Online office furniture dealer

Small businesses, startups, coworking spaces and people setting up a home office.

You earn the margin between the supplier's trade price and your selling price, plus delivery or assembly fees where you offer them.

• Online selling and basic website setup
• Product knowledge and good supplier relationships
• Customer service and quoting

• Sales tax registration and collection rules for your state and for out-of-state buyers, check with your state tax agency
• Resale certificate requirements when buying from suppliers
• Damaged or late deliveries and returns policy, agree who pays with your suppliers
• General liability and product liability insurance

Startup costs are estimated at typically around $800 to $5,000, depending on how you build your website and which suppliers you work with. Because most items ship straight from suppliers, you may hold little or no stock, which keeps upfront spending lower.

Check sales tax registration and collection rules for your state and for out-of-state buyers with your state tax agency. Also check resale certificate requirements when buying from suppliers, and look into general liability and product liability insurance. Agree who pays for returns and damaged deliveries.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated around $1,000 to $8,000, depending on your product range, pricing and how many business and home office customers you reach. Plan on at least about 8 hours a week, with good supplier relationships and customer service.