E-Commerce
Bookkeeping for online sellers dealing with platform fees, multi-state sales tax, and the gap between what you sold and what you actually kept.
The Industry
You sold a product for $35. Amazon took $5.25 in referral fees. FBA fulfillment was $4.50. The ads that drove the sale cost $6. The product cost $10. Shipping to the warehouse was another $2. That $35 sale netted you $7.25. Maybe less if someone returns it.
E-commerce looks like high revenue until you subtract everyone else’s cut. Platform fees, payment processing, advertising, fulfillment, storage, returns. The money that actually lands in your account is a fraction of what customers paid. The businesses that survive are the ones that track every deduction and know their real margins, not their dashboard metrics.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
Amazon FBA sellers, Shopify stores, Etsy shops, eBay sellers, Walmart Marketplace, dropshipping, subscription boxes, print-on-demand. Anyone selling products online and dealing with platforms, fees, and inventory.
What Makes It Different
What Makes It Different
Platform fees that vary by channel and product category. COGS that includes more than just supplier cost. Sales tax obligations in states you’ve never visited. Inventory sitting in warehouses tying up cash. Payouts from multiple platforms hitting the bank at different times in different amounts.
What We Handle
Monthly bookkeeping with revenue recorded net of platform fees so your P&L shows what you actually kept, not what customers paid. COGS calculated properly including product cost, freight, duties, prep, and fulfillment fees. The real landed cost, not just the supplier invoice.
Multi-channel reconciliation so Amazon payouts, Shopify deposits, and PayPal transfers all land correctly in one set of books. Sales tax tracking across states where you have nexus. Ohio sales tax plus whatever other states you’ve triggered through economic nexus thresholds.
True Margin Tracking
True Margin Tracking
Revenue after fees. COGS including all costs to get the product sold. Advertising allocated by product or channel. You see what you actually made on each SKU, not what the platform dashboard claims.
Multi-Channel Reconciliation
Multi-Channel Reconciliation
Different platforms pay out differently. Amazon settles every two weeks minus fees and reserves. Shopify deposits daily. We match it all to sales so the books reflect reality.
Common Problems
Recording gross sales as revenue inflates your income. You sold $80,000 but platforms kept $24,000 in fees. Your actual revenue was $56,000. Books showing $80,000 create tax problems and make you think the business is healthier than it is. COGS based on supplier invoices instead of landed cost understates what products really cost. A $9 item with $4 in freight, fees, and prep costs $13 to sell, not $9.
Sales tax nexus catches sellers who ignore it. Ship enough orders to Pennsylvania or California or Texas and you owe sales tax there whether you’ve visited or not. Economic nexus thresholds vary by state. Ignore it and eventually a notice arrives demanding back taxes plus penalties and interest.
Margin Illusion
Margin Illusion
Dashboard metrics that show gross sales and estimated profit. Real margins that are 30% lower once you account for every fee, every cost, every return. Pricing decisions made on incomplete numbers.
Sales Tax Exposure
Sales Tax Exposure
Nexus in states you’re not registered in. Economic thresholds crossed without awareness. Notices arriving years later demanding back taxes with penalties compounding. A problem that gets worse the longer it’s ignored.
What Changes
You know your real numbers. Net revenue after all platform fees. True COGS including everything it takes to get a product sold. Margin by SKU so you can see which products make money and which ones lose money while looking busy. Advertising spend tracked so you know what you’re actually paying to acquire customers.
Sales tax handled across the states where you have obligations. Ohio plus whatever economic nexus you’ve triggered. Filings done on time in each jurisdiction. Inventory tracked so you know what’s sitting in warehouses, what it cost, and how long it’s been there. Books that show the real business, not the vanity metrics.
Product Profitability
Product Profitability
Real margins by SKU after every cost. Kill the products that lose money. Double down on the ones that work. Price based on actual landed cost instead of supplier invoices.
Compliance and Visibility
Compliance and Visibility
Sales tax filed in the states that require it. Nexus monitored so you know when thresholds are crossed. Inventory visible and valued correctly. Cash flow that accounts for money tied up in stock waiting to sell.
Northwest Ohio’s Trusted Bookkeeping Partner
The Next Step:
A 15-Minute Discovery Call
Let's talk about your current bookkeeping situation. We'll assess your needs, outline a plan of action, and give you a clear quote.
