- US median pay$50,670 a year[2]All industries, BLS May 2025
- One-time fee$2,500–3,000[1]On the start day, only if you hire
- Free replacementWithin 180 days[1]One per placement, fee paid, role, hours and pay unchanged, no refund
What the week looks like at an e-commerce brand
A small brand's week follows the shipping cut-off. Monday's inbox carries the weekend's where-is-my-order messages and returns. Orders go out every day, and a stock problem or a carrier delay can turn into hundreds of tickets overnight. Listings, photos and campaigns need updating for each new product, while the founder watches ad spend and margins. Payouts, fees and refunds make the numbers harder to read than they look.
What a bookkeeper does for e-commerce brands
- Split channel payouts into sales, fees, refunds and taxes collected instead of posting net amounts
- Reconcile each sales channel and payment provider with the bank
- Track landed cost and adjust cost of goods from stock counts
- Prepare a monthly margin report by channel
A bookkeeper records transactions, reconciles bank and card accounts, chases invoices, prepares bills for payment and closes the month. A bookkeeper does not sign tax returns or give tax advice: that stays with your accountant, who should agree the setup and review the close.
Tools e-commerce brands commonly use
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Gorgias
- Zendesk
- Klaviyo
- Amazon Seller Central
- Canva
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Slack
- Google Workspace
Common in this kind of business, not a checklist: name your own stack in the brief.
How to test a candidate for an e-commerce brand
Give a sample payout report with sales, fees, refunds and a reserve, and the net bank deposit. Ask for the journal and a note on what it shows. Anyone who books the deposit as revenue has failed this test.
What to keep in-house or check first
Keep refund limits, supplier contracts, and ad accounts' payment methods with the founder at first. Customer data needs care: limit who can export lists, and if you sell into Europe, check GDPR duties on access from outside the EU. Consumer and product claims rules apply to what gets written on your pages, so someone responsible should approve claims.
General caution, not legal advice: check the rules that apply to you with a qualified adviser.
Available now
No published bookkeeper profile on Stafka today. Send the brief, we reply within one business day with a yes or a no.
Choose a country: shared hours
Bookkeeping has deadlines rather than shifts. A weekly rhythm and a fixed month-end date matter more than shared hours, apart from a short regular call with whoever approves payments.
Against a 9–17 client day in winter[3][4][5][6]; for New York, on a 9–18 local day or a 13–22 shift. Check your own office.
What it costs
We do not publish a pay band for bookkeepers yet: where a profile lists a monthly rate, that is what the person asks for. The BLS figure of $50,670 a year is for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks[2] across all industries: we have no separate figure for this niche. Paying through Deel adds $49 a month[7]; Wise and Payoneer also work.
See also: bookkeeper pay in the US, by state · pricing and replacement terms.
How hiring through Stafka works
- Send the brief or post the job free. Name your accounting software, your country's tax setup, monthly transaction volume, and the accountant who reviews the books.
- Within 5 business days of a confirmed brief you get 3 matching profiles, or a plain no. Most apply through our Telegram bot with a written and a voice English task; each profile shows the English level (B1–C2); Silkstaff checks English on a live call before any client interview.
- You interview, choose and contract the person directly through Deel, Wise or Payoneer. Candidates never pay.
Questions
What goes wrong most often in e-commerce books?
Posting net payouts as sales, which hides fees and refunds, and ignoring stock in cost of goods. Sales tax and VAT need separate attention from your accountant, particularly if you sell across borders.
How much store access should a remote hire get?
Create a staff account with only the sections they need: orders and customers for support, products for listings. Block exports, payout settings and app installs at first, and remove access the day someone leaves. Check your GDPR duties if you serve EU customers. This is general information, not legal advice.
Where can an e-commerce brand hire an affordable bookkeeper?
The usual routes are a freelance marketplace, an agency with a monthly margin, or a direct hire in a lower-cost country. On Stafka it is a direct hire: you pay the person the monthly pay you agree with them, plus $2,500–3,000[1] once if you hire, with no monthly margin.
General information for small employers, not legal or tax advice: check contracts, tax and data rules for your country with a qualified adviser. Tool names belong to their owners; we are not affiliated with them. Spotted a mistake? Write to hello@silkstaff.com.