Market Opportunity
E-commerce accounting is uniquely complex: sales tax across 50 states, marketplace fees (Amazon, Etsy, eBay), payment processor fees (Stripe, PayPal, Afterpay), inventory COGS, and returns/chargebacks. Most bookkeepers don't understand e-commerce. Specialize and dominate.
The Idea
Specialize in e-commerce accounting. Connect Shopify/Amazon/WooCommerce to QuickBooks or Xero. Reconcile: sales across channels, payment processor deposits (gross sales ≠net deposits), sales tax liability by state, inventory and COGS, and marketplace fees. Deliver monthly profitability reports by channel. Charge $300–800/mo.
Key to Success
- Master sales tax nexus rules — economic nexus laws mean e-commerce sellers may owe tax in 20+ states
- Use A2X or Webgility to automate marketplace-to-accounting sync — manual reconciliation of 1,000+ orders/month is impossible
- Report profitability by sales channel — Amazon might be 70% of revenue but only 30% of profit after fees
AI Tools to Leverage: QuickBooks, Xero, A2X, Webgility, TaxJar