A marketplace payout is not your sales figure. If nobody has told you that, your accounts are wrong.
Nasir Rasheed, Director
Accountant for ecommerce limited companies that want payouts, stock and VAT counted correctly
Accountant for ecommerce limited companies selling on Amazon, eBay, Shopify and Etsy, where the money that lands in the bank looks nothing like the sales you actually made.
Most sellers I meet have accounts built from net payouts. Fees, refunds, marketplace VAT and stock movements sit buried inside one figure, so the margin on the page is not the margin in the business. That is the first thing the set-up review takes apart.
Nexus Tax and Accounting Solutions is a Milton Keynes accountant for ecommerce limited companies, run by Nasir Rasheed MAAT AATQB. One monthly fee covers accounts, corporation tax, VAT, bookkeeping, payroll and the director’s self assessment, with VAT scheme review, salary and dividend planning and a corporation tax forecast a month ahead included.
Accredited and certified
- Nasir Rasheed MAAT AATQB
- Established 2024
- Three new clients a month
- Milton Keynes · UK-wide remote
What an ecommerce seller gets with Nexus
Payouts broken back into sales, fees and refunds
Every settlement is split into what you sold, what the platform kept and what came back, so the margin you read is real.
A VAT scheme chosen on how you actually sell
Standard, flat rate or cash accounting is picked on your input VAT and how the platform treats your sales, not by default.
Your corporation tax position a month early
You get the tax and dividend figures before the year end, so stock buying and drawings are decisions rather than guesses.
Where ecommerce accounts usually go wrong
Three things I see when a seller sends over the last set of accounts.
- VAT
“We kept paying VAT on sales the marketplace had already accounted for, and nobody spotted it for three quarters.”
Money went out that was never the company’s to pay. Getting it back meant amended returns and evidence nobody had kept.
- Stock
“The year looked strong until the stock figure was corrected at year end, and the profit halved overnight.”
Dividends had been taken against profit that did not exist. The director ended up owing the company money.
- Tax bill
“I found out the corporation tax bill the week it was due, with most of the cash sitting in fourth quarter stock.”
The company borrowed to pay a bill it could have planned for months earlier.
- Day 90
What changes once the advice is in the room
The set-up review pulls your platform reports apart before any accounts are prepared. You see what each payout is made of, whether the VAT scheme suits your input costs, and what stock is doing to profit. Then the forecast gives you the tax figure in time to act on it.
Quick check · no email
If your accountant can’t tell you whether your VAT scheme suits your marketplace sales, what your tax bill will be before it lands, and reply this week, you have the wrong accountant
Three questions worth putting to your current accountant this week.
Question 1 of 3
Could they tell you this week whether your VAT scheme is the right one for the way you sell?
Could they show you what a single marketplace payout is actually made of?
Could they give you your corporation tax figure a month before the bill is due?
That gap is real, and in ecommerce it usually shows up in VAT and stock. The set-up review is where you find out what it has been costing.
Your position is reasonable and the filing is probably fine. One area is unchecked, which is exactly what the review of structure, VAT scheme, pay and software covers.
You are well served and there is no reason to move. Read the guides if you want a second view on stock and platform VAT.
A filing-only accountant against advice included in the fee
Both file. Only one of them talks to you before the numbers are fixed.
A filing-only accountant
Accounts prepared from net payouts landing in the bank.
VAT scheme left as it was set on registration.
Stock adjusted once a year, after the decisions are made.
You hear the tax figure when the return is filed.
Nexus
Payouts reconciled to sales, fees, refunds and VAT.
VAT scheme reviewed against your real input costs.
Stock kept current so margin means something in month six.
Corporation tax and dividend headroom forecast a month ahead.
Eight questions about your own ecommerce set-up
Answer these about your business, not your accountant.
- 01
Do you know what portion of your last payout was platform fees?
If not, your cost of sale is a guess.
- 02
Has anyone checked your VAT scheme since you registered?
A default scheme chosen years ago rarely fits a growing seller.
- 03
Do you know which of your sales the marketplace accounts for the VAT on?
Paying it twice is common and easy to miss.
- 04
Is stock counted more than once a year?
Annual stock figures hide margin problems until it is too late.
- 05
Can you see gross margin by channel?
Amazon and your own site rarely earn the same money per order.
- 06
Do returns and refunds appear in your numbers in the month they happen?
Late refunds make a good quarter look better than it was.
- 07
Has your salary and dividend split been looked at since incorporation?
Most have not been touched since the company was formed.
- 08
Do you know your corporation tax figure before the year end?
If you find out when it is due, the cash is usually in stock.
What Nexus runs for an ecommerce company
One monthly fee, with the advice built in rather than billed by the hour.
VAT returns and scheme review
Returns prepared from reconciled platform data, with the scheme chosen on your actual input VAT.
Bookkeeping, accounts and corporation tax
Year-end accounts, CT600 and confirmation statement, prepared from books that reconcile to payouts and stock.
Pay, dividends and the tax forecast
Payroll, the director’s self assessment and a corporation tax and dividend position a month before the bill.
Entry 01
What the set-up review finds in an ecommerce business
Every new client gets the same review before anything is filed.
Clients described by type. Names withheld.
What clients say
What the first ninety days look like
Four steps from first contact to a tax figure you can plan around.
You stop chasing your old accountant
Professional clearance and records collection are handled for you, with the first-year timetable set out.
You know what your set-up is costing
Structure, VAT scheme, salary and dividends and software reviewed, with a written list of what to change and why.
Payouts and stock reconcile every month
Bookkeeping gets a routine, so platform fees, refunds and stock sit where they belong and margin is current.
You see the tax bill before the year end
Corporation tax and dividend headroom forecast ahead of time, so buying stock and taking money out are your call.
When Nexus is not the right accountant for you
Sellers in their first year or two, still testing products and channels.
Sole traders under £150,000 turnover, where incorporation is not yet the obvious move.
Owners who want the cheapest monthly filing service and no conversation.
Businesses that will not keep records or engage with their own numbers.
If you are an established seller and you are not sure which side of that line you sit on, the set-up review answers it in one session.
Questions ecommerce directors ask before moving
What does the monthly fee include for an ecommerce limited company?
One monthly fee covers year-end accounts, corporation tax, the confirmation statement, VAT returns, bookkeeping, payroll and pensions and the director’s self assessment. Planning is part of it: VAT scheme review, salary and dividend planning and a corporation tax forecast a month before the bill lands. The fee is scoped after Nasir has reviewed your set-up.
We already have an accountant, so is it worth switching?
Most sellers who move already have someone who files on time. The question is whether anyone has checked how your marketplace payouts, stock and platform VAT are treated, and whether you hear the tax figure before it is due. If the answer is no, the set-up review shows you what that has been costing.
Do we have to move software or change our bookkeeping system?
No. Nexus works with your existing software and platform reports where they are doing the job. If something is causing payout or stock figures to come out wrong, Nasir tells you what to change and why, in writing. Changing systems for the sake of it is not part of the plan.
What happens with our current accountant when we move?
Nasir handles the handover. Professional clearance is requested, records are collected and the first-year timetable is agreed, so you are not chasing your old firm yourself. There is no separate charge for that work. In most cases the director only sends one email confirming the move.
Do you work as an accountant for ecommerce sellers outside Milton Keynes?
Yes. Nexus is based in Milton Keynes and works with ecommerce limited companies across the UK remotely. Most contact is by phone, email and video, and Nasir rarely needs to meet in person. Sellers in Bletchley, Newport Pagnell, Wolverton, Stony Stratford and Buckingham are covered the same way.
Do you take on new ecommerce businesses in their first year?
No. Nexus works with established limited companies, typically turning over £150,000 or more, and takes three new clients a month so every client deals with Nasir. Sellers in their first year or two are better served elsewhere. Sole traders at £150,000 or more are considered where incorporation is clearly the right move.
Three ways to take the next step
Take the two-minute quiz
It tells you whether Nexus is the right fit, and Nasir replies himself with what the set-up review would cover for your business.
See if Nexus fits your business 02 · A question firstGot one question about platform VAT or stock?
Send it over and Nasir will answer it directly.
Ask Nasir a question 03 · Still decidingStill weighing it up
The guides explain how payouts, stock and VAT schemes change the numbers an ecommerce company reports.
Read the guides →