Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Having a business for tax purposes isn't the same as participating as a business (which is prohibited).  What you become is a "self-employed" individual - and this is a "business" for tax purposes, not an incorporated entity.   They aren't one in the same.  You likely shouldn't prepare your own taxes - you're going to get yourself in a lot of trouble due to your misunderstanding of how it works (which is a common misunderstanding for folks who don't prepare taxes for a living or run businesses).  As Opus17 points out, as a self-employed Schedule C filer, you cannot pay yourself a salary that you can deduct.  PLEASE see a professional this year

@ForeverGrateful

And for @Toddiesel it isn't ridiculous that someone could get $15K their first year - it's very easy depending on when they joined. . But I agree that they DEFINITELY inform you about the taxes before you start ordering.  That's hard to miss, unless you just choose to ignore it.  

In my first year (2023), I started in mid-October and still had nearly $6K.  It is very easy to do!   I didn't make gold until April of my second year, and then I hit $44K.  I definitely had the $15K this person had within my silver period. 

Unless you're well-versed in tax, you should see a tax pro the first year in Vine as there is a LOT of REALLY BAD information out there about all sorts of things that you simply cannot do (like the ridiculous made up 50/20/0 rule some folks use to adjust ETV).  You can't adjust ETV for much, and certainly not for that make up bunk.  You AGREED to the value when you placed the order.

And if something is broken, you write to Vine customer service and they remove it from your account, and it doesn't end up on your ETV.  It's that simple. 

Also, if you are Gold level and ordering enough to stay gold (90% of 160 items a year) you can't call it a hobby, because at that point it's very much a "regular" activity.  And you'll definitely meet the profit rules - you'll have a profit every  year that you're in it.  (Profit doesn't mean cash from selling things, selling things has no bearing on the taxability of your Vine income.  You're compensated for the service you provide, and that's a business!)