Guides for the decisions that affect the e-commerce file
Each guide covers a specific question: what the margin actually is after fees, what you owe in tax, why cash is tight, how each platform pays out, and what the business needs to grow or sell.
Margins & true cost
What you actually made after fees, ad spend, duties, and COGS. Use these guides when the platform dashboard looks profitable but the real margin is unclear.
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Advertising Spend and True Profitability for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
Ad spend is a cost, but most sellers can't trace what it costs to acquire each order or which channel is actually profitable after advertising.
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Landed Cost for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
The invoice price is not your cost. Landed cost adds duties, brokerage, freight, and import GST/HST to build the figure that drives accurate COGS.
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Etsy Fee Breakdown for Canadian Sellers: True Margin After Fees and Ads
Etsy deposits do not show true profit. A Canadian seller guide to fees, ads, GST/HST, shipping, refunds, and per-order margin.
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How to Calculate True Amazon FBA Profitability (After All Fees)
Amazon's dashboard figures do not reflect actual profit. Here are the five cost layers every FBA seller needs to track to get to a true per-unit margin.
Taxes & compliance
GST/HST, marketplace facilitator rules, input tax credits, US sales tax, EU and UK VAT, and the records that support the filing position.
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Import Duties, Brokerage, and Customs Documents for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
Landed cost is the accounting side of importing. This guide covers the CBSA side: import accounts, broker authority, proof of origin, and record retention.
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Print-on-Demand Accounting for Canadian Sellers
POD has two different business models: seller-controlled production cost, or marketplace royalty income. Confusing them misstates revenue and GST/HST.
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Provincial Sales Tax for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers: BC PST, Saskatchewan PST, and Manitoba RST
BC PST, Saskatchewan PST, and Manitoba RST can apply to Shopify and direct e-commerce sales. Marketplace facilitators may collect.
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GST/HST Input Tax Credits for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
ITCs recover the GST/HST you paid on business inputs. Eligible expenses, documentation thresholds, and the quick method trade-off for Canadian sellers.
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eBay GST/HST and Marketplace Facilitator Rules for Canadian Sellers
eBay collects Canadian sales taxes on applicable sales. Registration changes your legal role, records, and billing-agent treatment.
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Etsy GST/HST and Marketplace Facilitator Rules for Canadian Sellers
Etsy acts as a marketplace facilitator under Canada's platform rules. Whether Etsy remits GST/HST or you do depends on your registration status.
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UK VAT for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
UK VAT is separate from EU VAT. For Canadian sellers, the rules differ by channel, order value, and whether goods are stored in the UK.
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Shopify GST/HST and Tax Settings for Canadian Stores
Shopify configures and displays tax at checkout. The obligation to remit it belongs to you. What Canadian Shopify sellers need to configure and why.
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EU VAT and OSS/IOSS for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
Most Canadian sellers assume EU marketplaces handle VAT. For some orders, they do. Here is what happens to the rest.
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Cross-Border Compliance Hub for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
Selling into the US, EU, or UK creates tax obligations beyond what marketplaces handle. Here is what Canadian sellers need to track by jurisdiction.
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GST/HST for Multi-Platform Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
Selling on multiple platforms changes your GST/HST position in ways no single platform surfaces. What Canadian multi-platform sellers need to know.
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US Sales Tax Nexus for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
Amazon collects tax on marketplace sales, but that does not resolve your nexus obligations. Here is what Canadian sellers need to understand.
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Amazon GST/HST for Canadian Sellers: What You Owe and When
Amazon collecting GST/HST does not eliminate your compliance obligations. What registered and unregistered Canadian sellers need to know.
Cash & inventory
Why inventory eats cash, how payout timing creates gaps, and the operating rhythm that keeps decisions readable month to month.
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Foreign Exchange and Multi-Currency Payouts for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
USD deposits and multi-currency payouts may convert to CAD at different times. The exchange rate used and timing of recognition both matter.
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When an E-Commerce Seller Outgrows Basic Monthly Accounting
Basic bookkeeping tracks cash. It does not track inventory, COGS, platform fee layers, or SKU-level margin. Here is how to know when you have hit the wall.
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Month-End Close Checklist for Marketplace Sellers
Most marketplace sellers close the month when the bank balance looks right. A proper month-end close is a different process.
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Inventory as a Cash Flow Problem: Why Healthy Margins Are Not Enough
A profitable e-commerce business can run out of cash. Here is how inventory purchasing creates a cash gap, how payouts extend it, and what to track.
Platforms & payouts
Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, Etsy, TikTok Shop: how each platform pays out, what the deposits mean, and how to reconcile them to gross activity.
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TikTok Shop Accounting for Canadian Sellers
TikTok Shop does not appear to have a public Canadian seller program yet. Verify access, record gross revenue, and handle GST/HST carefully.
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Returns, Refunds, Chargebacks, and Reimbursements for Canadian E-Commerce Sellers
A refund is not just a reversed sale. The tax treatment, journal entry, and platform mechanics differ across returns, chargebacks, and reimbursements.
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Amazon Settlement Report Reconciliation for Canadian Sellers
Amazon deposits less than gross sales every settlement period. Here is what each category in the settlement report means and how to reconcile it.
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Inventory Reconciliation for Marketplace Sellers
When physical units and accounting records disagree, the gap shows up in COGS, gross margin, and cash. Here is how to close it.
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Walmart Marketplace Accounting for Canadian Sellers
Walmart Canada pays bi-weekly and deducts referral fees before the deposit. Here is how Canadian sellers should record revenue, fees, and GST/HST.
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Multi-Channel Reconciliation: Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart
Three platforms, three payout schedules, three fee structures. Here is how to reconcile each deposit to actual revenue, fees, and tax collected.
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How to Read a Shopify Payouts Report
The amount that lands in your bank account from Shopify is not your revenue. Learn what each component means and how to reconcile it correctly.
Some questions are better answered against the actual records
If the guides do not match your situation, send the channels you sell on, the reporting issue, and the period you need reviewed.
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