Anyone with residence in CA willing to answer some questions around the legal side of starting up?

Hi,

Would like to get started in eCommerce and trying to better understand the legal side of things in terms of incorporation.

1. I assume I need to incorporate right? Seems like common recommendation is LLC. Does this have to be registered in CA or can i do it elsewhere (often see Nevada/Deleware recommended) but don't quite understand how that works if your residence is in CA.

2. Any way to get around the $800 LLC fee? Quite expensive for having no sales guaranteed

3. Other than applying for an EIN after registering are there any other legal actions I need to take to be in good standing? Any other recommendations if my business will be purely online (ecommerce/content sites?)

Any help would be appreciated!