📦
topic
Selling Stuff Online
"I'm selling on Etsy/eBay. What am I on the hook for?"
in plain english
Selling online combines tax reporting, sales rules, and honest-advertising laws.
When you sell online, three different rulebooks meet. The IRS wants to know about your income (and the platform tells them via 1099-K). The UCC governs the actual sales contract — what counts as a binding offer, what 'as-is' really means, and what happens if the buyer never pays.
The FTC handles how you describe what you're selling: photos, claims, reviews, and even the word 'free' have rules attached. Get those three right and you're running a real little business.
in the margin
- Express warranty
- A promise about a product that you can be held to.
- Basis of the bargain
- Anything that influenced the buyer's decision to buy.
Hover a node to trace connections
UCCUCC § 2-204
Formation of contract
A sale is binding even without a formal contract — if both sides act like there's a deal.
Source: Uniform Commercial Code
keep reading