Industry · E-commerce accounting
E-commerce accounting that survives multi-channel reality.
Shopify, Amazon, and Stripe don’t deposit clean numbers — they net fees, bundle refunds, and bury sales tax. TechBrot’s team, led by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, untangle every channel so your revenue, margins, and inventory are accurate, and your multi-state sales-tax exposure is handled before it becomes a problem. We deliver the books in your own QuickBooks file; your CPA confirms nexus and files. Independent firm, not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
E-commerce accounting breaks where ordinary bookkeeping doesn’t — a single platform payout bundles gross sales, processor fees, refunds, and collected sales tax into one number that must be split apart, on top of inventory and COGS by SKU, landed cost, returns and chargebacks, multi-channel revenue recognition, and sales-tax nexus across many states. TechBrot’s team, led by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, reconcile every channel and processor in your own QuickBooks file, track inventory and margin correctly, and monitor multi-state exposure — then turn it into financials you can price and grow from. We deliver the books and coordinate with your CPA; we do not file income taxes.
Maintained by TechBrot Inc., an independent firm — not affiliated with Intuit Inc. Bookkeeping and ProAdvisor scope; does not file income taxes — coordinates with your CPA or EA. Economic-nexus framing reflects the 2018 South Dakota v. Wayfair standard and marketplace-facilitator collection.
E-commerce accounting, in five questions.
Why is e-commerce bookkeeping harder?
One platform payout bundles gross sales, processor fees, refunds, and collected sales tax into a single deposit. Accurate books require splitting each apart — plus inventory, COGS, returns, chargebacks, and multi-state sales tax.
Do you reconcile Shopify, Amazon, and Stripe to QuickBooks?
Yes. Each channel and processor is reconciled to your QuickBooks file, separating gross revenue, fees, refunds, and tax — not netted into one lump number.
Can you track inventory and COGS?
Yes. We set up and maintain inventory and cost of goods sold in QuickBooks — by SKU and channel, including landed cost — so gross margin reflects reality.
Do you handle multi-state sales tax for online sellers?
We monitor economic nexus across states (post-Wayfair), account for marketplace-facilitator collection, and provide sales-tax compliance. TechBrot does not file income taxes; we coordinate with your CPA or EA.
What does it cost?
A fixed monthly fee against a written scope — driven by order volume, number of channels, inventory complexity, and sales-tax footprint. No hourly billing.
E-commerce accounting, plainly.
E-commerce books break in ways ordinary bookkeeping doesn’t. A single platform payout bundles gross sales, processor fees, refunds, and collected sales tax into one deposit, while accurate books need each split apart. Add inventory and cost of goods sold by SKU and channel, landed cost, returns and chargebacks, multi-channel revenue recognition, and sales-tax nexus across many states, and most generic bookkeepers — and most automation — get it wrong.
TechBrot is a bookkeeping and advisory firm led by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor who reconcile every channel and processor to your own QuickBooks file, track inventory and margin correctly, monitor multi-state sales-tax exposure (post-Wayfair economic nexus and marketplace-facilitator collection), and turn it into financials you can price and grow from. We deliver the books and keep the by-state data your CPA needs; your CPA or EA confirms nexus and files income taxes. For sellers ready to act on the numbers, advisory adds the judgment layer on top. Independent firm led by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor — not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
| In one payout | Netted — what you see | Decomposed — how we book it |
|---|---|---|
| Gross product sales | Buried inside the deposit | Booked as revenue, gross |
| Platform & processor fees | Silently subtracted | Booked as an expense, visible on the P&L |
| Refunds & chargebacks | Netted against sales | Booked as contra-revenue, tracked separately |
| Collected sales tax | Mixed into the payout | Booked as a liability, not income |
| Marketplace-facilitator tax | Already remitted by the platform | Recorded so it is not double-counted or double-filed |
| Reserves & holdbacks | Deposit looks short | Tracked as a receivable until released |
E-commerce payout reconciliation, payout by payout.
Why a Shopify, Amazon or Stripe deposit is never your sales figure, how each payout is split in QuickBooks, and where inventory, COGS and sales-tax nexus come in — set out in full below.
Monthly bookkeepingSales tax complianceGet the free file reviewBook the discovery call
The full explanation, section by section — netted payouts, how each piece is booked, inventory and COGS, sales-tax nexus, and where to start.
Do you reconcile Shopify, Amazon, and Stripe to QuickBooks?
To reconcile Shopify, Amazon and Stripe payouts in QuickBooks, reconcile each sales channel and payment processor to your own QuickBooks file, and split every payout back into its parts. Gross sales go to revenue, platform and processor fees to expense, refunds to contra-revenue, and collected sales tax to a liability. Your income and margins are then accurate, not netted into one lump deposit.
E-commerce accounting, plainly
E-commerce books break in ways ordinary bookkeeping doesn’t. E-commerce mixes several sales channels, payment processors that net out fees before deposit, inventory and cost of goods sold by SKU and channel, landed cost, returns and chargebacks, and sales-tax obligations across many states. A single Shopify or Amazon deposit can bundle gross sales, fees, refunds and taxes, and most generic bookkeepers, and most automation, get it wrong.
Netted payouts hide your real sales
Nearly every messy e-commerce file fails in the same three places, and the first is the payout. Shopify Payments, Amazon and Stripe deposit net of fees, refunds and reserves. Booked as one number, revenue is understated and the fees vanish from your profit and loss. The fix is channel-level reconciliation that separates gross revenue, fees, refunds and tax, for every payout, every month.
Channel & processor reconciliation
Channel and processor reconciliation decomposes each payout before it is booked. Gross product sales are booked as revenue, at the gross amount. Platform and processor fees are booked as an expense, visible on the profit and loss. Refunds and chargebacks are booked as contra-revenue and tracked separately. Collected sales tax is booked as a liability, not income, and reserves or holdbacks are tracked as a receivable until they are released.
Connected to where you sell
Every platform you sell on connects to the same QuickBooks file. Shopify payouts are decomposed into revenue, fees, refunds and tax. Stripe’s gross charges, fees and refunds are split correctly, and PayPal’s mixed payouts are separated from the sales channels. Selling somewhere else? If it pays out to a bank account, it can be reconciled. Amazon sellers and Shopify sellers each have a page of their own for the channel detail.
No inventory or COGS tracking
The second place sellers lose the numbers is inventory. Without real inventory and cost-of-goods tracking, gross margin is a guess. You can’t price with confidence, time restocks, or know which SKUs actually make money. Inventory-heavy sellers often need the accrual basis to see the truth, and a review of the file shows whether cash basis is hiding it.
Inventory & COGS tracking
Inventory and COGS tracking means cost of goods sold and inventory are set up and maintained inside QuickBooks, by SKU and by channel, including landed cost where it’s relevant. Gross margin then reflects reality, and it is ready for decisions. That matters for two things above all: pricing, and profit reporting you can rely on when you decide which products to back.
Multi-state nexus you can’t see
The third place is sales tax. Economic nexus is triggered by sales volume in states you’ve never visited, and inventory stored in another state can create physical nexus on its own. Sellers who aren’t monitoring can find these obligations late, with penalties and back tax attached. Nexus monitoring tracks exposure state by state, accounts for tax a marketplace already collects, and files sales tax on time. Income-tax returns stay with your CPA or tax preparer.
My channel books are already a mess. Where do we start?
Channel books that are already a mess start with a cleanup. Netted payouts are untangled, inventory and COGS are rebuilt, and each channel is reconciled to a known-good baseline before monthly bookkeeping begins. From there the file moves into accurate monthly bookkeeping, with ongoing sales-tax monitoring. Most sellers arrive mid-mess, and it is the normal starting point.
From messy payouts to clean margins
Every e-commerce engagement follows the same four-phase rhythm, from messy payouts to clean margins. Discovery maps your channels, processors, order volume and where the books are breaking. Cleanup and setup untangles the payouts and builds an e-commerce chart of accounts, with the right connector apps wiring each platform in. Monthly reconciliation covers every channel and processor. Reporting and advisory adds a monthly package with channel-level margin.
Clean books are the start. Decisions are the point
Clean books are the start, and decisions are the point. Once your channels reconcile and your margins are real, the question changes from whether the books are right to what to do about them: which SKUs to scale, when inventory financing makes sense, and how pricing holds up against rising ad costs and platform fees. As you scale, fractional CFO advisory is the judgment layer above the books.
What does e-commerce bookkeeping cost?
E-commerce bookkeeping is quoted as a fixed monthly fee against a written scope, with no hourly billing. Four things drive it: order volume, the number of sales channels, inventory complexity, and your sales-tax footprint. Every engagement is scoped to your channels and volume, and delivered in your own QuickBooks file by a named Certified ProAdvisor. The monthly bookkeeping cost guide lays out the general range.
Get e-commerce books you can trust
Get e-commerce books you can trust. Book a discovery call, and a Certified ProAdvisor reviews your channels and processors, flags any margin or sales-tax exposure, and sends a written fixed-fee scope. TechBrot is an independent bookkeeping and advisory firm, holding the QuickBooks Online Level 2 and Payroll ProAdvisor certifications, and not affiliated with Intuit. Send this to whoever reconciles your payouts, and subscribe for the rest of the series.
Three places sellers lose the numbers.
Nearly every messy e-commerce file fails in the same three areas. Knowing which one you’re in tells us where to start.
Netted payouts hide your real sales.
Shopify Payments, Amazon, and Stripe deposit net of fees, refunds, and reserves. Booked as one number, revenue is understated and the fees never show up on your P&L. The fix is channel-level reconciliation that separates gross revenue, fees, refunds, and tax — every payout, every month. If you’ve never split a payout apart, your margin figures can’t be relied on yet. It’s fixable.
No inventory or COGS tracking.
Without real inventory and cost-of-goods tracking, gross margin is a guess. You can’t price confidently, time restocks, or know which SKUs actually make money. The fix is inventory and COGS maintained in QuickBooks — by SKU and channel, including landed cost — so margin is real and decision-ready. Inventory-heavy sellers often need accrual basis to see the truth; we’ll tell you if cash basis is hiding it.
Multi-state nexus you can’t see.
Economic nexus is triggered by sales volume in states you’ve never visited, and inventory stored in another state can create nexus — confirm with your CPA. Sellers who aren’t monitoring can discover obligations late — with penalties and back-tax attached. The fix is ongoing nexus monitoring and sales-tax compliance so obligations are met on time, not found in an audit. We monitor nexus and keep the sales-tax records, reconciliations and schedules your tax professional needs to file; we do not file returns, and income-tax filing stays with your CPA or EA.
E-commerce accounting, done by an expert.
Every engagement is scoped to your channels and volume, delivered in your own QuickBooks file by a named Certified ProAdvisor.
Channel & processor reconciliation
Shopify, Amazon, Stripe, and PayPal reconciled to QuickBooks — gross revenue, fees, refunds, and tax separated correctly every month, not netted into one deposit.
Inventory & COGS tracking
COGS and inventory maintained in QuickBooks by SKU and channel so gross margin is accurate and decision-ready, including landed cost where relevant.
Sales-tax nexus monitoring
State-by-state economic-nexus exposure tracked, with marketplace-facilitator collection accounted for and compliance filing so obligations are met — not discovered in an audit.
Channel-mess cleanup
Untangle netted payouts, rebuild inventory and COGS, and reconcile each channel to a known-good baseline before monthly bookkeeping begins.
QuickBooks setup & integrations
An e-commerce chart of accounts and correct QuickBooks setup, with the right connector apps wiring your platforms into the file cleanly.
Growth advisory
As you scale, fractional CFO advisory on cash flow, pricing, and inventory financing — the judgment layer above the books.
Connected to where you sell.
- Shopify — payouts decomposed into revenue, fees, refunds, and tax
- Amazon Seller — payouts reconciled to revenue, fees, and refunds
- Stripe — gross charges, fees, and refunds split correctly
- PayPal — mixed payouts separated from sales channels
- WooCommerce — order and payout data tied to the QuickBooks file
- eBay & Etsy — marketplace payouts and facilitator tax reconciled
- Walmart Marketplace — settlements mapped to revenue and fees
- A2X / connector apps — clean summaries posted to QuickBooks
Selling somewhere else? If it pays out to a bank account, we can reconcile it. Ask on a discovery call.
From messy payouts to clean margins.
Every e-commerce engagement follows the same four-phase rhythm — books accurate first, profit visibility second, advisory third.
Discovery
A 30-minute call to map your channels, processors, order volume, and where the books are breaking. No pitch.
Cleanup & setup
If needed, a cleanup to untangle netted payouts and inventory, plus correct QuickBooks setup for e-commerce.
Monthly reconciliation
Every channel and processor reconciled monthly, with COGS and multi-state sales-tax exposure maintained.
Reporting & advisory
A monthly financial package with channel-level margin and, as you scale, cash-flow and growth advisory.
Clean books are the start. Decisions are the point.
Once your channels reconcile and your margins are real, the question changes from “are the books right?” to “what do we do about them?” Which SKUs to scale, when inventory financing makes sense, how pricing holds up against rising ad costs and platform fees — the decisions that actually move an e-commerce business.
That’s where e-commerce advisory comes in: a Certified ProAdvisor who knows your numbers turning them into cash-flow, pricing, and growth decisions. Accurate books come first; then that judgment turns them into decisions. As automation commoditizes basic bookkeeping, this advisory layer is where the value — and the margin — now lives. Explore fractional CFO & advisory →
Maintained under a Certified ProAdvisor.
This page reflects how TechBrot actually handles e-commerce engagements. It is maintained by TechBrot Inc., a Delaware-incorporated independent bookkeeping and advisory firm, and kept current on multi-channel reconciliation, inventory and COGS, and sales-tax nexus. Where our approach or scope changes, this page is updated. TechBrot delivers the books and coordinates with your CPA, who confirms nexus and files.
Certifications
Active Intuit Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor — Online (L2) and Payroll
Scope
Multi-channel reconciliation, inventory/COGS, sales-tax nexus · income-tax filing coordinated with your CPA/EA
Engagement
Fixed-fee, written scope before work · delivered in your own QuickBooks file
Independent
Not affiliated with Intuit Inc. · QuickBooks is a registered trademark of Intuit Inc.
E-commerce accounting questions.
Why is e-commerce bookkeeping harder than regular bookkeeping?
Do you reconcile Shopify, Amazon, and Stripe to QuickBooks?
Can you track inventory and cost of goods sold?
Do you handle multi-state sales tax for online sellers?
What does e-commerce bookkeeping cost?
My channel books are already a mess. Where do we start?
Ready when you are
Get e-commerce books you can trust.
Book a discovery call. A Certified ProAdvisor reviews your channels, your processors, and where the books are breaking, flags any margin or sales-tax exposure, and sends a written fixed-fee scope within 3 business days. No pitch. TechBrot does not file income taxes; coordinates with your CPA.