Elena sells her knitted scarves and blankets online through third-party sites like Etsy and eBay. She is considering launching her own website to sell directly to the consumer. She’s wondering if she needs to collect sales tax from her customers.
She won’t need to worry about collecting and paying sales tax on marketplaces like Etsy and eBay because these sites generally handle sales tax for all orders and will collect and pay the tax to each state on her behalf.
However, when Elena begins selling on her website, she’ll be responsible for all sales tax matters. Sales tax laws vary from state to state and city to city. She may want to become familiar with the economic nexus rules. But these rules can be confusing.
Speaking with her tax professional and using e-commerce software tools like Shopify will be necessary to help ensure she doesn’t miss anything.
Client Profile is based on a hypothetical situation. The solutions discussed may or may not be appropriate for you.