Every wholesale application eventually reaches the same line: attach your resale certificate. For resellers registered in Ohio, that document is the Sales and Use Tax Blanket Exemption Certificate (unit version: STEC U) — proof that you are buying inventory for resale, not consumption, so the supplier does not have to charge you sales tax.
This guide covers the Ohio specifics: which agency issues what, the exact form, what it costs, how long it takes, and how your suppliers will verify it. It is part of our step-by-step wholesale sourcing roadmap.
Certificate: Sales and Use Tax Blanket Exemption Certificate (unit version: STEC U) (STEC B). Prerequisite registration: Vendor’s License (in-state; remote sellers get a free Seller’s Use Tax account). Issuing agency: Ohio Department of Taxation.
Yes – Ohio accepts the MTC uniform certificate and certificates bearing an out-of-state registration number from resellers without Ohio nexus.
Ohio has no general public lookup for certificate numbers, so suppliers rely on the completed form itself being accurate and signed. Expect distributors to keep your certificate on file — supplier profiles in our catalogue note when a resale certificate is required at account opening.
Vendor’s license is a one-time $25 fee with no renewal; blanket certificates remain valid until revoked.
Usually yes — but the supplier must then charge you sales tax, which comes straight out of your margin, and some distributors simply refuse accounts without resale documentation. Getting the certificate first is almost always worth it.
The $25 vendor’s license is one of the few permit fees in this set but never recurs. Resellers only buying (not selling) in Ohio can usually use STEC B with their home-state number instead of registering.
Facts above summarise official Ohio Department of Taxation guidance; requirements change, so confirm current fees and forms at the agency site. Next step in the roadmap: choosing and verifying a supplier.