Cou
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Why are there a handful of businesses in the USA that reship to residences, but the vast majority don't?
Are those few businesses taking a liability/legal risk? or is it just because there's very low demand for chemicals among individuals, and the big
businesses like sigma don't waste their time on them? There's nothing illegal about selling non-scheduled chemicals to anyone.
If you want to start a business, you should be able to initially run out of your garage before you can afford to lease industrial space. along with
zoning laws, Another example of the government making it hard to make money independently, because they want you to be a good little man who works for
Walmart and comes home and has a few drinks and watches the game. No running a pizzeria out of your home. you gotta be able to pay a lease in a
commercial zone, or take the risk of a loan and help out the banks.
[Edited on 7-30-2020 by Cou]
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Fyndium
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One thing for running a chemical store in residential address is storing hazardous materials. For hobby, a few liters is not an issue, but for a
business, 200 liters of single chemical is a small shipment.
Authorities have tendency to start bullying the ones which they don't find actual law to use against but find at some level annoying. If they ever
reach a single mistake which they could turn into an issue, they will. I have seen inspectors using measure gauges for storage supplies to see if the
legal limit is fulfilled. Not that it actually matters if the required distance of 5 meters differs by a centimeter measured from the edge of the
pallet, but it is enough for an excuse. After that filing, everyone on the chain of justice will just wash their hands saying that the limit was
breached.
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RogueRose
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Well it is actually very easy and inexpensive to set up a business in the US. If you use your own name in the business name, you don't need to file a
DBA ($70-100 I think) - so you have to use first or last name in the business name like "Daves research lab" or "Smith Science shack" lol. Then you
need to get a TIN (tax ID number) through the IRS (some people use their SSN as their TIN, but it's not a good idea), which I think is free and you
can also get an EIN (employer ID number) also through the IRS, for free.
After that you have to register with the state and depending on what it is, there are filing fees that are usually not too much from what I remember -
$20-70 IIRC - but there were some that were more expensive but it's because you have to go through inspection checks, maybe like pharma manufacturing
(for retail and such).
If you wanted to, you could have a business up and running in a day in most states. Starting a non-profit can be just about as easy even though most
companies charge like $2-10K to start one for you...
[Edited on 7-30-2020 by RogueRose]
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wg48temp9
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Quote: Originally posted by RogueRose  | Well it is actually very easy and inexpensive to set up a business in the US. If you use your own name in the business name, you don't need to file a
DBA ($70-100 I think) - so you have to use first or last name in the business name like "Daves research lab" or "Smith Science shack" lol. Then you
need to get a TIN (tax ID number) through the IRS (some people use their SSN as their TIN, but it's not a good idea), which I think is free and you
can also get an EIN (employer ID number) also through the IRS, for free.
After that you have to register with the state and depending on what it is, there are filing fees that are usually not too much from what I remember -
$20-70 IIRC - but there were some that were more expensive but it's because you have to go through inspection checks, maybe like pharma manufacturing
(for retail and such).
If you wanted to, you could have a business up and running in a day in most states. Starting a non-profit can be just about as easy even though most
companies charge like $2-10K to start one for you... |
From my experiences in America the entity responsible for paying the tax must use their own tax ID.
Starting a business in Florida can be complicated. For example say you want to open a bicycle shop that sells bicycles and makes bespoke bicycles in
addition to selling mass produced bicycles and you have an internet site. You would need a state, county and city licence and some different licences
are required for selling, manufacture, repair and even a licence for a web site. You may also need an occupation licence. You may also need to get the
approval of the local fire chief and the water authority.
If the business is new or just been purchased you could be charged an impact fee for the traffic visiting the premises or not granted a city licence
because the rules have changed and now your car park is not the correct size or the entrance is now not safe or the area is now not zoned for that
activity. The insurance company for your liability insurance may even insist they want to inspect the property.
It can easily take 6 months or more to get all the permissions and licenses in place. It can take a month just to get an idea of what you need to do.
I am wg48 but not on my usual pc hence the temp handle.
Thank goodness for Fleming and the fungi.
Old codger' lives matters, wear a mask and help save them.
Be aware of demagoguery, keep your frontal lobes fully engaged.
I don't know who invented mRNA vaccines but they should get a fancy medal and I hope they made a shed load of money from it.
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Syn the Sizer
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It sounds like starting a business south of the boarder is a pain. I am in the process of doing that in my province. I paid 50$ to reserve my name, it
will cost $75 to register it with the province, my PST number is free. I don't need all sorts of licences even if I was building bicycles all I need
to do is declare it in my business registry. I don't need a licence for a web site. I could have had my business going in days, but due to fund
shortage I have had to drag it out.
Though my business it just to make it easier to order crap.
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macckone
Dispenser of practical lab wisdom
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Here in colorado the fee is $20 and everything else is free but it depends on the city.
Home based businesses follow different rules but most chemical supply companies won't ship to a residence.
Opening a business outside of a home is much more complicated as you have zoning and fire inspections, etc.
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Syn the Sizer
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Yes, that is very true, reagents can be difficult to order to a house. However here there are way around that. Plus in my case it is not only to order
chemistry supplies, there are many other products.
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Cou
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I asked about this issue at www.reddit.com/r/chemistry, a community which is unpopular around here b/c it's full of goody-two-shoes grad students who ridicule anyone with
interest in home chemistry, start babbling about safety and regulations and fire codes and zoning and law and waste disposal and blah blah blah blah
blah...
They say that absolutely no one should be running a chemistry business from home, for reasons such as industrial facilities are much more fireproof
than houses.
How do they expect you to be able to afford an industrial lease when you haven't even had a business before? It's not fair that people can't run a
business from their garage when first starting out. It's not like I'm starting out with very dangerous operations such as dimethylmercury manufacture.
Nothing I use is more dangerous than the products you find in a hardware store, except maybe the dichromate salts but those can be neutralized.
One counterargument is that you're supposed to get a job in your industry first, and that job is how you save up enough money to afford a professional
space. Yeah, try finding a chemistry internship or job in north Texas. Thousands of computer science positions, very few chemistry positions (and they
all require previous experience). No one will give me experience, so I have to make it myself.
The whole thing has me feeling angsty. Starving chemist is the new starving artist.
[Edited on 8-12-2020 by Cou]
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karlos³
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Mood: oxazolidinic 8)
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| Quote: Originally posted by Cou | I asked about this issue at www.reddit.com/r/chemistry, a community which is unpopular around here b/c it's full of goody-two-shoes grad students who ridicule anyone with
interest in home chemistry, start babbling about safety and regulations and fire codes and zoning and law and waste disposal and blah blah blah blah
blah...
They say that absolutely no one should be running a chemistry business from home, for reasons such as industrial facilities are much more fireproof
than houses.
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It is no surprise mostly miserable and unhappy people whining about life and so on, are what this subreddit seems to be composed of.
Home chemistry is a passionate occupation, a sense of purpose in ones private life, even a spiritual destiny.
They lack all of these things and I feel sorry for them, seriously.
If they would just whip a batch of some pre-precursor up in the afternoon once in a while, they would be much happier.
I would even give a guarantee for this 
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Cou
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"Your neighbors will surely object if you set up a chemical production business in your home. I bet you would be found in violation of building codes,
fire regulations, worker safety regulation, environmental regulation, zoning laws..."
This is how they make sure you stay a good little worker your whole life. Go to work, stress out, be miserable, come home, watch TV, binge drink the
booze and eat ice cream, sleep.
[Edited on 8-12-2020 by Cou]
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macckone
Dispenser of practical lab wisdom
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There are legitimate concerns about chemistry businesses in residential areas.
If you are selling relatively non-hazardous chemicals in small quantities it is unlikely you will violate fire code in a single family dwelling.
As for zoning regulations most of them are around traffic for home based businesses.
There are a few about manufacturing operations in residential areas but there are even allowances for that.
Again they relate to release of fumes and odors and noises.
Zoning is about keeping the neighbors happy.
Fire code is about keeping the neighbors safe.
EPA regs are harder to deal with if you generate any kind of waste but that depends on the state.
The final thing is right to know laws, if you exceed a threshold you have to file public documents on what you are doing. This is unlikely to be a
concern for a home based business since the quantities are usually hundreds of pounds.
A home based business is unlikely to run afoul of building codes since those mostly relate to installation of wiring, plumbing and structural
components. Unless you do a major renovation for a home lab you are going to be in the clear. If you are getting electrical or plumbing work done
then hire a pro. In many areas minor things like extending an additional outlet or water line don't require inspections. Drain lines usually do
though.
I am currently considering renting some warehouse space in a industrial zoned area.
700 sq ft is around $500/mo.
My basement is nice but my HOA is a pain in the ass and doesn't like smells.
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Duff
Harmless
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Registered: 10-5-2020
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| Quote: Originally posted by Cou |
This is how they make sure you stay a good little worker your whole life. Go to work, stress out, be miserable, come home, watch TV, binge drink the
booze and eat ice cream, sleep.
[Edited on 8-12-2020 by Cou] |
It's sad how regulated and risk free our lives have become. An /r/Chemistry mod in that post said:
| Quote: |
Because houses are not designed for chemistry...The level of fire resistance is in a residential building not even close to being the level of an
actual lab. |
If you take a look at his profile he mostly talks about Runescape (a video game). Antoine Lavoisier's lab probably wouldn't have satisfied modern
safety requirements, and if he was born today some guy like that mod who plays video games all day would declare that Lavoisier's experiments were too
dangerous and needed to be shut down. It's no wonder that there is so little innovation today.
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Cou
National Hazard
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I find it strange that so many males in this nation are obsessed with video games.
I can't trash video games, because I play minecraft occasionally, probably about 2 hours a week max.
But pretty much every male I meet in real life is into xbox, playstation, etc etc...
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