Self-Employment & Online Business
For freelancers, gig workers, and online sellers: when online sales trigger sales tax (economic nexus), marketplace-facilitator rules on Etsy, Amazon, and eBay, the legal side of dropshipping, cottage-food and trade licensing, gig work as a business, FTC disclosure rules for creators, and website accessibility. Sales-tax thresholds and licensing are state law and vary — confirm locally.
All Self-Employment & Online Business guides
- Marketplace Facilitator Laws: Selling on Etsy, Amazon, and eBay
Marketplace facilitator laws mean Etsy, Amazon, and eBay usually collect sales tax for you - but income tax, 1099-Ks, and gaps remain yours.
- Running a Short-Term Rental as a Business
Hosting a short-term rental listing means clearing zoning, lease/HOA, occupancy-tax, and insurance rules first, then getting the tax treatment right.
- Freelancing Legal Basics When You Work for Yourself
A freelancer's starter kit: default sole proprietor status, self-employment tax, contracts, recordkeeping, and when licensing or an LLC matters.
- MLMs and Business Opportunity Offers: What to Know
How to tell a lawful MLM from an illegal pyramid scheme, why the FTC's Business Opportunity Rule usually doesn't cover MLM sign-ups, and the real tax risks.
- When Online Sellers Owe Sales Tax: Nexus Explained
Economic nexus after South Dakota v. Wayfair means online sellers may owe sales tax once they cross a state's own threshold. Learn the rules.
- Gig Work as a Business: Rideshare and Delivery Drivers
If you drive for a rideshare or delivery app, you're usually running a one-person business - here's the tax, deduction, and classification basics.
- Selling Digital Products and Online Courses
Selling PDFs, templates, or courses means navigating messy digital sales tax, IP licensing, FTC income-claim rules, and cross-border VAT.
- Reselling, Flipping, and Online Arbitrage as a Business
Buying to resell makes you a business the moment you start, not at some sales volume. Here's the tax and legal reality resellers need to know.
- The Legal Side of Dropshipping
What dropshippers overlook: business registration, sales tax nexus, resale certificates, product liability, FTC ad rules, and IP risk.
- Does Your Business Website Need to Be ADA Accessible?
Does the ADA require your business website to be accessible? What Title III actually covers, why the law is unsettled, and cheap fixes that cut real risk.
- Licensing for Contractors and the Trades
Contractor and trade licensing rules vary by state and locality; learn general vs. specialty licenses, lien rights, and hiring duties.
- Selling Food From Home: Cottage Food Laws
Cottage food laws let you sell low-risk homemade foods from home, but the rules on what, where, and how vary by state — here's what to check.
- FTC Disclosure Rules for Influencers and Creators
The FTC requires clear, upfront disclosure of paid partnerships, free products, and other material connections. Here's what the law actually requires.