Getting a reseller's number and starting a business?

After doing a bunch of research I have come to the conclusion that "wholesalers" are not the way to go if you want to make money with online auctions. You need to become a reseller. Can someone please tell me the best way to do this? I will have to start a business but it will mostly be just from home and work. There isn't going to be any building that my business is in. How should I go about this? Any help would really be appreciated! Thanks!