The first version of the business only has to prove two things: that you can buy at a price that works, and that you can sell what you bought. Everything else is scaffolding you add once those two are true.
Do the legal setup early anyway. It is cheap, it takes a week, and it is what suppliers ask for before they will quote you.
Choose one category
One category you can source again next month. Repeatability beats a lucky flip.
Register the entity
Form the LLC with your state and apply for an EIN directly with the IRS. The EIN is free.
Handle sales tax and resale
Register with your state revenue agency and get your resale documentation in place before you approach suppliers.
Open a business bank account
In the company's name. Every dollar in and out goes through it from day one.
Buy a small first lot
Small enough that a bad load is a lesson, not the end. Track freight, parts and disposal separately.
Sell through one channel
One channel, priced against landed cost, with photos and grading you can repeat.
Close the month
Revenue, COGS, expenses. A one-page P&L tells you whether to buy again or fix pricing first.
Example
- Buying a full truckload before you have sold a pallet.
- Running sales through a personal account and losing a year of provable history.
- Pricing against invoice cost instead of landed cost.
Not ready for truckloads yet? Keep building.
REGISTIX RESERVEKeep building.
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