Home, hobby & lifestyle retail
Books and taxes for crystal and metaphysical shops.
A tarot reader who splits her booking fee with the shop, a gem show buy paid in cash, a one-of-a-kind piece with no set cost, and a full moon workshop. Your own bookkeeper keeps it straight, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
July came in at $5,400. Two full moon workshops sold out, so I kept that income apart from your regular counter sales.
- Register batch, sales counterIn-store sales
- Reader booking split, MarisolReader booking income
- Gem show cash purchaseWholesale inventory
- Full moon workshop feesClass and workshop income
- Display cases and shelvingFixtures
Why your books are different
A crystal and metaphysical shop's books go wrong the same handful of ways.
A generalist bookkeeper sees a register total and a stack of receipts, or no receipt at all. Your shop splits booking fees with readers who work out of your space, buys unique stones at gem shows for cash, and prices one-of-a-kind pieces without a standard cost per unit. When the books miss that, your real numbers stay a guess.
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1
Reader booking splits get counted as full shop income
A tarot or reiki practitioner books sessions through your shop and splits the fee with you. Booked as a full sale, your revenue looks bigger than it is and her share looks like a random expense.
What we doSplits the reader's cut out as a payout the day it happens, so your real revenue and her records both stay clean. -
2
Gem show cash buys leave no paper trail
A lot of stone and crystal buying happens in cash at gem and mineral shows, often without a formal receipt, which makes it easy to lose track of what was actually spent on inventory.
What we doTracks cash inventory purchases from whatever record exists, a note, a photo, or a rough total, so the cost still shows up in the books. -
3
One-of-a-kind pieces do not fit a standard cost
A large geode or a rare specimen does not have a repeatable unit cost the way a case of jewelry does, so pricing and cost of goods tracking need a different approach than typical retail inventory.
What we doTracks unique high-value pieces individually rather than forcing them into an average cost that does not fit. -
4
Workshop and event fees blend into counter sales
A full moon circle or a workshop brings in fees for the event, sometimes with a small crystal or kit included, but blended into register totals, you cannot tell whether events are worth running.
What we doTracks class and workshop income in its own line, separate from retail sales at the counter.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a crystal and metaphysical shop.
Set up once for how you sell and host. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- In-store salesCrystals, stones, and metaphysical goods at the register.
- Reader booking incomeThe shop's share of practitioner session fees.
- Class and workshop incomeFees for workshops and full moon events.
- Online salesYour own site or a marketplace shop, kept apart from the register.
Money out
- Wholesale inventoryGem show buys and supplier orders, cash or invoiced.
- Reader payoutsThe practitioner's share of session fees, kept apart from shop revenue.
- Store rent and utilitiesThe lease, power, and water for the shop.
- Card processing feesWhat Square or your gateway keeps on every sale.
- Local advertisingLocal ads, event listings, and paid social.
What we watch for you
- Reader split share
How much of booking income really belongs to the shop versus the practitioner.
- Gross margin
What is left after cost of goods. Cash buys at gem shows can make this harder to see without good records.
- Workshop fill rate
How full events are running, so you know whether to schedule more.
- The set-aside
What you will owe across counter sales, reader splits, and events, tracked every month.
Ask Gus
Things crystal shop owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I split her cut out as a payout the day it happens, so your real revenue stays clean and her records are ready if she needs them.
Yes, send whatever you have, a note, a photo, a rough total, and I will track it as an inventory purchase so the cost still shows up correctly.
If she is not on your payroll and you pay her $2,000 or more this year, yes, by January 31. I keep that running total so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of running a crystal and metaphysical shop.
Most of what trips up a crystal shop is timing and splits: a reader's share, cash buys without formal receipts, and one-of-a-kind pieces that do not fit a standard cost.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Cost of goods soldWhat you paid for the stones and crystals you actually sold this year reduces your taxable income, tracked from receipts, notes, or whatever record exists for cash purchases.
- Contractor paymentsA reader or practitioner not on payroll who is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps a running total on anyone paid this way.
- Sales tax collectedSales tax on a sale belongs to the state the moment it is collected, whether it is a retail sale, a reading fee split, or a workshop.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated shops can take up to 20 percent of qualified business income off their taxable income. It comes out right when reader splits and inventory are tracked correctly all year.
Deductions crystal and metaphysical shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Gem show travel and admission
- Display cases and shelving
- Card processing fees
- Storefront signage
- Local advertising
- Business insurance
- Storage for inventory
- POS software subscription
- Workshop and event supplies
- Trade association dues
- Cleaning and maintenance
- Shipping and postage
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A crystal shop's year, kept every month.
Gem show buys and full moon events come on their own calendar, and the books stay open with them, not only at tax time. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled, right after the holiday season.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since the holiday season eased back in January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer workshops and gem show buys changed the picture.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Inventory and any equipment worth buying before the year's biggest gift-buying months arrive.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for crystal and metaphysical shops. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions crystal shop owners ask first.
Can Gus handle a reader who splits her session fees with the shop?
Yes. He splits her cut out as a payout the day it happens, so your real revenue stays clean and her records are ready whenever she needs them.
I buy a lot of inventory in cash at gem shows without a formal receipt. Is that a problem?
Send whatever record you have, even a note or a photo of the purchase. Gus tracks it as an inventory cost so it still shows up correctly in your books.
How does a full moon workshop or event get counted?
Gus tracks class and workshop income in its own line, separate from counter sales, so you can see what events actually contribute.
Do unique, one-of-a-kind pieces get priced differently in the books?
Yes. Gus tracks high-value unique pieces individually rather than forcing them into an average cost that does not fit a piece like that.
My books are behind after a busy gem show season. Can you catch up?
Send what you have. Gus sorts through counter sales, reader splits, and inventory buys, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever