the only way to buy whole sale is to buy a business license and register your business name. This puts you in the data base of a taxable business. I have a home based floral and event decor company- very small, but receive all kinds of wholesale catalogs and can register at many sites for future use. you have to pay taxes monthly or quarterly on all sales. depending on the industry, true wholesale is2-3 times less than retail price depending on items ,even if you buy retail from some craft stores you can register as tax exempt.

I was able to register on one site after all - I don't plan to purchase anything until I actually have something going on. But it was very good to see the wholesale prices. At least now I realize you really can make some money if you get your supplies for the right price! Paying retail is a good practice for me for now. I was wondering if I could just use my ss # instead of registering as a business. I'll have to think about how to go about creating a business. I work now and am just doing this for fun (crafting) on eBay on the side. Thank you for your response!