Setting up an e-shop - where to start?

Online trade is an increasingly popular form of sale and an idea for your own business. However, when planning such an activity and during its establishment and operation, particular attention should be paid to the formal aspect of such activities. Therefore, in this part of the e-business cycle, we present tips and advice to help you set up an e-shop and complete the necessary formalities related to running an online trade.

Is setting up a company to run an e-shop necessary?

Are your activities conducted in an organized and continuous manner? Remember that in this case you have to register a business so that everything can be done in accordance with the law. How is the company setting up?

Establishing an e-shop and its legal form

Establishing an e-shop should start with determining the legal form of running a business. At the beginning of his adventure with business, an entrepreneur usually chooses a sole proprietorship. In this case, it should be remembered that the owner is liable with private property for all obligations undertaken in the course of running the business.

When there are more people willing to run a business together, it is possible to establish a civil law partnership. Due to the fact that a civil law partnership does not have legal personality, each of the partners should have their own business activity registered in the Central Register and Information on Economic Activity (CEIDG).

Usually, self-employment, i.e. sole proprietorship, is enough for a certain period of time in the e-commerce industry. However, in the case of projects implemented on a larger scale or in the case of companies whose turnover has increased or which have developed enough to be ripe for a change in legal form, you can register a capital company (with limited liability or joint stock) or a partnership (partnership, general partnership, limited partnership) , limited joint-stock partnership).

Establishing an e-shop and the appropriate PKD

Setting up an e-shop is also connected with determining the PKD number. In the case of a company that conducts mail-order sales via the Internet, which is usually carried out by running an online store or selling on auction websites, the proper and basic PKD number (Polish Classification of Activities) is PKD 47.91.Z - Retail sales conducted by mail-order houses or the Internet.

Besides, there are a whole host of other CACs worth taking into account. Of course, it depends on the nature of your business. The following PKD can certainly be considered:

• PKD 47.99.Z - Other retail sale not in stores, stalls and markets,

• PKD 62.09.Z - Other service activities in the field of information and computer technologies.

However, if the entrepreneur runs an online store and a stationary store at the same time, he may also be tempted to PKD 47.19.Z - Other retail sale in non-specialized stores. It is also worth considering such signs that will depend on the type of business and the type of assortment sold.

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Setting up an e-shop and a business account

Setting up an e-shop is also associated with the decision to set up a company account. Is it necessary to establish it after registering a business? As it turns out, there is no such obligation. Payments for purchased goods can be transferred to the private account of the owner of the company, provided that he is its sole owner.

However, currently banks are competing in creating attractive offers for business representatives and most of them do not charge fees for setting up a business account or for maintaining it. In most cases, the monthly account maintenance fee is PLN 0, or it is so small (several zlotys) that it is not too burdensome for the company. For this reason, it is worth setting up a bank account for your business, even if it has a small turnover.

In addition, a separate business account significantly facilitates organizational and administrative issues related to payments made in the case of online commerce. That is why it is worth spending several minutes to complete the relevant formalities and set up a bank account for your business.