You make excellent points. However, before I yield, I need to know whether you have ever attended a gem show as a wholesaler, or with a wholesaler?
I don't know what it takes in California, but here you can get a wholesale license just by paying for one. In my case, I was seriously considering making jewelry as a money-making interest. Most places won't charge you tax when you buy with a wholesale license, but that's playing fast and loose with the tax code, as consuming the items yourself triggers the tax liability. So you need to pay the consumption tax, which is the same, here, as the sales tax. But the wholesale license gets you "backstage."
And, the mark-up is lower. But mark-up is always negotiable. Have you ever looked at a wholesale jewelers catalogue? A REAL eye-opener. |
