The Legal Side of Selling Online,
Handled

Almost no online store trades under its legal entity name. Florida requires that trade name to be registered as a fictitious name before you use it — and first advertised at least once in a newspaper in the county where your business is based. You place the newspaper notice; STEPS files the registration. We tell you exactly what the notice has to say and where to run it, so the name on your storefront, your invoices and your bank account all line up with something on record. STEPS files it for $99 plus the state’s $50 fee, and the registration lasts five years.

That takes a Florida sales tax registration, which is also what issues your Annual Resale Certificate — the document your suppliers ask for. STEPS completes the application, files it the same day you send your details, and tracks it until the state issues your number, so you never read a state tax form. Florida charges nothing to register; STEPS charges $149, which also covers your reemployment tax registration if you have staff.

Marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy collect and remit the tax on sales made through them in effectively every state that has a sales tax. Sales through your own site are a different matter, and registration is still what gets you the resale certificate above. In some states your marketplace sales still count toward the volume that decides whether you have to register and file there yourself — even when the marketplace has already paid the tax. If you sell into several states at volume, that is worth checking with your accountant. STEPS does not provide tax advice, but we will tell you exactly what your registration covers.

You can own a U.S. LLC outright — no citizenship, green card, or U.S. partner required. STEPS forms the entity, files for your EIN with or without a Social Security Number, gives you a U.S. business address, and serves as your registered agent so state and legal notices reach you wherever you are.