Accounting for marketplace sellers

Selling through marketplaces is convenient for growth but complicates accounting: instead of one sales channel you get platform fees, acquiring, returns and different payout schedules.

What makes a marketplace seller's accounting harder

The platform withholds its commission and acquiring fee before transferring money to the seller, so accounting has to reflect not the order amount but the amount actually received after deductions.

Returns and order cancellations

Returns should be recorded on a separate line and revenue and the tax base adjusted promptly — with a high order flow, manual return accounting quickly becomes a source of errors.

Taxes for a marketplace seller

The tax regime is chosen just as for ordinary trade — depending on turnover and form of registration — but reporting requires reconciliation with the platform's own reports on sales and withheld fees.

Conclusion

Accounting for marketplace sales requires regular reconciliation with the platform's reports — the larger the sales volume, the more important it is not to leave this until the end of the quarter.