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How to Start an Online Store in Missouri

An online store lets you sell nationwide from home with low overhead. Success depends on choosing products with healthy margins, reliable fulfillment and honest shipping promises. Sales tax and shipping rules are the most common compliance surprises for new sellers.

Reviewed November 5, 2026 · Sources linked inline

Missouri requirements for this business

  • Businesses selling goods from a Missouri location must have a Missouri retail sales license before making sales; register online or with Form 2643. [source]
  • Remote sellers must collect Missouri vendor's use tax once gross receipts from taxable sales into Missouri exceed $100,000 over the preceding 12-month period, checked at the end of each calendar quarter. [source]
  • Collection must begin no later than three months after the close of the quarter in which the remote seller threshold is exceeded. [source]
  • Sellers who sell only through a marketplace facilitator do not have to register or remit vendor's use tax; if combined sales exceed $100,000, they must register for their independent sales. [source]

Statewide steps for every Missouri business — forming an LLC or registering a business name with the Missouri Secretary of State — are on our state licensing directory.

FirstBizGuide is not a government agency: any license or registration fees are paid directly to the agency named in each source. These are the Missouri facts we have verified so far, not a complete list. City and county rules vary — check with your local government before opening.

Startup costs

We haven't found a reliable published cost range for this business, so we don't show one. Costs vary widely by market, equipment and whether you buy new or used. Plug your own quotes into the worksheet:

Open the online store cost worksheet →

SBA 7(a) loans in this industry

Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (NAICS 454110): 28 loans approved in FY2024–FY2026. Median loan $250,000; middle half $95,000–$462,500.

Loan size is not startup cost — these loans also fund acquisitions, real estate and working capital. Full breakdown and caveats →

How much competition is there?

Census industry: Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (NAICS 454110)

In Missouri: 852 employer establishments (2023). Nationwide: 54,707 employer establishments (2023). The Census Bureau doesn’t publish a count of businesses without employees for this industry.

See counts for your county → Counts aren't a measure of saturation — see the caveats on the tool page.

Equipment and supplies

  • Computer and smartphone
  • Camera or phone with lighting setup
  • Shipping scale and label printer
  • Packaging supplies
  • Inventory storage space

Licenses and registration

  • Under the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, you must have a reasonable basis for any shipping time you state or imply; if you state no time, you must have a reasonable basis for believing you can ship within 30 days. [source]
  • If you can't ship on time, you must give the customer the option to consent to the delay or cancel and receive a prompt refund; refunds for most payment methods are due within seven working days after cancellation. [source]
  • In South Dakota v. Wayfair (June 2018), the U.S. Supreme Court held that states can require out-of-state sellers to collect sales tax even without a physical presence such as a store or warehouse in the state. GAO reports that all 45 states with a statewide sales tax, plus D.C., have since adopted remote-seller rules based on economic thresholds. [source]
  • Each state sets its own remote-seller rules and thresholds; check the revenue department in each state where you sell, and note that marketplaces often collect tax for sales made through them.
  • If you sell from your home state, you'll likely need a sales tax permit there before your first sale.
  • Some products — food, cosmetics, children's products, supplements — carry extra federal or state rules; check before you list them.
  • Check whether your city requires a business license or home-occupation permit.
  • Get a free Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS if you will hire employees or form an LLC or corporation. Beware of sites that charge for this. [source]
  • To find your state's business registration office, use the SBA's state-by-state registration lookup. [source]

Insurance to consider

  • Product liability
  • General liability
  • Inventory and business property coverage
  • Cyber liability

Get quotes from several carriers or an independent agent; coverage needs depend on your contracts, state and staff.

Financing options

  • SBA 7(a) loans — the SBA's main guaranteed loan program, made through participating lenders. [source]
  • SBA Microloans — smaller loans delivered through nonprofit intermediary lenders. [source]
  • SBA Lender Match — a free tool that connects you with interested SBA lenders. [source]
  • Free counseling from your local SBDC or SCORE chapter can help you build the business plan lenders ask for. [source]

Estimate payments with the loan calculator, then check runway with the cash flow projection.

Ongoing operating expenses

  • Platform and app subscriptions
  • Inventory
  • Shipping and packaging
  • Payment processing fees
  • Advertising
  • Insurance
  • Returns and refunds

Use the break-even calculator to see how many jobs or sales cover them.

Common mistakes

  • Promising shipping times you can't meet
  • Ignoring sales tax obligations in other states
  • Pricing without counting shipping, fees and returns
  • Buying too much inventory before testing demand
  • Relying on a single marketplace or ad channel

Finding customers

  • Email list with a first-order offer
  • Social media and short-form video
  • Marketplace listings alongside your own site
  • Search-optimized product pages

Startup checklist

Ticks are saved on this device and appear on My plan.

Compare with other businesses

Sources