Apparel, resale & collectibles
Books and taxes for shoe stores.
Pre-book orders placed months ahead of delivery, a wall of sizes and widths per style, gait analysis fittings, and a manufacturer credit for a defective pair. 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
September came in at $8,000. The fall pre-book order from three brand reps landed and started selling, so I am tracking it against what actually moved instead of counting the whole invoice as a loss.
- Register sales, footwearRetail sales
- Gait analysis fitting feesFitting services
- Brand rep pre-book invoiceWholesale inventory
- Manufacturer defect creditInventory credits
- Shoe repair suppliesRepair supplies
Why your books are different
Shoe store books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees pairs of shoes on a wall. Your business pre-books orders with brand reps months before delivery, stocks the same style in a dozen sizes and widths, charges for a real fitting consultation, and gets credits back from manufacturers for defective pairs. When the books do not know that, a pre-book delivery looks like a bad month and a defect credit gets missed entirely.
-
1
A pre-book delivery wrecks the monthly number
A pre-book order placed with a brand rep in spring for fall delivery lands as one large invoice the month it ships, even though the shoes will sell over the following weeks.
What we doKeeps pre-book orders visible against what has actually sold from them, so a big delivery does not read as a bad month. -
2
Fitting fees get buried inside the shoe sale
A gait analysis or a real fitting consultation takes real time and expertise, but rung through with the shoe sale, the store cannot tell if the fitting service is worth the time it takes.
What we doKeeps fitting service fees in their own category, separate from shoe sales, so the fitting side shows its real value. -
3
Manufacturer defect credits go unnoticed
A credit issued by a manufacturer for a defective pair often shows up as an odd deposit or a reduced invoice with no explanation, and it is easy to miss or misfile as a regular sale.
What we doAsks what an unfamiliar credit is the first time it appears, then keeps defect credits in their own line so they are not lost or miscounted. -
4
Size and width variety hides which styles actually sell
The same style stocked in a dozen sizes and two or three widths means one popular style can look like it is selling poorly if half its sizes sit unsold while the rest fly out.
What we doKeeps sales visible by style where the shop tracks it, so a slow size does not read as a slow style.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a shoe store.
Set up once for how you buy and how you fit customers. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Retail salesRegister sales across athletic, comfort, and dress footwear.
- Fitting servicesGait analysis and fitting consultation fees, billed apart from the shoe.
- Inventory creditsManufacturer credits for defective or returned pairs.
- Repair servicesResoling and repair fees, for stores that offer it.
Money out
- Wholesale inventoryPre-book and in-season orders placed through brand reps.
- Repair suppliesSoles, adhesives, and laces for repair services.
- Fitting equipmentGait analysis tools and measuring equipment.
- Rent and utilitiesThe storefront lease and its utilities.
- PayrollSales staff and fit specialists, kept apart from owner draw.
- MarketingLocal ads and back to school event sponsorships.
- Card processing feesWhat the card processor keeps before payout.
What we watch for you
- Pre-book sell-through
How much of a pre-booked order actually sold before the next delivery. Tells you if the next order should change.
- Fitting service share
Fitting fees against total sales, so it is clear if the service is worth the counter time.
- Defect credit recovery
Manufacturer credits actually claimed against defective pairs, so nothing gets missed.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things shoe 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.
I am keeping that delivery against what actually sells from it, so it will not read as a bad month just because it all arrived at once.
I logged it as an inventory credit, not a sale, so it lowers your cost of goods instead of getting lost as an odd deposit.
Agency staffing pay is usually kept as a service cost rather than payroll, but I flagged it for the accountant to confirm how your agreement is set up.
The tax side
The tax side of a shoe store.
Most of what goes wrong here is a pre-book delivery or a defect credit 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 shoes actually sold during the year, not just what was spent buying, is what counts against sales. Unsold pre-book inventory at year end changes what the return shows as profit.
- Manufacturer credits and returnsA credit for a defective pair reduces the cost of goods for that inventory rather than counting as income, and needs to be tracked so it is not lost or double counted.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for repair work or fitting 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 pre-book orders and sales are counted in the right month.
Deductions shoe stores miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Gait analysis and fitting equipment
- Resoling and repair supplies
- Shoe boxes and wall fixtures
- Back to school event sponsorships
- Local radio and print ads
- Storefront rent and utilities
- Card processing fees
- Business liability insurance
- Signage and window displays
- Fitting stools and measuring devices
- Trade show travel
- 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 shoe store's year, kept every month.
Back to school and the holidays each bring their own rush. Pre-book deliveries land on the brands' schedule, and your taxes come on a schedule too. Your team keeps you ahead of all of it. 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 repair and fitting 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 pre-book order sold through the way it should.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Holiday gift buying for shoes 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 shoe 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 shoe store owners ask first.
How does Gus handle a pre-book order that lands as one big invoice?
He keeps it visible as inventory against what has actually sold from it, so a big delivery does not read as a bad month just because it all arrived at once.
Do fitting fees get tracked separately from shoe sales?
Yes. Gus keeps fitting and gait analysis fees in their own category, so you can see how much the fitting service is actually worth on its own.
I got a manufacturer credit for defective shoes. Does that count as income?
No. Gus logs it as a reduction to inventory cost rather than a sale, so your real margin on that stock stays accurate and the credit is not missed.
My shoe wall has a dozen sizes for every style. Can Gus tell which styles are actually selling?
He works from your bank statement totals, so style-level tracking depends on what your point of sale reports. He keeps the money side accurate either way.
My books have not been touched since the last big pre-book delivery. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the statements from that stretch. Gus sorts pre-book orders and defect credits out from the rest, 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.
More in apparel, resale & collectibles
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Antique shops & antique malls
- Comic book & collectibles shops
- Estate sale companies
- Flea markets
- Kids consignment stores
- Liquidation & bin stores
- Plus-size & specialty fit boutiques
- Record stores
- Sports card & Pokemon card shops
- Tabletop & trading card game stores
- Thrift stores (for-profit)
- Uniform & scrubs stores
- Vintage clothing stores
- Watch dealers & watch repair
- Western wear stores
- Consignment & resale shops
- Kids clothing boutiques
- Men's clothing stores & tailors
- Sneaker resale shops
- Jewelry stores
- Women's clothing boutiques
- Art supply stores
- Baby boutiques
- BBQ & grill stores
- Candle stores
- Christian & gift bookstores
- Craft & fabric stores
- Crystal & metaphysical shops
- Farm & ranch supply stores
- Fireworks 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