DO you need a seller's permit when you have a eBook business?

Whether or not you need to get anything such as:

* city business license
* county business license
* reseller's permit

depends on where you live and the rules there.

i live in california...

anyone know?

i got:
- business license
- employer id
- seller's permit

BJ, as Jillian indicates this is dependent on where you live - both at the state, county, and local levels. Here in NC there are all sorts of permits required and taxes/fees to be paid. There should be lots of information available on your city's and county's web site.

I also highly recommend you talk with a CPA and/or lawyer - they can provide the guidance you need to make sure you've got everything covered.

But at least start with your local government - as much we Americans like to lamblast our government - most folks working for the government really do want to do a good job and help out. They're like Librarians - they just love to have someone ask for help - its their job to do provide it.

In NC each county has a different tax rate, and each county and city decides what gets taxed - providing the State doesn't already specify what gets taxed. It can lead to some head scratching trying to figure out what gets taxed. I'm sure it'll be similar in CA.

good luck!
--Jack

What is a 'seller's permit?' Do you mean the half sheet of paper you see in frames on business walls and on vendor tables at flea markets? That's a sales tax certificate, issued by your state, and it allows you to collect and report sales tax on every transaction done by your business. Is this what you mean?

Where did your LLC come from? Go back to the professional doing the work and ask these questions. The WF (or any forum) isn't the place to get the 'best guess' for advice.

You can find out these answers yourself, but, I would caution you against doing so since you have some basic questions, and if you find answers to them on your own, you may have only half of the answer or be missing something important.

Get yourself to a good attorney in your area specializing in small business setup and get the right kind of knowledge. It will be far less expensive and cause less sleepless nights if you have the correct set up at the beginning, rather than pay attorneys to unwind a bad move after you have discovered it & it has done damage.

The one thing I can tell you is that there are no guesses in this area--you have to get it right the first time because the law (in every state in the usa) says that ignorance is no excuse of the law. So call a lawyer tomorrow.