07-28-2007, 02:08 PM
You've gotten some excellent advice, but I would add "step far, far away until this is resolved properly."
You live in New York, but the sales will occur in California, right? Who are the checks going to be made out to? The gallery? If so, it becomes their responsibility, not yours. The tracking of sales tax is tied with in their license to do business. Certainly there are variations among states in terms of how this all works, but there are a few consistencies, too. One of them is that the entity making the sale is the one who will be ultimately responsible for a whole lot of business-related costs, of which sales tax is just one.
Granted, I have no idea how the art business works, but there is something really fishy sounding here, as simonm has already pointed out very clearly. Heed his warning.
You live in New York, but the sales will occur in California, right? Who are the checks going to be made out to? The gallery? If so, it becomes their responsibility, not yours. The tracking of sales tax is tied with in their license to do business. Certainly there are variations among states in terms of how this all works, but there are a few consistencies, too. One of them is that the entity making the sale is the one who will be ultimately responsible for a whole lot of business-related costs, of which sales tax is just one.
Granted, I have no idea how the art business works, but there is something really fishy sounding here, as simonm has already pointed out very clearly. Heed his warning.