hi guys!
does anybody know about setting up ebay businesses? that is, if you sell things on ebay full-time do you have to get a license to work at home, do the assumed name thingy, get a tax ID, etc. your help would be hugely appreciated! thanks!

sue

hi sue! :)

i sell full-time on eBay, and yes, *legally* you need to get a business tax id and charge sales tax for in-state buyers and all that good stuff. (of course, most people *don't* get legal and seem to get away with it, but i'm too fearful of getting caught, so i went legal.) ;)

thanks for replying!! one quick question....did you register your business name as your user name on ebay?

thanks, sue

hey sue! :)

my ebay user id is the same as my business name, so it "umbrellas" all my sales, regardless of if they're eBay sales or directly off my website. :)

if ya wanna e-mail me directly about any eBay questions, my addy's in my profile and i'm happy to share what i know! :)

xo, janice

curious, what do you sell on eBay?

your crafties or other stuff.

i dream about this kind of thing. freedom from the corporate world!

i sell just about everything, but mostly vintage clothing and housewares. i've sold some of my handmade stuff on eBay before, and it's always done pretty well! :) plus, i also do "trading assistant" stuff, where you sell for people in the neighborhood for a 60/40 split.

doing the eBay thing is great, because you do get freedom for the corporate grind, which is awesome! :) but on the other hand, you gotta deal with a wide range of customer temperments, your apartment looks like a thrift store 'cause you've got stuff you're selling everywhere, and then you got deadbeat bidders...but it's still fun. :)

Off topic, I know, but how do you get to be a trading assistant? Has it been profitable for you?

I have a part-part-part-time work-from-home job trying to liquidate inventory for an electronics company. It's good for some income, but they're not paying me a heck of a lot...a 60/40 split would be niiiiice. Can you choose your assignments (how much you want to do)? It sounds like a good deal.

Lex

-------
Alexis M. Greer, Designer
Lex's Creations - Handmade Jewelry >http://www.lexscreations.com
E-mail: lex@lexscreations.com

*shimmy shimmy bump*

Okay, so I've been thinking about the eBay business thing for awhile now too... but I'm curious. What if I start selling on eBay, then get burnt out? That's my biggest fear. I don't want to invest in a business license and all the legalities and then not go through with it, or do it only for awhile and then stop. But then, what if I -don't- get the businessy stuff and end up selling a ton?

I guess, where should a beginner draw the line? When does the government come in and say, "pay up, sistah!"? Do you have to make a certain amount of profit before they want to take taxes?

And, any sources you might have for acquiring these business documents would be helpful too!

I don't know about every state...but in the state of Washington you have to make over 400 bucks before having to claim it on your taxes. So you could try selling a few things first to test the waters to see if you like it, then get all the legal paperwork.
-Gretchen

I agree with Gretchen! Try it out, see how your sales do, and if you have success with it, then go for it legally! :) One word of warning though: summer *always* slows sales down...

Also, I highly recommend checking out the eBay message boards. I lurk there all the time and learn all sorts of business-y things from those talented folk!

Good luck!!! :)

Heh. Here in VA you get taxed on every cent you make starting with whatever date you say you started your business.

I had a month in there where I owed the government a whopping 27 cents! Heehee. ;P

I've also done the legal stuff...And I take sales tax at craft fairs and such as well. I don't know, or want to know, what happens when they catch up with you if you DON'T do it. ;) Besides, I worked as a Legal Assistant for 2 years and did a little time at law school...I wouldn't have felt right doing anything "off the books."

I've got an ebay store that's relatively new, and I just posted about whether anyone else has done the ebay thing with crafts successfully...I'm feeling overwhelmed by the listing fees right now.

Lex

-------
Alexis M. Greer, Designer
Lex's Creations - Handmade Jewelry >http://www.lexscreations.com
E-mail: lex@lexscreations.com