Quick answer
Ohio requires any person or business making taxable sales or providing taxable services to hold a vendor's license from the Ohio Department of Taxation; a vendor's license for a fixed location costs $50, and a transient vendor's license for shows, fairs and flea markets also costs $50 and is valid statewide. Law checked on 3 Oct 2026 against the Department of Taxation's sales and use tax page at tax.ohio.gov and Ohio Revised Code 5739.17 at codes.ohio.gov. Counties and cities can add their own rules, and this page is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the fee comparison. See where Nation fits.
Who needs an Ohio vendor license
The Ohio Department of Taxation runs the vendor's license program. Its sales and use tax page says Ohio law requires any person or business making taxable sales or providing taxable services to first obtain a vendor license. The statute behind the rule, Ohio Revised Code 5739.17, says no one may make taxable retail sales as a business without having a license.
The word that matters is taxable. If what you sell is subject to Ohio sales tax, you need a license before your first sale. If you are not sure whether your product is taxable, check with the Department of Taxation before you decide you do not need one.
Which license you need depends on where you sell. Ohio has three registrations that matter for a small seller, and each one has its own form and fee.
The vendor's license fee changed recently: new applications increased from $25 to $50 effective April 9, 2025. Older guides that quote the lower fee are out of date.
Ohio vendor license fee and the sales tax you collect
The license fee is $50 per fixed location. A transient vendor's license is also $50. A seller located outside Ohio pays no fee for an out-of-state seller's license.
Once licensed, you collect Ohio sales tax from buyers and send it to the state. The state rate is 5.75 percent. Counties and regional transit authorities can add up to a maximum of 3 percent, and the combined rate cannot exceed 8.75 percent. Because the total rate differs by county, a seller at markets in several counties should confirm with the Department of Taxation which rate applies to each sale.
Example: a $40 candle sold at a market in a county with a total rate of 7.25%. The buyer pays $40 plus $2.90 in sales tax, and you report and send the $2.90 on your next return. The rate in this example is an assumption; look up the county you are selling in on the Department of Taxation's rate table.
Selling at craft fairs, flea markets and shows in Ohio
Ohio treats event selling through the transient vendor's license. The Department of Taxation describes it as the license for a person or business selling taxable goods from temporary locations (shows, flea markets, etc.), and it is valid statewide.
Ohio Revised Code 5739.17 sets out what the transient license allows: a holder may make retail sales at a temporary exhibition, show, fair, flea market, or similar event, held anywhere in the state. You do not need a separate county license for each event.
If you already hold a regular vendor's license, you may not need a transient license at all. The statute lets a vendor's license holder sell at events in any county in which the vendor maintains a fixed place of business for which the vendor holds a vendor's license. Events in other counties need a transient vendor's license or a vendor's license for that county.
Two more rules in the same section matter for market sellers. A place of business stops being temporary if the same person conducted business at the place continuously for more than six months, so a long-running market stall can count as a fixed location. And if you sell from a truck or van with no fixed place of business, each vehicle intended to be used within a county constitutes a place of business.
- Display the license: Ohio law says to display the license or a copy of it prominently, in plain view, at every place of business, including your market table.
- Expect the organizer to ask for your license number. Owners, organizers and promoters of fairs, flea markets and shows with transient vendors must keep a comprehensive record of all such vendors, listing the vendor's name, permanent address, vendor's license number, and the type of goods sold.
Online sales and marketplace sellers
A vendor's license covers physical storefront locations and selling items online within Ohio. If you live in Ohio and sell from your own website or social media to Ohio buyers, you need a vendor's license, and you collect sales tax on those sales. The Department of Taxation also says businesses with a physical location in Ohio must register to collect sales tax, no matter how much they sell.
Marketplaces change the picture. Starting September 1, 2019, marketplace facilitators that meet substantial nexus in Ohio must collect and pay Ohio sales tax on the sales they facilitate. For a seller outside Ohio who sells only through a marketplace, the Department of Taxation says that if the marketplace collects and pays the tax, the license is not needed.
Sellers located outside Ohio who sell on their own sites need an out-of-state seller's license once they pass more than $100,000 in sales to Ohio customers in a year, or 200 or more separate sales to Ohio customers, in the current or previous year. That license has no fee, and the application form is UT 1000.
How to apply for an Ohio vendor's license
The Ohio Department of Taxation offers two routes for a regular vendor's license and one for a transient license.
Decide which license you need
Use a vendor's license for a fixed location or for online sales from Ohio, and a transient vendor's license if you sell at fairs and shows in counties where you have no fixed place of business.
Create an OH|TAX eServices account
Prospective retailers may obtain a vendor's license immediately through OH|TAX eServices. You need an eServices account first, plus your FEIN or Social Security number and business contact details.
Or apply at the county auditor
Businesses may also apply with their county auditor in the county where the fixed location is. The paper form is ST-1; the transient form is ST1-T.
Pay the fee
Pay $50 for each fixed location, or $50 for a transient vendor's license.
Display the license and start collecting
Ohio law requires you to display the license or a copy of it prominently, in plain view, at every place of business. Collect sales tax at the rate for the county where each sale takes place.
Filing returns after you get the license
A vendor's license comes with sales tax returns. Monthly returns are due by the 23rd day of the month for the previous month. Vendors and transient vendors can be authorized to file semi-annually if their tax liability is less than $1,200 per six-month period.
Filing and paying on time earns a discount of .75 of 1% of the tax you report. That discount is capped at $750 per vendor's license for each month covered by the return, beginning with returns required to be filed on and after January 1, 2026.
Ohio license holders are required to file a sales return until the license is closed, so returns stay due for as long as the license is open. Close the license through OH|TAX eServices once you stop making taxable sales.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. It does not register sellers for an Ohio vendor's license or file sales tax returns, and pricing is not announced yet.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. It does not handle Ohio licensing or sales tax, so check the Department of Taxation before you sell.
Describe what you makeQuestions about the Ohio vendor's license
How much is a vendor's license in Ohio?
An Ohio vendor's license costs $50 for each fixed location, and a transient vendor's license for shows and fairs also costs $50. New applications increased from $25 to $50 effective April 9, 2025. A seller located outside Ohio pays no fee for an out-of-state seller's license.
Do I need a vendor's license to sell at a craft fair in Ohio?
Selling taxable goods at an Ohio craft fair needs a license. A transient vendor's license covers sales at a temporary exhibition, show, fair, flea market, or similar event, held anywhere in the state. If you already hold a vendor's license, it covers events in a county where you have that fixed place of business, but not events in other counties.
Do I need an Ohio vendor's license to sell online?
An Ohio seller who sells taxable goods online usually needs a vendor's license, because it covers physical storefront locations and selling items online within Ohio. Sellers located outside Ohio need a out-of-state seller's license after more than $100,000 in sales to Ohio customers in a year or 200 or more separate sales to Ohio customers, unless a marketplace collects and pays the tax for them.
Do I need an Ohio vendor's license if I only sell on Etsy or Amazon?
An Ohio marketplace seller's license needs depend on location. For an out-of-state seller using only a marketplace that collects and pays Ohio tax, the Department of Taxation says the license is not needed. Sellers based in Ohio should check with the Department, because businesses with an Ohio location must register to collect sales tax, no matter how much they sell.
Does an Ohio vendor's license expire?
An Ohio vendor's license stays open until you close it with the Department of Taxation. License holders are required to file a sales return until the license is closed, so a return is due for every filing period while it is open. Close the license through OH|TAX eServices when you stop making taxable sales, and file every return up to the closing date.