Wholesale sourcing has a chicken-and-egg reputation: distributors want to see a real business before they open an account, and new sellers do not feel like a real business until a distributor takes them seriously. In practice the path is a sequence of unglamorous, mostly cheap steps, and each one unlocks the next. This is the roadmap we wish every new reseller had before their first purchase — with links to the deeper guides for each stage.
You can legally resell as a sole proprietor, but almost everything downstream gets easier as a registered company. Wholesale onboarding forms ask for a company name, address and tax ID; marketplace verification compares those answers against your documents; and invoices must be made out to the exact legal entity that runs your seller account — entity mismatch is one of the quietest ways to fail invoice verification later.
This is the step new resellers most often do in the wrong order. The sales tax permit (seller’s permit) registers you with your state to collect sales tax from your buyers. The resale certificate is the document you then give suppliers so they do not charge you sales tax on inventory you are buying to resell. In most states the certificate is only valid if the permit exists first.
Nearly every US distributor will ask for a resale certificate at account opening — profiles across our catalogue list it as a standard requirement. The mechanics differ by state: some issue certificates automatically with the permit, some use a self-completed blanket form, five states have no state sales tax at all, and states differ on whether they accept out-of-state certificates. We maintain state-by-state guides — for example Texas, California and Florida — covering the issuing agency, the form, costs, processing time and how suppliers verify your certificate.
Most first-time losses happen at this step, and they happen before any money moves: the seller picks a product, then goes looking for whoever will sell it cheapest. Reverse it. Decide which kind of supplier fits your model, verify the specific company, and let the available catalogue shape the product choice.
Whatever the type, verify identity before terms: who owns the company, how long has it operated, is the address real, do the phone and website work, what do other sellers report. That verification checklist is our editorial method too — see how we verify suppliers. And check the brand side of the equation: if you plan to sell branded goods, confirm the brand’s distribution is actually open before you commit capital — closed, enforcement-heavy brands remove unauthorized sellers within about 48 hours, and no paperwork fixes it afterwards (why LOA appeals fail).
A wholesale application typically asks for: legal entity name and address, EIN, resale certificate, contact details, and sometimes your sales channels. Gated categories — supplements, professional beauty, medical — add licence and status checks on top; that is a feature, not a bug, and here is how legitimate resellers qualify.
On the first order itself:
From the first purchase onward, run your records as if a verification request were already in your inbox — one day it will be. Keep every invoice for at least 12 months, organised by product: itemized, dated, made out to your exact entity, from a supplier whose phone and website actually work. The full standard is in our invoice requirements guide. And stay off the shortcut market — bought invoices, buying groups and “ungating services” fail for structural reasons we break down in gray-market sourcing myths.
Typically a few hundred dollars before inventory: state LLC filing fees vary widely, the EIN is free, and most states issue sales tax permits free or for a small fee. The real capital question is the first order — comfortable first wholesale purchases usually run $250–5,000 depending on category.
Often yes — many distributors will onboard a sole proprietor with a resale certificate. But marketplace verification, banking and liability all get simpler with an entity, and switching entities later means updating every account and every future invoice. Doing it first is cheaper than doing it twice.
Non-US sellers can buy from many US distributors, but requirements vary: some accept foreign entities with a W-8 form and no resale certificate (charging tax or requiring export), others are US-entity only. Supplier profiles in our catalogue note account requirements where we have verified them.
SupplyRank is an independent supplier review platform. Every supplier profile records what the company requires from buyers and what paperwork it issues — start with the catalogue, or read our other guides.