Episode 54: Online Merchants Guild | What You Can Do To Support Small Businesses with Paul Rafelson

Today, we talk with Paul Rafelson, founder of the Online Merchants Guild, a trade association that gives online merchants a voice. We talk about the achievements of this group, including their instrumental role in the launching of the AB-147 bill and fighting for marketplace facilitator’s laws in 39 states. We talk about Amazon’s “scapegoat” approach to price gouging enforcement. We talk about OMG’s unique and valuable services to the seller community, as well as the affordable and important resources offered at https://sellerbasics.com/. We discuss the need for giving small businesses and sellers a voice in legislation, and share how you can join OMG’s cause. What is the Online Merchants Guild? 1:27 Extraterritoriality in Price Gouging Enforcement 10:32 What The OMG Can Do For You 20:52 Importance of Giving Sellers a Voice 27:17 “It’s a huge benefit for me, as a seller. If I were to, say, start another business, I don’t have to figure out the sales tax issue again, and register in other states. I really did worry -- we’ve done a few million dollars in sales in Pennsylvania over the years -- that they would try to collect on that retroactively.” 7:09 Reach Out To OMG: https://onlinemerchantsguild.org/ Email Paul: [email protected] https://sellerbasics.com/ Social https://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/ https://www.buyboxer.com/