Apparel, resale & collectibles
Books and taxes for sneaker resale shops.
Deadstock buys, raffle wins flipped for a markup, and payouts from StockX and GOAT that land short of the sale price. 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
December came in at $12,000. A holiday release you won on raffle flipped fast, so I logged the raffle purchase and the resale as one pair, not two unrelated transactions.
- StockX payoutMarketplace sales
- GOAT payoutMarketplace sales
- In-store buy-sell-trade saleRetail sales
- Retail raffle purchaseInventory
- Trade-in payout to customerBuyback payouts
Why your books are different
Sneaker resale books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits from a marketplace app. Your business buys pairs at retail through raffles and lines, holds deadstock waiting for the right buyer, and sells through apps that take an authentication fee and a commission before the payout ever lands. When the books do not know that, a strong sales month looks weak because of what got taken out before you saw it.
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1
Marketplace payouts land short of the sale price
A pair sells for $220 on StockX, but the payout that hits the bank is $185 after the commission and authentication fee. Booked as the full sale, both the sales number and the real selling cost come out wrong.
What we doBooks the full sale price as income and the marketplace's fee as a selling cost, so pricing and margin both stay honest. -
2
Buyback and trade-in payouts look like a straight expense
Cash paid at the counter for a customer's used pair looks like an expense the day it happens, but it is really inventory that has not resold yet.
What we doBooks buyback purchases as inventory, not a straight cost, so the books match what is actually sitting in the stockroom. -
3
A raffle win and its resale get split apart
A hyped release bought through a store raffle and flipped days later can look like two unrelated transactions instead of one deadstock flip, hiding the real markup earned on it.
What we doKeeps a raffle purchase and its resale linked as one pair, so the true markup on a flip is visible, not buried. -
4
Deadstock sitting on the shelf gets treated like a loss
A pair held for months waiting for the right buyer or a price rebound looks like dead money sitting in inventory, and without a view of aging stock, an owner cannot tell a good hold from a bad one.
What we doFlags inventory aging past a set point, so a hold-and-wait pair is a deliberate call, not a forgotten one.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a sneaker resale shop.
Set up once for how you buy and how you sell across channels. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Marketplace salesStockX and GOAT payouts, net of authentication and selling fees.
- Retail salesIn-store sales rung through Square or a similar point of sale.
- Consignment salesPairs sold on behalf of another collector, with their cut owed out.
- Trade-in resaleSale of a pair the shop took in on trade, once it moves.
Money out
- InventoryRetail purchases, raffle wins, and bulk buys of deadstock pairs.
- Buyback payoutsCash or store credit paid for used pairs traded in by customers.
- Marketplace feesStockX and GOAT commission and authentication charges.
- Shipping and packagingOutbound shipping and boxes for marketplace sales.
- Storage and securityShelving, shoe boxes, and a safe or alarm for high-value pairs.
- Rent and utilitiesThe storefront lease and its utilities.
- MarketingLocal ads and social posts for new drops.
What we watch for you
- Marketplace fee percentage
What StockX and GOAT keep before payout. Worth knowing before pricing every pair the same way.
- Aging inventory
Pairs sitting past a set number of days, so a held pair is a choice, not something forgotten.
- Flip margin
Purchase cost against resale price on raffle and drop wins, the real profit on a flip.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things sneaker resale 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 booked the full $220 as your sale and the $35 as a marketplace fee, so your real margin on that pair still shows up right.
Not exactly. I booked it as inventory since you now own a pair to resell, not as a straight expense.
If you pay him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, he gets a 1099 by January 31. I am keeping that total as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a sneaker resale shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is treating a marketplace payout, or a fast flip, like it was the whole story.
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 pairs actually sold during the year, including buyback and raffle purchases, is what counts against sales. Deadstock still on the shelf at year end changes what the return shows as profit.
- Form 1099-K from marketplacesStockX, GOAT, 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 a 1099-K arrives.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for cop help, cleaning, or sourcing gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Self-employment taxAn owner running the shop as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
Deductions sneaker resale shops miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- StockX and GOAT selling fees
- Shoe cleaning and restoration supplies
- Shipping boxes and packaging
- Shelving and display fixtures
- Safe or security system
- Storefront rent and utilities
- Release day marketing posts
- Card processing fees
- Business liability insurance
- Phone and internet for listings
- Raffle and release entry costs
- Damaged or unsellable pair 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 sneaker resale year, kept every month.
Big releases and holiday buying hit their own calendar. 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 cop and cleaning 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 year's biggest releases actually flipped for what you expected.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Holiday release season is coming. Gus looks at what to hold or sell 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 sneaker resale 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 sneaker resale owners ask first.
Does Gus handle payouts from StockX and GOAT the same way?
Yes. He books the full sale price as income and each marketplace's fee as a cost, so your pricing and margin stay accurate across both apps.
I hold deadstock pairs for months waiting for the price to rise. Does that mess up my books?
No. Gus keeps unsold inventory visible against what it cost, so holding a pair on purpose shows up as a choice, not a loss.
Will I get a 1099-K if I sell a lot through resale apps?
Probably, once you cross $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year across your marketplace accounts. That income is taxable whether or not the form shows up, and Gus keeps every payout sorted regardless.
I sometimes sell a friend's pairs for a cut. Is that consignment?
Yes, and Gus keeps only your cut as your income, with the rest tracked as owed back to your friend, so your real sales are not overstated.
My books are behind from the last few big release weekends. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the statements covering those weekends, marketplace payouts and all. Gus sorts through the backlog, the accountant reviews it, and most owners are caught up inside 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