As your ecommerce business grows, a specialized bookkeeper ensures your sales channels, expenses, and inventory are accurately tracked. Avoid messy books and missed deductions.
Hire ecommerce bookkeepers on Sam’s List.
What to Look For When Hiring an Ecommerce Bookkeeper
Experience Across Multiple Sales Channels
A greatecommerce bookkeepershould know how to reconcile sales, refunds, and fees across Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, and Walmart Marketplace.
Knowledge of Ecommerce Expenses
They should know how to properly categorize merchant fees (Stripe, Shopify Payments), ad spend, shipping costs, and returns without throwing off your financials.
Inventory Tracking and COGS Management
Accurate inventory accounting and Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) calculations are critical for understanding your real margins and tax liabilities.
Sales Tax Expertise
Since ecommerce often means selling into multiple states, your bookkeeper should understand nexus laws and how to prepare sales tax data even if you use software like TaxJar or Avalara.
Fluency with Ecommerce Accounting Software
The best bookkeepers are proficient with QuickBooks Commerce, A2X, Xero, and integrations that pull clean sales data from Shopify, Amazon, and Etsy.
Cash Flow Forecasting Ability
They should not only track your cash flow but help you predict when you’ll need to invest in new inventory, ad campaigns, or platform expansions.
FAQs
Why do I need a specialized ecommerce bookkeeper?
Ecommerce bookkeepingis more complex than traditional retail. Specialized bookkeepers know how to track marketplace payouts, sales tax, and inventory properly.
What questions should I ask an ecommerce bookkeeper?
Ask about their experience with your sales platforms, how they track inventory and COGS, and their approach to multi-state sales tax.
How much does ecommerce bookkeeping typically cost?
Monthly fees usually range from $300–$1,000+, depending on transaction volume and complexity.
Can an ecommerce bookkeeper manage multiple sales channels?
Yes, a good bookkeeper will integrate and reconcile data from multiple platforms like Shopify, Amazon, and Etsy seamlessly.
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Author: Kimi, Co-founder of Sam's List
Kimi writes about what she's learning while building Sam's List and shares honest takeaways from her conversations with accountants and financial advisors across the country. None of this is financial advice—just the stuff most people wish someone told them sooner.
