Apparel, resale & collectibles
Books and taxes for record stores.
A used vinyl buy counter graded by condition, new release Friday orders, Discogs marketplace sales, and a Record Store Day drop that sells out in an hour. 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
April came in at $7,000. Record Store Day exclusives sold out within the hour, so I kept that day apart from a normal week to see how much of the month it actually carried.
- Register sales, new and usedRetail sales
- Discogs marketplace payoutOnline marketplace sales
- Used vinyl buy from collectorUsed vinyl buys
- New release distributor invoiceWholesale inventory
- Record Store Day exclusive allocationWholesale inventory
Why your books are different
Record store books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a shop selling records. Your business buys used vinyl by the crate at prices tied to condition grading, sells new releases that ship on a distributor's schedule, and gets one shot a year at a Record Store Day allocation that sells out in an hour. When the books do not know that, a big used vinyl buy looks like a bad month and a Record Store Day windfall looks like an ordinary Saturday.
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1
A used vinyl buy wrecks the monthly number
Buying a collector's crate of a few hundred records for $600 lands as one cost, even though the records will sell one at a time over the following months as they get graded and priced.
What we doKeeps used vinyl buys visible as inventory against what has actually sold from them, so a big buy does not read as a bad month. -
2
Grading affects price but not how a buy gets booked
Two records bought in the same crate can be priced wildly differently based on condition, from a beat-up copy to a near mint pressing, but the buy itself is one cost that has to be tracked as a whole.
What we doBooks the crate buy as inventory at what was paid, so pricing decisions on grading happen on the shelf, not in the books. -
3
Record Store Day allocations look like an ordinary Saturday
A once-a-year allocation of exclusive releases can sell out in an hour and carry a real share of the month's revenue, but without tracking it separately, it looks like any other weekend.
What we doKeeps Record Store Day and other exclusive drop sales visible on their own, so the real impact of the event is clear. -
4
Marketplace payouts arrive net of fees
A payout from Discogs or a similar marketplace lands short of the sale price after fees, and booked as the full sale, both sales and true selling costs come out wrong.
What we doBooks the full sale price as income and the marketplace's fee as a cost, so pricing and margin both stay honest.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a record store.
Set up once for new, used, and marketplace sales. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Retail salesNew and used vinyl sales rung through the register.
- Online marketplace salesDiscogs or eBay sales, net of the marketplace's cut.
- Exclusive drop salesRecord Store Day and limited release sales, tracked apart from everyday sales.
- Turntable and gear salesFor stores that also sell turntables or listening gear.
Money out
- Wholesale inventoryNew release orders and exclusive drop allocations from distributors.
- Used vinyl buysCrates and collections bought from customers by condition grade.
- Rent and utilitiesThe storefront lease and its utilities.
- PayrollSales staff and buyers, kept apart from owner draw.
- Shipping and packagingOutbound shipping for online marketplace orders.
- MarketingLocal ads and event promotion for release day and drops.
- Card processing feesWhat the card processor keeps before payout.
What we watch for you
- Used buy sell-through
How much of a graded crate buy actually sold, so buying decisions can be judged.
- Exclusive drop sales
How much a Record Store Day or limited release actually added, so the event's real value is visible.
- Marketplace fee percentage
What Discogs or eBay keep before payout, worth knowing before pricing every listing the same way.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things record store 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.
No, I am keeping it as inventory against what actually sells from it, so it will not read as a loss just because you paid for it all at once.
Yes, I keep exclusive drop sales in their own line, so you can see exactly how much that one day actually carried the month.
No, I booked the full sale price as your income and the marketplace fee as a cost, so your real margin still shows up right.
The tax side
The tax side of a record store.
Most of what goes wrong here is a big used vinyl buy or a marketplace payout landing without context.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory and cost of goodsWhat was paid for records actually sold during the year, including used vinyl buys, is what counts against sales. Unsold crate inventory at year end changes what the return shows as profit.
- Form 1099-K from marketplacesDiscogs, eBay, and similar marketplaces issue a 1099-K once a seller crosses $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year. All income is taxable whether or not the form arrives.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for grading, pricing, or event help gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when used vinyl buys and sales are counted in the right month.
Deductions record stores miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Record cleaning supplies
- Record dividers and bins
- Shipping supplies for online sales
- Local release day advertising
- Storefront rent and utilities
- Card processing fees
- Business liability insurance
- Signage and window displays
- Grading and pricing guides
- Turntable demo equipment
- Security cameras and monitoring
- Damaged inventory write-offs
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 record store year, kept every month.
Record Store Day and the holiday gift season each bring their own rush. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. 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, the 1099 list for grading and event help is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the spring Record Store Day allocation sold through as expected.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Holiday gift buying for vinyl and turntables is starting. Gus looks at what to stock before December and what the season will owe.
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 record stores. 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 record store owners ask first.
How does Gus handle a big crate of used records I bought at once?
He keeps it as inventory against what actually sells from it over time, so a big buy does not read as a loss just because it landed all at once.
Does Record Store Day get tracked differently from a normal Saturday?
Yes. Gus can keep exclusive drop sales visible on their own, so you can see exactly how much that one event added to the month.
My Discogs and eBay payouts come in net of fees. Does that mess up my numbers?
No. Gus books the full sale price as your income and the marketplace's fee as a cost, so your pricing and margin both stay accurate.
Will I get a 1099-K if I sell a lot through Discogs or eBay?
Possibly, once your account crosses $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year. That income counts either way, form or no form, and Gus keeps your marketplace sales sorted from your storefront sales all along.
My books have not been touched since the last big buy. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the statements covering that stretch, marketplace payouts included. Gus sorts through the backlog, the accountant checks it, 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