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Starting an Online Paintball Store - Business Basics

The sport of Paintball Advisors started in the late 70's and continues to grow in popularity despite a sluggish economy. There are many paintball products available and shopping online is one of the main ways people get them. There is more to starting an online store however than just building a website; there are numerous steps that must be followed to set up your store correctly.

In the United States, there are currently no regulations or licenses required to sell paintball guns or equipment, however some countries require you to be a licensed gun dealer. Paintball is not legal in every country, nor is importing supplies (particularly guns). When starting an online paintball store, it's wise to begin selling only to U.S. customers, then expand to international markets as you learn which countries are paintball friendly.

There are numerous paintball equipment manufacturers and wholesale distributors, making it easy to stock your store with the latest supplies once you become a dealer.
Some companies may require you to 'buy in' with an initial purchase and/or a minimum purchase amount per month. Most companies don't, however it's best to start your company with as minimal costs as possible.

For the most cost effective way of operating an online store, consider drop shipping as a business model as opposed to stocking products and shipping from your location. A drop shipping business is a very efficient, easy to run venture with little liability and practically no start up costs. With the manufacturers shipping orders directly to the customer, thousands of dollars are saved without the risk of unsold products sitting on shelves.

Drop shipping makes it possible to run an online Paintball Advisors: Paintball Blog with News, Reviews and Guides store from your home, saving yet even more money on leasing office and/or storage space. Fortunately, many paintball equipment manufacturers and wholesale distributors offer drop shipping, while some require you to stock their products. To save money, choose to work with distributors who not only offer the best mark-ups on their products but will also ship them directly to your customers. Also be aware that some drop ship distributors charge extra fees for this service and consider this in your decision to work with them.

The first step in starting your online paintball business is setting up its entity/corporate structure. Decide whether you want your company to a sole proprietorship, LLC (Limited Liability Company), corporation or other. It's highly recommended to research and study the pros and cons of these different organizations, however for small companies, home based businesses and especially online stores, the LLC seems to be best. Once decided, a meeting with a business lawyer (or the right accountant) is next in order. These professionals register your company's name with the government and get you assigned a tax ID number.

Once you have a tax ID number you will have to contact the IRS to apply for a tax resale license number. These numbers will be asked for on wholesale applications you will fill out when becoming a dealer with product manufacturers and distributors. Next, register your new business with your particular state government in case they require sales tax on items sold in that state. If you're just getting started with paintball, https://band.us/@paintballadvisors has everything that you need to know! Take a look for tips on choosing the best equipment and read up about how to play.