I need help...

[SnarkFactory]

I've been asked to be a vendor at an event that's being held at a well known bar in downtown San Antonio. I've never done anything like this, and I'm not sure what I need to do to be "legit". I've tried asking other people who sell buttons and other merchandise, but they have no clue and that's annoying to me. Do I need to have a permit? Tax ID number? Is there some kind of regulations I need to follow?

[MyriamPowellDesigns]

Mallory ask the person in charge of the event what kind of paper work they need from you. Some shows require Tax ID and some others don't.

[PotteryLodge]

Mallory..

Since you are an operating business you should have a tax permit, which will give you a tax id. This is the 'legal' way of running a business in Texas. A tax permit is super easy to get, just call your local tax office for help. For online sells you only have to charge taxes on Texas customers. At the end of each month you will pay in your taxes off of those sells.

If you sell at a show, some shows require a tax permit, others don't, however you should already have one anyways since you sell online.

I'm doing a show in Sept. and asked if I needed to bring my permit with me and they said they don't check for them....but each show is going to be different and if the IRS finds out you are running a business without your permits then that's not going to be fun.

you can register for a permit online using this link....you might have to get a DBA as well, something else to look into. If you need a DBA then you have to get that first before you can get your tax permit. In my case, I had to get a DBA first.

http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxpermit/

[BlackCatStudio98]

You might want to join this team:

http://www.etsy.com/teams/8070/craft-fairs-its-a-living

It's a really great team! I highly recommend joining if you end up doing more shows.

I love doing shows and fairs. Good luck and have fun!

[Former_Member]

Mallory I just did a show, have your business cards ready and most importantly have a debit/credit card reader available, you have no idea how many people I had to turn down because I didn't have a card reader attached to my phone. If you have paypal, request it, it's free and there's only a 3% charge, that's it.

[Former_Member]

Mallory - I see you are in Texas. Check with your county to see if you need any licenses or if you want a DBA name registration.

The next step is getting your sales tax permit from the Texas comptroller's office since you will be selling items in Texas. You can either do it online or go to one of the local comproller office. I printed out the below form and filled it out and took it to my local office. I waited about 10 minutes to see someone who answered a couple of questions I had and walked out with my permit shortly after. The form is at: http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxforms/ap-201.pdf.