I want to start selling basically clothing online, and I was wondering about the legal side? I ve been looking up so many things, about permits, and the different types and frankly it s confused me because different sites say different things. Does anyone know about this? Any information would be helpful. Also I live Pennsylvania.
You won t need a permit because there is no regulation in the clothing industry. Permits typically only apply if you are selling guns, alcohol, investment services, farming, bank products, etc. Clothing is pretty harmless though so you are good.You will need to file taxes though. Also since you are selling merchandise you will have to pay state sales tax. For information on this look up your state and local sales tax rates.Essentially all you need to do is start selling your product. Keep track of how much revenue you earn (how much gross money you get from each sale) and then subtract your expenses such as:Cost of Goods Sold (the cost of the clothing when you bought it)Wage expenses (if you have employees)Operating expensesSales taxes dueetcAt the end of the year either you or an accountant that you hire are going to have to take all of these piles of receipts that you kept and logs of revenues and expenses that you kept and will create an income statement.From there you will be able to calculate the taxes that you owe the government so that you can pay them. Yipee!! :)You might consider taking a crash course in accounting 101, buying a book, or just call an accountant. It is better to start off on the right foot. The most annoying thing about owning a business is keeping track of your records. However this is critical because you will need to pay taxes, and if you ever plan to expand your business, these well kept records will help you to get loans, attract investors, and manage your ever increasingly complicated business.
Seems like you already got some good answers, but you didn t address how you re going to generate revenue. Are you making the clothing or ordering it from someone else? That s a huge issue. If you order from someone else, they make profit from you even if you purchase wholesale, they still come out better off. If you make it yourself, you ll have to look at production costs versus sales mark-up. If you don t want either option you may want to google drop shipping and top companies doing this. It s up to you. The other questions I d ask are do you want to form a corporation, nonprofit, or LLC? Whatever you choose will determine how (and maybe if) you are taxed and to what extent you could be sued. Interesting stuff.
I have a business that is good for you. Try this business and you ll like it..I sell wellness products online and teach others how to do the same.
You need a tax id, seller s permit and business license to get started.
There is no permit as such required when you are working on a small scale.Also let me tell you frankly selling clothes online is a very difficult task.