Opening an online store in Georgia, United States is a rather complex procedure with many pitfalls.
Before proceeding with the paperwork, keep in mind that the website must be filled with products and look finished. Also, the website must contain 3 obligatory documents:
- Return and Refund Policy. Everything is clear here. An interesting fact, according to a TrueShip study, more than 60% of buyers study this document before making a purchase.
- Privacy Policy. By law, every store that collects personal data (for example, e-mail, first and last name) must have this document on its website. In it, you inform users what data is collected and how it is used.
- Terms and Conditions. Not required, but desirable. These are the rules that users must follow when registering on your site.
Note: Each state has a different return policy.
Payments with Stripe
This method is preferred because of its fast and easy service. Stripe is very popular all over the world and this is one of its main advantages. It allows you to accept payments all over the world, 23 countries apply this payment option.
Stripe is a payment aggregator, the main difference between a full-fledged merchant account and an aggregator is that in the first case a separate bank account is opened in your name. And secondly, all sellers have one common bank account. Obtaining a merchant account is much more difficult and can take about 3 weeks.
Opening a company in GA
By starting a company, you open up many opportunities for yourself. You can take out loans in GA on behalf of the company, issue a bank account for the company, and much more.
You can open a company in Georgia, USA using the online services MaxFillings, MyCompanyWorks, MyCorporation, Incorporate Fast and others. You will be faced with a choice – to open a C Corporation or LLC.
How much will it cost to open a company in the USA?
On average, the starting a company costs $ 200-500. And then, about $ 100-150 annually for document management, a state fee for filling out a tax return. The cost varies depending on the state, the most expensive state is Massachusetts ($ 520 LLC registration fee / then $ 520 annually, $ 295 for corporation registration).
Do not forget to add the service of obtaining EIN and “Registered Agent”. EIN will be used further when opening a bank account and receiving a payment gateway. A registered agent is a way of communicating with the government, it receives various legal and tax documents on behalf of the company. In the absence of a registered agent, the company will be administratively dissolved and an additional fee (about $ 100) will have to be paid to restore the work.
Opening a bank account
The next problem is opening a bank account. The card will be mailed in about a month. This card can be used for settlements with suppliers, payment for advertising. If you plan to sell on Amazon, your Payoneer card can also be used to collect proceeds from the sale of a product.
Stripe account activation
At this point, you should have everything ready – a website, a company and a bank account. You need to register using the web link and then select “Activate”, where you will fill in all the necessary information.
Owner section
When prompted to enter your home address, you can generate a fake address, or use a mailing address lease service (such as VirtualPostmail). Attention! If you decide to rent a mailing address, keep in mind that renting requires the signing of a USPS 1583 form and webcam notarization (costs $ 80).