🛒Industry Template

Chart of Accounts for E-Commerce

A complete Chart of Accounts designed for online stores, dropshippers, and digital product sellers. Learn the best practices for tracking sales channels, inventory, and e-commerce expenses.

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Recommended Account Structure

This template includes 29 accounts organized by category. Each account is designed for e-commerce businesses.

Assets

1000CheckingBank

Primary business banking account for deposits and expenses

1020PayPalBank

PayPal business account balance

1030StripeBank

Stripe payment processor balance

1100Accounts ReceivableA/R

Track unpaid invoices and wholesale orders

1200Inventory - Finished GoodsOther Current Asset

Products ready for sale

1210Inventory - In TransitOther Current Asset

Products shipped from supplier not yet received

1220Prepaid AdvertisingOther Current Asset

Prepaid Facebook, Google, or influencer ads

Liabilities

2000Accounts PayableA/P

Track bills owed to suppliers and vendors

2100Credit CardCredit Card

Business credit card balance

2200Sales Tax PayableOther Current Liability

Sales tax collected from customers

2300Customer DepositsOther Current Liability

Prepayments and pre-orders from customers

Equity

3000Owner's EquityEquity

Owner's investment in the business

3100Retained EarningsEquity

Accumulated profits from prior years

3200Owner's DrawEquity

Distributions to owner (reduces equity)

Income

4000Online SalesIncome

Revenue from online store sales

4100Marketplace SalesIncome

Amazon, eBay, Etsy sales

4200Wholesale RevenueIncome

Bulk sales to retailers

4300Shipping RevenueIncome

Shipping fees charged to customers

4900Sales DiscountsIncome

Promotional discounts and coupon codes (contra revenue)

Expenses

5000Cost of Goods SoldCost of Goods Sold

Product costs from suppliers

5100Payment Processing FeesExpense

Stripe, PayPal, credit card fees

5200Shipping CostsExpense

USPS, FedEx, UPS shipping expenses

5300Packaging SuppliesExpense

Boxes, tape, labels, packing materials

5400Advertising - Social MediaExpense

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok ads

5500Advertising - SearchExpense

Google Ads, Bing Ads

5600Platform FeesExpense

Shopify, WooCommerce, marketplace fees

5700Returns & RefundsExpense

Customer returns and refund processing

5800Web Hosting & DomainExpense

Website hosting, domain registration

5900Software & AppsExpense

Email marketing, analytics, inventory apps

Accounting Strategies for E-Commerce

Maximize the value of your Chart of Accounts with these proven strategies.

📊

Track Each Sales Channel

Use separate income accounts for your website, Amazon, eBay, and other platforms. This helps identify which channels are most profitable and where to focus your marketing efforts.

💳

Monitor Payment Processing Costs

Payment processor fees can eat into margins. Track these separately and compare rates regularly. Consider negotiating better rates as your volume increases.

📦

Separate Shipping Revenue & Costs

Track shipping revenue (what customers pay) separately from shipping costs (what you pay carriers). This reveals whether you're losing money on shipping or making it a profit center.

📱

Watch Your Ad Spend ROI

Split advertising by platform (social media vs. search) to measure effectiveness. Calculate customer acquisition cost and ensure your ad spend is sustainable.

Best Practices

Use inventory tracking in QuickBooks® to manage stock levels and calculate COGS accurately
Reconcile payment processor accounts (PayPal, Stripe) regularly to catch discrepancies
Track returns and refunds separately to identify product quality or fulfillment issues
Consider using classes to track profitability by product line or brand
Set up automatic categorization for recurring platform and software fees

Ready to Set Up Your Accounts?

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