How we think about e-commerce
E-commerce books are a reconciliation problem before they are an accounting problem. Every channel — Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, your own site — settles deposits net of fees, refunds, and platform charges, and the gross revenue that actually matters never lands in the bank account in one piece. We use connectors and a clear settlement workflow so the ledger shows real gross revenue, real fees, real refunds, and real net deposits, line by line, every month.
What makes the books different
- Channel settlement reconciliations that decompose a single deposit into gross sales, fees, refunds, and chargebacks
- Inventory accounting using either periodic or perpetual COGS, depending on volume and platform
- Multi-province GST, HST, and PST collection and remittance, including marketplace facilitator rules
- Foreign currency and cross-border sales handled at landed cost, not bank-deposit value
What a monthly close looks like for you
Each month we reconcile every channel's settlements against deposits, post the COGS adjustment from your inventory system or a periodic count, and reconcile sales tax collected versus remitted by jurisdiction. You receive a monthly package with a P&L by channel, gross margin, ad spend as a percentage of revenue, and the sales-tax position you owe across BC, the rest of Canada, and any US states where you have nexus.
Tools we commonly use for e-commerce clients
QuickBooks Online or Xero as the ledger. A2X or Bookkeep for Shopify and Amazon settlement automation. Inventory through Shopify, Cin7, or DEAR depending on volume. Dext for supplier receipts, Plooto for vendor and 3PL payments, and Wagepoint for any team payroll.
Partners we work with
We work alongside Vancouver CPAs experienced in e-commerce tax — multi-province sales tax registration, marketplace facilitator rules, US sales tax nexus, and the tax treatment of inventory at year-end — and our year-end preparation lands on their desk with channel reconciliations and inventory already tied out.
A good fit if
- You sell on Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, or a combination, and ship across provinces
- You hold inventory and want gross margin reported monthly, not estimated yearly
- You want a single set of books that ties to every channel's payout report