the identity check fails.

The authorization exists but the identity can't be confirmed.

What the sellers.json Entry Looks Like

For a reseller, the sellers.json entry on the SSP or exchange that hosts them should show:

json
{
  "seller_id": "12345",
  "name": "Reseller Corp",
  "domain": "reseller-corp.com",
  "seller_type": "INTERMEDIARY",
  "is_confidential": false
}

The key field is seller_type: INTERMEDIARY. This tells DSPs that the entity is a reseller, not a direct publisher.

It matches the RESELLER designation in ads.txt.

The Impact of Missing Reseller Entries

When a reseller lacks a sellers.json entry:

• DSPs can't verify their identity at that node in the supply chain
• The SupplyChain object (schain) has an unverifiable node
• Bids through that reseller path are discounted or rejected
• Every publisher whose inventory passes through that reseller is affected

This is important: a single reseller with a missing sellers.json entry degrades the supply path for all publishers using that reseller.

What Publishers Should Do

When you add a RESELLER entry to your ads.txt:

1. Check the reseller's parent exchange for a sellers.json file
2. Verify your reseller's account appears in that file
3. Confirm the entry is non-confidential with correct details
4. If missing, ask your primary SSP (who resells through them) to ensure the reseller maintains proper sellers.json data

Use BeamFlow's scanner to verify not just your direct SSPs but also your reseller entries against sellers.json.