ECOMMERCE CLEANUP & CATCH-UP
Your Books Should Help You Run Your Business. Not Hold You Back.
Unreconciled payouts, missing transactions and unreliable inventory costs can leave even a growing online business unsure where its profit went.
GreenTarget helps Amazon, Shopify and multichannel sellers investigate historical accounting problems, correct supported errors, and rebuild dependable QuickBooks Online records.
- Bring overdue months up to date
- Trace settlement, bank and clearing-account differences
- Resolve material issues before ongoing monthly reporting
From confusion to a clearer starting point
Unexplained deposits and fees. Old reconciliation differences. Inventory values that do not align with records. Month-end reports you hesitate to rely on.
We organize the evidence, identify what needs correcting, and distinguish verified balances from unresolved exceptions.
Clarity → Control → Confidence
Behind on the books, or unsure they are right?
Many eCommerce businesses grow faster than their accounting workflow. Sales arrive through several channels, deposits are net of fees and refunds, and inventory movements do not always match what appears in QuickBooks.
The result is often a backlog, distorted revenue or profit figures, inconsistent COGS, and balances that have not been supported by reconciliations. A cleanup project is about resolving those issues systematically, not simply making the numbers look tidy.
Common issues we help investigate
We focus on accounting issues that materially affect reporting accuracy and a repeatable close.
Marketplace sales recorded as net deposits
Reconstruct sales, fees, refunds and settlement timing so reported revenue is not based only on cash payouts.
Bank and payment processor differences
Investigate unreconciled transactions, duplicated transfers, clearing-account balances and genuine amounts in transit.
Missing or duplicated transactions
Review historical posting gaps, integration duplication, categorization issues and unsupported journal entries.
Inventory and COGS uncertainty
Compare available purchase, quantity, valuation and sales information; document assumptions and unresolved discrepancies.
Overdue month-end closes
Catch up agreed periods in logical order, maintain open-items schedules and complete supported account reconciliations.
Unreliable financial statements
Review material Balance Sheet and P&L balances, propose documented corrections, and distinguish supported findings from estimates.
How we approach cleanup
- Diagnose: assess QuickBooks Online, periods affected, sales channels, integrations and available source records.
- Prioritize: agree on material risks, required documents, correction order and a defined project scope.
- Reconstruct: reconcile available bank, payment, settlement and inventory support for the agreed months.
- Correct: prepare and post approved accounting corrections, retaining an audit trail and supporting schedules.
- Validate and hand over: review the resulting reports, list unresolved issues and recommend a sustainable monthly close.
What a cleanup deliverable can include
- Defined cleanup period and status schedule
- Reconciliation and settlement support
- Proposed and approved adjustment log
- Inventory or COGS workpapers when in scope
- Corrected financial statements for the agreed period
- Open-items register and handover recommendations
eCommerce cleanup requires channel-level thinking
Amazon settlement reports, Shopify payment activity, Stripe and PayPal transactions, refunds, fees, reserves and transfers often post on different dates and in different amounts.
We trace those movements using source reports and the accounting system, supported by A2X or Link My Books where appropriate. A payout does not equal gross revenue, and a clearing-account balance is not automatically an error.
For inventory and COGS, we use the records actually available and flag gaps that cannot be responsibly reconstructed.
Systems we work with
- QuickBooks Online as the accounting system
- Amazon, Shopify and other eCommerce channels
- A2X and Link My Books for settlement workflows
- Stripe, PayPal and bank or card statements
- Available inventory, purchasing and cost records
Data availability, integration setup and platform scope are assessed before the project begins.
What if historical records are incomplete?
We do not force unsupported balances to zero or present estimates as verified. Missing settlement reports, inventory data, purchase documentation and historical statements can limit what a cleanup can establish.
We document the issue, request support, explain the accounting impact and agree on the treatment or escalation required. Some matters may need client approval, outside tax advice or a separate investigation.
A defined project. A clean handoff.
Cleanup and catch-up work is quoted as a separately scoped fixed-fee engagement where practical. Scope depends on the months involved, transaction volume, number of entities and channels, condition of existing reconciliations, inventory complexity, and records available.
We agree on deliverables and known exclusions before work begins. New findings outside the original scope are discussed before additional work is undertaken.
After cleanup: keep the books dependable
The value of cleanup is not limited to the corrected history. Once the opening point is reliable, GreenTarget can help maintain settlement and bank reconciliations, review inventory and COGS, and deliver a predictable monthly close.
Clients who already have routine bookkeeping may instead need fractional controller oversight to review exceptions and financial statements each month.
Explore our Monthly eCommerce Accounting and Fractional Controller Services pages for ongoing options.
The outcome we’re working toward
- More explainable accounting balances
- Supported historical corrections
- A clearer picture of revenue and profitability
- Documented unresolved items and responsibilities
- A practical roadmap for ongoing monthly close
Frequently asked questions
Can you catch up several years of bookkeeping?
Potentially. We first assess record availability, affected periods and project complexity before confirming a responsible scope.
Do you fix inventory and COGS?
We investigate and correct supported issues within the agreed scope. Complete historical reconstruction may not be possible when underlying inventory records are missing.
Can we keep our existing bookkeeper?
Yes. We can perform a defined historical correction project and hand off the resulting schedules and procedures to the person maintaining the books.
Do you offer a fixed fee?
We prefer a defined fixed-fee scope once an initial review establishes the extent of the work. Significant unknowns may require a separate diagnostic phase.
Start with a clear picture of the problem
Tell us which months are behind, which platforms you sell through, what system you use and where your reports do not make sense. We will discuss a sensible first step for assessing the cleanup.