DTC brands
Books and taxes for hunting and outdoor gear brands.
A dealer's co-op ad deduction, a trade show booth booked months ahead, fabric bought for next season, and federal excise tax on some gear. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
October came in at $15,000. A dealer deducted a co-op ad allowance from their payment, so I tracked it against the invoice instead of the final deposit.
- Shopify Payments payoutSite sales
- Dealer network payoutWholesale to dealers
- Camo textile supplier invoiceMaterials and fabric
- Freight carrier invoiceFreight and shipping
- Meta adsAdvertising
Why your books are different
A hunting and outdoor gear brand's books go wrong around season, dealers, and one specific tax.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is a season that carries most of the year, a dealer network with its own deductions, and a federal excise tax that only sometimes applies. When the books do not know that, a normal year looks like trouble.
-
1
Fall carries most of the year, and averaging hides that
A hunting season brand can bring in half a year's sales between September and November, and if the books average that against a quiet spring, both stretches look wrong.
What we doKeeps the fall season's sales visible on their own, so a quiet spring reads as normal, not as trouble. -
2
A dealer network pays on its own schedule and sometimes deducts co-op ad costs
Independent dealers and sporting goods shops often buy on wholesale terms and can deduct co-op advertising allowances from what they owe, and if the books only see the final payment, it looks like the dealer shorted you.
What we doTracks the invoiced wholesale amount and any co-op ad deduction separately, so you see what a dealer relationship actually nets you. -
3
Federal excise tax on some hunting gear is collected before it reaches the shelf
Certain hunting and archery equipment carries a federal excise tax charged to the manufacturer, and if a brand does not know whether its products are covered, that cost can be missed entirely or double counted with a retailer's own markup.
What we doFlags when a product line is likely to carry this excise tax and brings in the accountant to confirm what applies. -
4
A trade show deposit lands months before dealer orders ship
Booking a booth at a major outdoor or hunting trade show usually happens months ahead of the season, and if that cost is not tied to the dealer orders it is meant to generate, the deposit month can look like a loss it is not.
What we doKeeps a trade show deposit visible as its own cost tied to the season it supports, not a random hit to whatever month it was paid. -
5
Camo and technical fabric costs tie up cash ahead of demand
Ordering enough camo textile or waterproof fabric ahead of hunting season can tie up real money months before the gear ships, and expensing that order the day it is paid can make a slow production month look like a loss.
What we doKeeps fabric and material orders as inventory until the finished gear ships, not an expense the day the order is paid.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a hunting and outdoor gear brand.
Set up once for how you sell and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Site salesFull-price and promo orders through your own storefront.
- Wholesale to dealersIndependent dealers and sporting goods shops, billed on terms.
- Trade show ordersOrders written at a hunting or outdoor trade show.
- Marketplace salesAmazon or a similar site, if you sell there.
Money out
- Contract manufacturingThe factory that produces each product line.
- Materials and fabricCamo and technical textiles, held as inventory until used.
- Freight and shippingGetting gear to dealers and direct customers.
- AdvertisingMeta and Google ad spend driving traffic to the site.
- Trade show booth feesBooth and travel cost for a hunting or outdoor show.
- Card and marketplace feesWhat processors and marketplaces keep before you get paid.
What we watch for you
- Fall season share
How much of sales comes from hunting season, so a quiet spring is read correctly.
- Dealer account net
What a dealer nets after co-op ad deductions, so you know what the relationship is worth.
- Excise tax exposure
Whether a product line likely carries federal excise tax, flagged before it becomes a surprise.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked through the fall surge and the quiet months alike.
Ask Gus
Things hunting and outdoor gear brand 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.
It happens with dealer networks. I track that deduction against the invoice so you see what the relationship actually nets you, not just the final payment.
That is worth checking. I flag product lines that commonly carry this tax and the accountant confirms what actually applies to your gear.
Not the way I book it. I keep that deposit tied to the season it is meant to support, so it does not read as a random hit to this month.
The tax side
The tax side of a hunting and outdoor gear brand.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and one specific tax. A trade show deposit expensed too early, an excise tax question left unanswered, and a set-aside nobody started until after the fall rush.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory and cost of goodsYou deduct the cost of what sold, not what got built. A production run of gear sitting in the warehouse is an asset until it ships, not a write-off the day the factory invoice is paid.
- 1099-K from marketplaces and processorsShopify Payments and any marketplace you sell through report your volume to the IRS once you cross $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year. Dealer sales are taxable the same way, whether or not a form arrives.
- Federal excise tax on certain gearSome hunting and archery equipment carries a federal excise tax collected at the manufacturer level. Rates and coverage vary by product, so Gus flags when it is likely to apply and the accountant confirms the specifics.
- The pass-through deductionUp to 20 percent of qualified business income can be deducted, phasing down for single filers above $201,750 and joint filers above $403,500. The number depends on the fall season and dealer deductions both being booked correctly.
Deductions hunting and outdoor gear brands miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Camo and technical fabric
- Contract manufacturing
- Freight and shipping
- Trade show booth fees
- Meta and Google ad spend
- Dealer co-op advertising
- 3PL fulfillment fees
- Product photography
- Card and marketplace fees
- Trademark and brand registration
- Product liability insurance
- Warehouse or storage rent
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 hunting and outdoor gear brand's year, kept every month.
Fall carries the season, and the rest of the year is spent building toward it. Your team is on the books every month, in and out of season. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Big industry trade shows
Major trade shows for next season happen here, right as last year's return needs to get moving. Gus keeps booth deposits tracked and the set-aside running.
- April
Return signed off
The accountant files and signs the return, dealer deductions and all. The set-aside has tracked what you owe since January, so the bill is no surprise.
- July
Gearing up for fall
Production and dealer orders ramp up ahead of the fall rush. Gus keeps fabric and material orders as inventory, not an expense that sinks a summer month.
- October
Peak hunting season
The busiest selling season of the year. Gus keeps the surge visible on its own so the rest of the year is judged fairly.
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 hunting and outdoor gear brands. 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 hunting and outdoor gear brand owners ask first.
Does my hunting gear carry federal excise tax?
Some hunting and archery equipment does, collected at the manufacturer level. Gus flags product lines that commonly carry this tax, and the accountant confirms what actually applies to your gear.
Our dealer deducted a co-op advertising allowance from what they owed us. Is that a cost?
Yes. Gus tracks that deduction against the invoice so you can see what the dealer relationship actually nets you, not just the final payment.
We book a trade show booth months before the season. Does that count as a loss?
Not the way Gus books it. The deposit is tied to the season it is meant to support, so it does not read as a random hit to whatever month you paid it.
Our sales are almost all in the fall. Is that a problem for the books?
No, that is normal for this business. Gus keeps the fall surge visible on its own so a quiet spring reads correctly, not as a decline.
We buy fabric for gear months before it ships. How does that work in the books?
It stays as inventory until the finished gear ships, not an expense the day the order is paid, so a slow production month does not look like a loss it is not.
My books are behind because we just added a new dealer network.
Send the dealer agreements and your bank statements. Gus sorts through the terms 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.
More in DTC brands
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Faith-based & Christian apparel brands
- Candle & home fragrance brands
- Kitchenware brands
- Apparel brands
- Baby & kids product brands
- Beverage brands
- Coffee brands
- Fitness equipment brands
- Hair care brands
- Home goods brands
- Jewelry brands
- Mattress & bedding brands
- Men's grooming brands
- Pet product brands
- Snack brands
- Streetwear brands
- Tech accessory brands
- Skincare brands
- Supplement brands
- 3D printing businesses
- Book & media resellers
- Car parts ecommerce sellers
- eBay resellers
- Embroidery shops
- Laser engraving businesses
- Live-selling resellers (Whatnot)
- Retail arbitrage & online arbitrage sellers
- Sticker & decal businesses
- B2B & wholesale ecommerce
- Custom merch & promo product stores
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