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Marketplace facilitator law

North Carolina marketplace facilitator law

If you sell on Amazon, Etsy, eBay or Walmart, North Carolina's marketplace facilitator law decides who collects the tax — the platform or you. Here's how it works and what it means for your own registration.

By John DoeReviewed by Jane Doe, CPAUpdated June 2026How we verify

Confidence: moderate

Parts of this page (often the trailing-nexus timing) are still being verified, so our confidence here is moderate rather than high. Confirm anything you act on with North Carolina Department of Revenue (NCDOR) or a tax professional before you register or deregister.

Has a marketplace law?
Yes
Facilitator collects & remits?
Yes
In effect since
February 2020
Counts toward your threshold?
Yes

Source: North Carolina Department of Revenue (NCDOR)

Does North Carolina have a marketplace facilitator law?

SB 557 signed November 8, 2019, effective February 1, 2020. Marketplace facilitators meeting the economic nexus threshold ($100,000 in gross sales in the previous or current calendar year) are deemed the retailer of each marketplace-facilitated sale and must collect and remit all applicable sales and use tax on behalf of marketplace sellers. Marketplace-facilitated sales still count toward the individual seller's threshold calculation.

Do you still need your own permit?

If you sell only through registered marketplaces in North Carolina, the platform collects and remits the tax, so you often don't need your own permit for those sales. But the catch: those sales still count toward your economic-nexus threshold, so direct sales through your own store can still require you to register.

Direct sales (Shopify, WooCommerce) are different

Sales through your own store aren't facilitated by anyone — you collect North Carolina tax on those yourself once you're registered. Many sellers are registered in North Carolina only because of marketplace sales the platform already handles, which is exactly the kind of registration worth reviewing.

Where TrailingZero fits

TrailingZero connects to your store read-only, maps where you actually have nexus state by state, and separates your marketplace-collected sales from your direct sales in North Carolina, so you only stay registered where you truly need to be. During any wind-down it can file the zero-dollar returns so nothing lapses — and you only pay for the states you genuinely keep. Run a free audit anytime; this page is free education either way.

North Carolina Marketplace law FAQ

Does North Carolina require marketplaces to collect sales tax?
Yes. SB 557 signed November 8, 2019, effective February 1, 2020.
If I only sell on Amazon, do I need to register in North Carolina?
Often no for those facilitated sales, since the marketplace collects and remits. But the sales still count toward your threshold, so direct sales can change the answer.
Is this tax advice?
No. This page is general education built from public sources and the rules change often. Confirm your specific situation with the state's tax authority or your accountant before you register or deregister.

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Sources

Primary sources reviewed for this page. Data current as of June 2026.

TrailingZerois software, not a CPA or law firm, and this page is general education — not tax or legal advice. State rules and thresholds change frequently; confirm your situation with the state's tax authority or your accountant before you register or deregister. See how we research and review this data in our editorial & accuracy policy.