Hi Jim,

Sounds like California makes matters more complicated than they need to be, but what's new there when the government is involved. My statements were based on what I know from dealing with sales taxes here in Colorado. In my regular business, I sell both retail and wholesale. I can call the Secretary of State's office (more pointedly, the Department of Revenue) to verify a State of Colorado retail sales tax license, and can do the same on the county and city level. I've done so on occasion to find that someone claiming to have a license in fact didn't, was trying to dodge paying sales taxes on a purchase from me. The last thing I need to be a party to is tax fraud....

Private party transactions are a different matter. For the most part, they aren't covered under sales tax regs, except on things like the sale of a car or house.

Bob