Etsy & Sales Tax in PA

[Hopefulmama]

Anyone here have an Etsy shop in PA? I just opened a shop but haven't listed anything yet. The whole sales tax thing is holding me back. If you collect sales tax for PA, do you only collect it for sales w/in PA or on all sales? Do you have to sell a certain amount before you start collecting sales tax? As far as starting an Etsy store, do I need to take inventory before starting? I wanted to do this as a hobby/on-the-side but it seems like all of the states are cracking down more on the sales tax issue, so I want to get it right from the get-go. Any input would be extremely helpful. Thanks so much.

[ma2maya]

There are only a couple of states(if that) that require retailers to collect tax even on out of state sales. If you have a presence in the state you are selling in then you must collect that states sales tax. If you are in Penn. then you currently only need to collect the state sales tax, unless it's in your tax district, then you collect the state and local tax.

I wouldn't let this hold you back. Contact your local tax authority, the will be able to provide you with info on how to do things. You can also set-up your paypal to collect the appropriate taxes.

[Lauren82]

Hi,
I just went through all of this for my state (TN). Here is the PA website for sales tax license:

http://www.pa100.state.pa.us/

It's definitely worth getting as it will also allow you to buy materials and supplies wholesale.

You might also want to look into getting your federal EIN number as well so you can pay federal taxes. I know it seems daunting, but it's not too bad.

[Hopefulmama]

Thanks so much to both of you. Very helpful. It's on my to-do list to make the necessary phone calls. Hoping to get my shop open by the end of September.