Accountant for e-commerce & online retail in South Africa Every order, payout and return, matched to the books.

Online stores, marketplace sellers, dropshippers and importers. We reconcile orders, payouts and returns to your bank, keep VAT and import VAT right, and show you the margin on every product.

What e-commerce owners tell us
Payouts never match sales once fees, returns and refunds come off
Import VAT, duties and shipping make the real cost of stock unclear
Cash is tied up in stock, and payment gateways hold our money
Book a call

How we help e-commerce and online retailers

E-commerce runs on volume, thin margins and third-party platforms. We keep every channel reconciled and every product costed, so you can see what really makes money.

Everyday finance

  • Bookkeeping & management accounts
  • Order, payout and marketplace-fee reconciliation
  • Returns, refunds and credit notes
  • Payroll: PAYE, UIF and SDL

Margin & cash

  • Landed cost and margin by product and channel
  • Stock control and cost of sales
  • Cashflow forecasting for stock buying
  • Shipping and fulfilment cost tracking

VAT & tax

  • VAT201 returns, and import VAT on imported stock, which now applies to all imports whatever their value
  • Customs duty and landed-cost records
  • VAT registration: the compulsory threshold is now R2.3 million
  • Provisional and income tax

Buying a competitor, selling your store or raising capital to scale?

Buying, selling, merging or raising capital is a transaction, and it sits with our corporate finance colleagues at Caban Corporate Advisors. One group, seamless handover.

Go to Caban

Frequently asked questions

Short, plain answers to what South African business owners ask us most.

What does an accountant for an online store do?

TBL Accounting reconciles orders, payouts, marketplace fees, returns and refunds to your bank, keeps VAT and import VAT right, and shows landed cost and margin by product and channel.

Why don't my marketplace payouts match my sales?

Platforms pay out net of fees, returns and refunds, and payment gateways can hold funds, so payouts rarely equal sales. We reconcile each order, payout and fee to the bank so you can see what you have really earned.

How does VAT work for imported stock and online sales?

Import VAT applies to imported stock, and now applies to all imports whatever their value. Separately, the compulsory VAT registration threshold is now R2.3 million. See our VAT registration guide.

How do I find the real margin on each product?

By tracking landed cost, including customs duty, shipping and fulfilment, and comparing it with the price and fees on each channel. We keep those records so margin is visible by product and channel.

Last updated

Talk to an accountant who knows online retail.

Tell us how and where you sell and a named, qualified accountant will look at your margins, VAT and cash, with no queue and no junior.

E-commerce founders and accountant reviewing orders and margins at a table