Getting started - help needed

Hi, I'm relatively new to Salehoo. In trying to decide what to sell I have identified 4 different family of products. People say that you should experiment before you commit to anything. I think that's a great idea, however most of the suppliers I want to work with require a tax id. To get a tax id I need to complete paperwork. To complete paperwork I need a name and the name is relative to the product. I feel like I am chasing my tail. Any advice???

Hi roshaandmy3sons,

Welcome to SaleHoo!

Requiring you to provide a Sales Tax ID is one of the ways for suppliers to verify your legitimacy as a business. It helps them confirm that you are not a retail consumer who is just trying to obtain products at significant wholesale discount. :)

Getting a Reseller License /Sales Tax ID is fairly cheap and easy, and if deciding on a business name is what's holding you back, I suggest that you can just think of a general term that will encompass several possible categories of products you plan to get into. :)

Our Education Resource is full of articles useful for a start up online selling business, You can access them by clicking on the Education tab above. Here are some links that can help -

Link hidden: Login to view
Link hidden: Login to view

Let us know if there's anything else we can do to assist you. :)

Hello roshnaandmy3sons,

People say that you should experiment before you commit to anything. I think that's a great idea, however most of the suppliers I want to work with require a tax id. To get a tax id I need to complete paperwork. To complete paperwork I need a name and the name is relative to the product. I feel like I am chasing my tail. Any advice???

I think you're not yet ready to commit to a business name since you are still in the experimenting stage and still choosing your products. You can actually register a business name (so that you can register your business and get a Tax ID) that is not necessarily related to your line of products. Once you have decided on what exact product to sell you can register a domain name (if you will be selling through your own webstore) that is directly related to your chosen product line or use an eBay username that reflects what you are selling.

Or another option is to look for other suppliers that do not require any Tax ID and dropship through them in the meantime you have not finalized your business registration/arrangements. You can use or search filters to help you find suppliers that do not require Tax IDs :)

Should you need help in finding suitable dropshippers, you know where to find us!

Cheers :)