Resources and insights
Practical guides and insights on ecommerce accounting, inventory, sales tax, and financial management
Most sellers assume general accounting knowledge is enough, until the bank deposit doesn't match sales. This covers why ecommerce accounting differs, and how to choose the right accountant.
Use tax is sales tax's lesser-known sibling, owed on untaxed vendor purchases and inventory used internally. This covers both scenarios, and what to check.
Streamlined Sales Tax lets qualifying remote sellers get registration, calculation, and filing free across 24 states. This covers who qualifies, and limits.
The Shopify sales tax report is dense enough that most sellers need a system to make sense of it. This covers key columns and building a pivot table by state.
Shopify isn't a marketplace facilitator, so collecting sales tax correctly is entirely on you. This covers nexus, registration, and taxability before setup.
Shopify sellers have two sales tax options: Shopify Tax or Avalara for Shopify. This compares pricing, features, and limits on automated filing for each.
Sales taxability comes down to three questions: where, who, and what. This breaks each down with examples, from Colorado's rates to Massachusetts's cutoff.
Past due sales tax penalties compound quietly until a state sends a letter, often bigger than expected. This covers how states find sellers, and VDAs.
Sales tax nexus comes down to two main triggers: people or property in a state, or crossing its economic threshold. This covers both, plus Amazon and Shopify.
A Philly-area Amazon seller got hit with a $1.6M sales tax bill from California. This candid piece covers why the debt compounds quietly, and what to do.
Sales tax isn't income or expense, it's a liability you hold for the state. This breaks down the three stages of sales tax accounting and the journal entries.
Sales tax holiday rules reset every cycle: participating states, qualifying items, and price caps all change. This covers four types with 2026 dates and codes.
In dropshipping, who collects sales tax comes down to nexus, not who owns the inventory. This covers three scenarios, and the SST/MTC resale certificates.
Amazon collects sales tax for sellers, so most Amazon-only sellers have zero collection liability, not zero responsibility. This covers filing and FBA nexus.
Sales tax exemptions work both ways: on selling, and on buying with the right paperwork. This breaks down three exemption types, certificates, and forms.
With over 13,000 sales tax jurisdictions and states more aggressive since Wayfair, sellers have a lot to track. This covers 9 concrete compliance challenges.
Sales tax audits have picked up sharply as states get more aggressive. This covers what triggers one, what to expect, and why acting first is cheaper.
Every state sets its own sales tax rules, exactly the complexity sales tax software absorbs. This compares Avalara, TaxJar, Sovos, and Shopify Tax on pricing.
States are getting more coordinated chasing sales tax revenue, sharing data and pulling records from Amazon. This covers five tactics, and how to stay ahead.
New York is fully committed to collecting sales tax from out-of-state sellers. This covers its unusual quarters, the Certificate of Authority, and filing forms.
If you run a marketplace, sales tax law puts most of the collection burden on you, not your sellers. This covers what facilitator laws require, and nexus.
States tax candy oddly. Add flour, and several states stop calling it candy at all. Using Minnesota's Twix-vs-Snickers rule, this covers the wrinkles behind it.
Since 2021, remote sellers in Illinois must collect destination-based local rates, not just the flat 6.25%. This explains the ROT switch and ST-1/ST-2 forms.
A business needs a sales tax permit before it can legally start collecting, not after. This covers finding registration pages, and the taxable activity date.
A supplier with nexus must charge you sales tax unless you hand them a resale certificate. This covers how to get one, the SST/MTC shortcuts, and exceptions.
Filing sales tax online doesn't have to be intimidating. This guide walks sellers through confirming nexus, filing frequency, and calculating what's owed.
A Voluntary Disclosure Agreement lets a business come forward on sales tax before a state finds out, for reduced penalties. This covers who qualifies and how.
LedgerGurus' hub for ecommerce sales tax pulls together guides, videos, and downloads on nexus, taxability, registration, filing, audits, and catching up.
Minnesota now charges a flat $0.50 retail delivery fee on deliveries of $100+, for sellers over $1M in sales. This covers who owes it and what's exempt.
Colorado's sales tax system is famously messy, with dozens of home rule cities setting their own rates. This explains SUTS, the state's single-portal fix.
Colorado's Retail Delivery Fee has climbed twice since 2022. This covers who owes it, marketplace sales, account setup, and how it compares to Minnesota's.
Falling behind on sales tax is common, and the fix depends on exactly what kind of behind you are. This covers a five-step fix, and two moves that backfire.
California stacks state, county, city, and district sales tax rates. This guides sellers through nexus, taxability, registration, and filing once you're set.
A sales tax pre-audit questionnaire signals a state already suspects you owe back taxes. This explains why states send them, and the risk of ignoring one.
Amazon handles sales tax remittance in most states, but its sales tax report can be dense. This covers where to find it, key columns, and a pivot table setup.
Finding real revenue opportunities starts with contribution margin and profit velocity, not top-line sales. This covers how to segment revenue meaningfully.
Most owners don't think about their exit until it's too late to fix what's broken. This covers four areas to focus on now so you're ready whenever you exit.
Inflation quietly erodes margins through rising inventory, shipping, and labor costs. This covers how to spot the impact, and three pricing approaches.
Prepping an ecommerce business for sale 12-18 months out can add real dollars to its final value. This covers six areas to focus on before you list it.
Profitability, not growth, keeps a business alive through a downturn. This covers a five-part financial health check to see where you stand and what's next.
Ecommerce trends shift fast. Here are the ones worth watching this year, and how each one affects your bottom line.
Most sellers' product costs are wrong, often by 20-35 points, usually from outdated numbers or buy cost instead of landed cost. This covers why, and the fix.
Spreadsheets work for inventory until SKU count grows and cracks show. This covers the roadblocks a manual approach creates, and where Finale Inventory fits.
With 2026's tariffs and rising holding costs, inventory matters more than ever. Using real client stories, this covers five ways margins quietly erode.
Landed cost is the full price of getting product to your warehouse, not just the invoice. This covers each component with an example, plus how to calculate it.
A consistent SKU naming system pays for itself once your catalog grows. This covers what a SKU is, why it matters, and a 3-step formula for building one.
Getting COGS right starts with a product cost catalog, an accurate list of what each SKU costs you. This covers building one for three types, plus landed cost.
LedgerGurus and Katana Cloud Inventory are partnering to connect accounting and inventory more tightly, with bi-directional QBO syncing and joint resources.
Your accountant can only record what operations reports, not track your inventory for you. This covers five spots the gap shows, like samples and dead stock.
A recap of the LedgerGurus/Settle webinar on inventory, bill payments, and working capital for growing brands, covering AP automation and funding options.
A well-built Excel template can handle forecasting fine for smaller SKU counts. This walks through LedgerGurus' free template and each of its key sections.
Inventory costing methods, Average Cost, FIFO, and LIFO, produce meaningfully different COGS and profit from the same purchases. This walks through an example.
Inventory is usually the largest asset on the balance sheet, and getting it wrong distorts everything downstream. This covers what counts as inventory and more.
Good inventory accounting comes down to three linked decisions: tracking method, cash vs. accrual, and valuation. This covers each, plus how to choose.
Sellers run into trouble recording costs at purchase instead of sale. This covers cost vs. count, the formulas for inventory and COGS, and when to get help.
Implementing an IMS can go badly in predictable ways, like skipping planning or migrating messy data. This covers 10 mistakes, benefits, and tool picks.
Overselling, promising stock you don't have, can tank your Amazon rating in a single order. This covers seven common causes, costs, and 14 prevention tips.
Inventory turnover is one of the clearest signals of how well you manage your biggest asset. This covers the formula, a worked example, and ways to improve it.
Retailers lose a staggering amount to out-of-stocks, overstocks, and returns, much of it avoidable. This covers what inventory software does, and how to choose.
An IMS isn't a fit for everyone, it runs about $20K and needs disciplined data entry. This covers the signs you're ready, how to choose one, and how to budget.
QuickBooks Online won't calculate COGS for you, but recording it right is simpler than it sounds. This covers three methods, from spreadsheets to A2X.
Getting COGS wrong skews taxable income, margins, and every decision built on them. This covers how to calculate unit cost, track quantities, and record it.
When inventory counts don't match the books, the culprit is usually one of a few causes, like theft or untracked refunds. This shows how to close the gap.
Cash vs. accrual sounds like a technicality, but for sellers with inventory, picking wrong distorts your numbers. This covers the difference and impact.
Good inventory management comes down to tracking quantity and value accurately. This lays out a four-step road map to figure out where your business stands.
Cash flow mysteries usually trace back to inventory: drifting costs, missing landed expenses, unreliable spreadsheets. This lays out a 3-step fix for it.
Multiple warehouses and manual processes turn inventory into a daily headache. This covers ten ways inventory software fixes it, and how to choose a tool.
The COGS formula is simple, but an accurate number needs quantities and a valuation method. This covers what's included, four calculation methods, and more.
Cost of Sales and COGS aren't the same, and mixing them up hides costs and distorts margins. This covers what belongs where, and how to bring costs down.
Tracking profit isn't the same as understanding it. This breaks down the four profit margins that fund overhead and growth, and why cash still runs out.
Shipping can eat up a quarter of ecommerce costs, so trimming it moves the needle on margins. This covers carrier rates, packaging, fees, and outsourcing.
Chasing growth alone can leave a business exposed. This shares five strategies LedgerGurus has seen work firsthand, from staying niche to getting COGS right.
Knowing what counts as a healthy gross margin can make or break your business. This covers GAAP-correct definitions, benchmarks by model, and how to boost it.
A personal story about a botched shoe order makes the case that fulfillment and sales are directly linked, and what it means for inventory and loyalty.
Unchecked costs eat into profit even during growth, not just survival mode. This covers a framework for deciding what to cut and protect, using income ratios.
A clear-eyed guide to analyzing cost structure without cutting blindly. This covers COGS vs. overhead, fixed vs. variable, seasonal costs, and what's critical.
Tariffs, fulfillment costs, and weaker ad performance are squeezing 7- and 8-figure sellers. This covers eight data-driven strategies to cut costs, not growth.
This checklist covers five tax moves to make before December 31st, starting with the most common and costly mistake sellers make with year-end inventory.
Keeping receipts feels tedious, but it protects your business. This covers four key reasons they matter, from tax justification to audit readiness, plus tools.
Worker misclassification is costly, and states are cracking down harder. This covers the IRS's three-part test, pros and cons of each type, and what's at stake.
Meals and entertainment deductions changed significantly for 2026. This covers what's 100%, 50%, or newly 0% deductible, plus the documentation you need either way.
Texas franchise tax isn't sales tax, and confusing the two costs sellers with Texas nexus. This covers who pays it, how to calculate and file it, and deadlines.
The Amazon 1099-K rarely matches your books, since it only reflects gross sales. This explains why, plus how to handle taxes, COGS, and QuickBooks setup.
The IRS raised the 2026 standard mileage rate mid-year to 76 cents per mile. LedgerGurus explains what changed and how to update it in your tracking tools.
The 2020 W-4 replaced allowances with calculated withholding, a learning curve for all. This covers what changed and how to enter it into Gusto, ADP, and QBO.
Xero vs. QuickBooks Online: the two cloud accounting platforms worth comparing once you've outgrown spreadsheets. This compares pricing, UX, support, and more.
Tradeshift Go adds virtual cards, approvals, and reporting on top of Amex business cards, no rewards traded away. This review covers use cases and dashboard.
Most podcasts either skip ecommerce or only skim finance. LedgerGurus' COO compiled a curated, alphabetical list of standout shows that cover both well.
LedgerGurus' 2025 roundup of top ecommerce content: top 3 podcast episodes, top 3 YouTube videos, and top 3 blog posts, from tariffs to sales tax to budgeting.
How Brittany Brown, divorced at 26 with three kids and an Associate's Degree, went back to school, earned a Master's from BYU, and founded LedgerGurus in 2014.
LedgerGurus' CEO on building a remote firm, starting from her own experience as a single mom. This covers benefits for employees, employers, and clients.
QuickBooks Payments and Bill Pay cover both sides of cash flow. LedgerGurus' CEO breaks down what each does, the benefits of using them together, and setup.
From a firm owner who's trained 150+ accountants on why Intuit's new ProAdvisor Training Manager and CAS curriculum feel like a relief, plus new firm tools.
Intuit is retiring ProAdvisor for ProPartner in early 2027. This firsthand look covers what stays the same, what's expanding, and new training and community.
LedgerGurus' CEO on why Intuit Enterprise Suite fills the gap between QuickBooks and full ERPs, and offers a gentler upgrade path than jumping too early.
LedgerGurus' CEO on hiring 150+ accountants and why colleges skip Client Accounting Services. She co-designed a CAS course at UVU and shares how it went.
A directory of 100+ LedgerGurus ecommerce clients, organized by category, with what each sells, links to shop, and their Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals.
Expensify handles reporting, approval, and reimbursement in one place. This review breaks down why it works for employees, employers, and accountants alike.
Being on salary doesn't make an employee exempt from overtime. This covers the seven FLSA exempt job categories, salary thresholds, and misclassification risks.
An EIN is a foundational step for any new online business. This covers eligibility, the five-step application process, and how international sellers can get one.
Paper bills and shoebox receipts are out. This roundup covers five apps for automating bill pay and expense tracking, from Bill.com to Veem, and what each does best.
Brex Cash is a bank alternative for startups: no fees, no minimums, near-instant access to revenue. This covers its features, protections, and who it fits.
LedgerGurus reviews Bill.com as a certified partner: automated payments, built-in separation of duties, tight QBO integration, and who gets the most value.
The wrong Amazon-to-QuickBooks integration means fighting your books monthly. This breaks down what separates these tools and makes the case for A2X.
LedgerGurus was named a 2022 Best Company to Work For (Small Companies) by Utah Business, its second year running. This covers the team's mission and values.
LedgerGurus was named a 2021 Best Company to Work For (Small Companies) by Utah Business. This covers the team's mission, values, and remote culture.
LedgerGurus was named one of Utah's 100 Companies Championing Women. This shares team stats, its satisfaction score, and an employee testimonial.
Getting Q4 right is a year-round job. This covers forecasting sales, inventory planning, cash flow, order timing, pricing, and the overlooked Q5 stretch.
When bank reconciliation in QuickBooks Online won't balance, chasing the discrepancy can eat hours. This covers why it matters, plus a troubleshooting guide.
Most businesses land somewhere on a spectrum between cash and accrual. Using a fictional company, this walks through each stage and what pushes growth.
Shopify recommends syncing directly with QuickBooks Online, but that doesn't mean you should. This covers why it creates mismatched data, and what to do instead.
Behind every Shopify deposit is a chain of debits and credits across your sales channel, payment processor, and bank. This covers how to book it correctly.
Your bank deposit almost never equals actual sales. This explains why reconciling against sales channel and processor reports matters, and what to check.
QuickBooks Desktop isn't disappearing, but new sales stopped in 2024. This covers what's changed, why QBO is the stronger bet, and how to decide on switching.
Hundreds of apps integrate with QuickBooks Online, but not every one is worth it. This covers when integrations help, and detailed vs. summary data.
Growing ecommerce businesses hit a wall trying to handle accounting alone. This covers five benefits of outsourcing, and how to know what you need.
Financial statements are the language your business uses to show how it's doing. This covers the three core reports every ecommerce business needs.
Amazon's biweekly lump-sum deposit bundles sales, refunds, and fees. This covers three methods matched to business size, plus the QuickBooks steps for each.
Shopify accounting gets messy fast because most activity happens before it hits your bank. This covers three methods for different revenue stages, plus common mistakes.
Ecommerce bookkeeping is specialized. This lays out five concrete factors to check before hiring a bookkeeper, from sales channel experience to COGS.
Good bookkeeping gives founders the visibility to scale confidently. This introduces LedgerGurus' free Essential Ecommerce Bookkeeping Checklist.
See how the A2X accounting app handles foreign currency for international sellers, including deposit display in both currencies and setup steps for QBO.
Most owners know they should track KPIs, but not which ones. This covers what makes a KPI worth tracking, and 10 KPIs to benchmark your business against.
The ecommerce income statement trips people up in predictable places: sales tax, net deposits recorded as revenue, and COGS booked at the wrong time.
Knowing your profit doesn't mean knowing where cash goes. This covers the three types of cash flow, both statement methods, and why the discipline pays off.
Ecommerce balance sheets have two accounts that behave differently: sales tax liability and inventory. This covers those, plus cash versus accrual basics.
Once A2X pulls in your Amazon settlements, connect it to QuickBooks Online. This covers what you need first, plus how to refresh or disconnect later.
Connecting A2X to Amazon has a few gotchas. This covers both connection methods, what to do without admin access, and why settlement report format matters.
A chart of accounts quietly makes or breaks your bookkeeping. This covers what it is, how to set one up in QuickBooks Online, and tips to keep it clean.
Crowdfunding raises money without debt, but the accounting is trickier than a one-time entry. This covers tracking, deferring income, and cash flow.
Amazon seller accounting has real quirks: lumpy deposits, shifting sales tax rules. This covers the three areas where most sellers run into trouble.
Amazon's biweekly deposit hides your real sales, fees, and costs. See how A2X breaks it down, with a real client example of an $81,788 discrepancy.
Shopify makes selling easy, but not accounting. This covers five mistakes LedgerGurus sees often, from miscalculated COGS to mixed personal finances.
DIY accounting feels like a money-saver until mistakes pile up. This covers five common pitfalls, from bookkeeping errors to blown tax deadlines.
Three foundational accounting practices for Shopify sellers: keeping Shopify separate from accounting software, reconciling deposits, and sales tax.
A budget turns financial guesswork into control. This walks through five steps to build one, from gross profit margin to monthly review and adjustment.
Switching banks touches more than expected: payroll, ACH, merchant accounts. This 10-step checklist covers what to look for and how to update every system.
Shoe Dog is more than just Knight's story. It's a masterclass in cash flow survival. See how presales, early credit, and smart timing kept Nike alive.
The $250K FDIC limit often falls short for growing businesses. Here's how to extend coverage with multiple banks, ownership categories, and CDARS/ICS.
Cash gets tied up in inventory longer than you think. See the six stages between paying for goods and getting paid, plus two formulas to track the lag.
Two paths: thoughtful moves like cutting costs and restructuring debt, or crisis mode like liquidating inventory and protecting owners when time's up.
One bank account makes it hard to track cash flow. Learn a basic three-account structure, the Profit First method, and ecommerce-specific setups.
Profitable on paper, short on cash. Drawing on a webinar with Highbeam's David Segal, this covers supplier terms, capital costs, and where AI helps.
Ecommerce funding has shifted toward profitability over hype. This covers your funding options, what each really costs, and how to become fundable.
Cash flow is more than your bank balance. This covers your cash cycle, generating cash from operations, optimizing receivables, and using debt wisely.
AP fraud can quietly drain hundreds of thousands before anyone notices. This covers warning signs in employees and transactions, plus prevention tips.
Manual bill payment breaks down into risky shortcuts like blank signed checks. This covers the ABC's of segregation of duties and how cloud tools fix it.
AP is a top fraud risk in any business, but strong controls close the gaps. This covers a practical three-step approach and who should own the process.
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