Do I need separate bookkeeping for each Amazon marketplace?
You don’t need completely separate bookkeeping systems for each Amazon marketplace. Most sellers run everything through one set of books but track each marketplace as its own segment so they can see performance and profitability by region.
The key is structuring your chart of accounts and tracking categories to capture marketplace-level data. In QuickBooks Online or Xero, you can use classes, locations, or tags to assign income and expenses to each marketplace. This lets you run reports showing revenue and fees for Amazon US separately from Amazon UK or Amazon Canada without maintaining entirely separate accounting files.
Settlement reports are where the real work happens. Each Amazon marketplace deposits funds separately into your bank account, and each has its own fee structure. Reconciling these settlements properly means matching what Amazon deposited against what you sold, what they charged in fees, and any adjustments like refunds or reimbursements. If you’re not reconciling settlement reports by marketplace, your books won’t accurately reflect your actual profitability.
Currency conversion adds complexity for international marketplaces. Amazon pays you in the local currency of each marketplace (pounds for UK, euros for EU marketplaces), so you need to track the exchange rates when those funds convert to US dollars. Your accounting software can handle this, but it requires setting up foreign currency properly and recording the conversions when funds hit your US bank account.
At some point, selling volume in a specific country might warrant more formal separation. If you’re VAT-registered in the UK or EU, you’ll need to track those sales and taxes with enough detail to file accurate VAT returns. Some sellers at significant international volume choose to establish a foreign entity, which would then have its own separate books. But most sellers reaching into one or two international marketplaces don’t need that level of complexity yet.
The real question isn’t whether to separate your books but whether you’re capturing the data that matters. Standard small business bookkeeping that just tracks totals won’t cut it. Knowing your true profit margin on Amazon UK versus Amazon US requires tracking revenue, Amazon fees, shipping costs, and product costs by marketplace. Lumping everything together hides which marketplaces are actually making you money and which ones are costing you.
If you’re expanding into multiple Amazon marketplaces and your current setup isn’t giving you clear visibility by region, it’s worth getting help structuring things correctly. E-commerce accounting for Amazon sellers has its own quirks around settlement reconciliation and inventory that general bookkeepers often miss.
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What should I look for when hiring a bookkeeper for my Shopify store?
Look for someone with specific e-commerce experience who understands how Shopify reports revenue, handles payment processor reconciliation, and knows multi-state sales tax rules. General small business bookkeeping skills aren't enough for the complexity of online selling.
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Most e-commerce businesses use FIFO (First In, First Out) to value inventory. This method assumes you sell your oldest inventory first, which typically matches how online retail works and simplifies compliance.
Read answerHow do I account for Amazon reimbursements and lost inventory claims?
Record lost inventory as an adjustment reducing your inventory value and cost of goods sold impact. When Amazon reimburses you, record it as other income or offset it against the inventory loss depending on your preferred method.
Read answerHow often should I reconcile my e-commerce accounts?
Weekly reconciliation works best for most e-commerce businesses. The transaction volume and complexity of multiple platforms, payment processors, and fee structures make monthly reconciliation too risky. Problems are much harder to track down weeks after they happen.
Read answerWhat's the difference between cash and accrual accounting for online sellers?
Cash accounting records income when you receive payment. Accrual records it when the sale occurs. For online sellers with inventory and delayed marketplace payouts, the difference affects how you see profitability and when you pay taxes.
Read answerDo I need a bookkeeper who specializes in e-commerce?
Yes, if your e-commerce business has any real volume. Sales tax nexus, multi-channel reconciliation, inventory costing, and platform-specific fees create accounting challenges that general bookkeepers often haven't encountered.
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