How To Sell A Thing in California

[litonico]

from #14
this is a thing that i will look in to and get precise details on! and also write up a guide for zine authors.

[acgillette]

Thanks so much Lito!

[litonico]

hey! here's what i've determined about selling things in CA:

if you sell three zines (three zines, precisely, or more) in california, you need a seller's permit. because the zine fest is over a short period of time, having a temporary seller's permit is ok: https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/industry/temporary-sellers.htm

you can get a seller's permit here: https://onlineservices.cdtfa.ca.gov/_/#3
(you must attest you're not selling alcohol or tires or lumber or lead-acid batteries. other kinds of batteries are fine i think)

most people will register as a sole proprietorship, and provide their SSN as their tax id.

then, after you sell three zines, you need to send in a tax return in the calendar month after you've sold the thing:
https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/services/#File-a-Return

you can do that at the same place: https://onlineservices.cdtfa.ca.gov/_/

because i don't yet have a seller's permit, i don't know what that entails, but it's probably providing your tax id and how much money you made. i'll update this when i receive a temporary seller's permit!

[litonico]

update: i may only register for a temporary seller's permit if i'm actually selling something in california within 90 days, so i can't test all of this out ahead of time. i think that's ok, though, because the .gov website instructions seem very clear.