Tellbrief · tellbrief.com
What to ask a lawyer before opening an online store
Answer plain questions about your business, and Tellbrief turns them into a short brief: the questions worth asking about opening an online store and the records to have ready, so your first call with a lawyer can start with your questions.
For example: Opening an online shop, collecting customer details and buying goods from an outside supplier. A brief for this founder suggests the lists below.
Questions worth asking
- What should our agreement with the manufacturer or supplier cover?
- What personal information do we collect, and does our privacy notice match it?About 1,822 data-privacy class actions were filed in 2025, up from 1,488 in 2024.1
Records to have ready
- Contracts and policies you already haveYour lawyer will start from what you have.
- Your agreement with your manufacturer or supplierSomeone else makes or supplies your product.
- Your privacy policy and a list of services that handle customer dataYou collect personal information.
Your brief builds its own lists from your answers.
Build your own brief
About 30 questions about your business, most of them one tap. During early access a corporate lawyer reads your brief once the names clear. No account and no card. Tellbrief isn’t a law firm and doesn’t give legal advice.
Start your briefKnow a founder facing this?
Send them this checklist. To keep a copy, print this page or save it as a PDF.
Questions founders ask
What questions should I ask a lawyer about opening an online store?
For the founder in this example, the brief suggests: What should our agreement with the manufacturer or supplier cover? What personal information do we collect, and does our privacy notice match it? Your own brief builds its list from your answers.
What should I have ready before the first call?
For this example: Contracts and policies you already have; Your agreement with your manufacturer or supplier; Your privacy policy and a list of services that handle customer data. Your own brief lists what fits your answers.
Is this legal advice?
No. Tellbrief helps you get your facts in order before your first conversation with a lawyer. It isn’t a law firm, it doesn’t draft documents, and using it doesn’t make anyone your lawyer. Legal advice comes from a licensed lawyer, once they agree to take on your matter.
What does it cost?
Your brief is free during early access. If the reviewing lawyer takes on the work, they agree the scope and fee with you before starting, and Tellbrief takes no share of it.
How long does it take?
About 30 questions, and most take one tap. Plan on 10 to 15 minutes.
Other situations
- Launching a business
- First customer contract
- Retail or distribution deal
- Hiring a first employee
- Raising money
- Partnership or licensing deal
- Splitting ownership between founders
- Selling the company
- Business dispute
- Service business client contract
- Brand name or trademark
- Privacy policy and customer data
- Subscription and auto-renewal terms
- Large B2B customer contract
- Who owns work contractors made
- Launching an AI product
- Commercial lease
- Manufacturer or supplier agreement
- Licenses in a regulated industry
- Duane Morris Class Action Review, data privacy filings (January 2026) (opens in a new tab).
From tellbrief.com/for/online-store-legal-questions/. General information to prepare for a lawyer, not legal advice.