Missouri Cottage Food Online Sales

Online Sales Are Legal — Since 2022

House Bill 1697, which took effect on August 28, 2022, explicitly legalized online sales and in-state shipping for Missouri cottage food producers. Before this reform, the law limited sales to face-to-face transactions. Now, if your product qualifies under RSMo § 196.298 (non-potentially hazardous baked goods, traditional jams and jellies, or dried herbs), you can sell it online and ship it anywhere within Missouri.

The In-State Requirement

The single biggest restriction on Missouri cottage food e-commerce is geographic: both the producer and the buyer must be in Missouri. You cannot ship cottage food products across state lines. Interstate commerce triggers federal food manufacturing regulations — specifically FDA registration and compliance with the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act — which no state cottage food exemption can override.

This means your online storefront, whether it is a standalone website, an Etsy shop, or a Facebook page, needs to make clear that you only ship within Missouri. Many cottage food sellers add a checkout note or shipping policy page confirming the geographic limitation.

Shipping via Common Carriers

HB 1697 specifically authorizes shipping through "common carriers," which includes USPS, FedEx, and UPS. Keep shipments of qualifying cottage food products within Missouri and follow the carrier's packaging and acceptance rules.

For shelf-stable baked goods, standard ground shipping works fine. For jams and jellies, pack jars securely with bubble wrap or packing peanuts — breakage is a customer service problem, not a legal one. Dried herbs ship easily in any padded mailer.

The Individual Stands pathway (Missouri Food Code exemption) does not allow online sales or shipping. If you sell products that qualify only under that pathway — candies, honey, granola, dry mixes — you are limited to in-person sales at physical stands and farmers markets.

Social Media Sales

Selling through Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, or other social media platforms is legal under the Home Sales pathway. The law does not distinguish between a dedicated website and a social media page — any online order placed by a Missouri buyer for delivery within Missouri qualifies.

Most social media cottage food sellers operate through direct messages: the customer places an order, pays via Venmo, Zelle, or cash on delivery, and the seller either ships or arranges local pickup. This informal process is legal, but you still need to collect and remit sales tax on every transaction.

Local Delivery

You can personally deliver orders to customers within Missouri. Some sellers offer free local delivery within their city and charge shipping for orders farther away.

If you deliver to customers in a different city or county, the sales tax rate follows the point of delivery — not your home address. This can affect your sales tax filing if you deliver across jurisdictions with different local tax rates.

Sales Tax on Online Orders

Online cottage food sales are subject to Missouri sales tax, including the reduced 1.225% state food rate for items sold for home consumption. Local city and county taxes are added based on the delivery destination. You need a Sales Tax License from the Missouri Department of Revenue (free to obtain through myTax Missouri, with a typical $25 bond for first-time registrants) before making any online sales.

Labeling for Shipped Products

Shipped products need the same six-element label as products sold in person: your name and address, product name, ingredient list, allergen declarations, net weight, and the uninspected kitchen disclaimer. The label must be on the product packaging, not just on the shipping box.

Our Missouri Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide includes a complete e-commerce compliance checklist covering shipping protocols, sales tax registration for online sellers, and label templates designed for shipped products.

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