Selling services online

[kraigs]

Hello,

Newbie here!

I would like to sell services such as photo editing/graphic design products/digital art but would also be interested in registering on websites that teach languages to people online. I recently opened a bank account in Bulgaria and am thinking of linking it to a Paypal account. However, I do not have any company registered in my name anywhere (and I honestly do not want to bother with that at this point since I am thinking of first trying my business ideas out before actually turning those into a real business) and I have some legal questions that I want to be informed about before taking any further steps.

One question regards my Paypal account - I registered a personal profile, however, would it be better to upgrade it to a business one? Is that possible without having a real business? Would Paypal cause me any trouble if I decide to have my transactions paid to my personal account?

My main idea is to work as a freelancer, I have been planning to register on sites like freelancer or peopleperhour etc. So, what baffles is: given the fact that I have registered on such websites + if I would want to send my Paypal money into my card + I do not have a registered business, how do I work out taxes? I do not imagine that I would make a fortune anyway, I am Bulgarian, so taxes are not that high compared to other EU states either, but how could I prevent someone from coming to my door and branding me a criminal for selling services without having a company? Thank you!!

 

[countryfree]

How about making it fully legit?
Is it difficult to be self-employed in Bulgaria?

There are plenty of ways to go offshore, but to begin with, it will be cheaper and easier to start your business in your own country.

 

[kraigs]

I would very much like it to be legal. However, there are a number of issues that just would take way too much of my time for the moment and I am actually looking into self-employment due to the fact that I am currently a student and I simply do not have the time to be on a regular part-time job. Bulgaria is a bureaucratic hell, also, a number of people I know have advised me against registering such a business there simply because the state, being corrupted, tries to tie the hands of people who have chosen to be self-employed and often the fees they have to pay and the regulations they have to oblige to work against them. Furthermore, I currently live in France. If anything, I would prefer to register here. It is just that for the moment I can not afford to hire an accountant, for instance, and as I said, I think it would be a bit risky to do it while I am still a student. On the other hand, I am not even sure whether my business will work as I want it to. I would simply like to try different things before deciding to register it for real.

I have actually another question regarding Paypal - I have currently got two bank accounts. One is linked with my Paypal account and it has been registered in Bulgaria. The second one, however, has been registered in France. Now, I am not in any way tied with the French system, social security etc. I am not working here either, I am staying with friends, so I do not technically have a permanent address. My inquiry is, can I add my French Visa to my Bulgarian Paypal account? Would anybody make an issue out of it? Thank you!

 

[negon]

To receive lot's of transactions and larger amounts you want to setup a corporate account.

 

[countryfree]

I've been using Paypal for years without replying to their requests of linking a credit card. Why do you want to do that? I guess you can start working by using an online platform, transferring your gains to Paypal, and spending it by using Paypal, without the money going to any bank account.

 

[kraigs]

@countryfree Would it be possible for someone to send you money when you have no card linked? Also, in my mind the options of using paypal are somewhat limited. On the other hand, would it work if I kept my money in my paypal account and transferred only small amounts towards my bank account?

 

[countryfree]

The option to link a credit card is quite recent, you don't need it. And yes, it will work by making bank transfers. Note that this is not a long lasting solution, but to begin with, if your income is low (less then 5,000 € in a year), you should be fine.

 

[kraigs]

Thank you!
However, my question regarding linking two credit cards registered in two different countries to the same Paypal account remains.