Apparel, resale & collectibles
Books and taxes for vintage clothing stores.
Picking trips, estate buys, import bales bought sight unseen, and sales split between the storefront and Etsy or Depop. 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
June came in at $7,500. The denim bale from the last import buy is still selling piece by piece, so I am tracking it against what it cost until it is fully sold through.
- Square storefront payoutRetail sales
- Etsy shop payoutOnline marketplace sales
- Import bale invoiceSourcing costs
- Estate sale buySourcing costs
- Dry cleaner, vintage piecesRestoration and care
Why your books are different
Vintage store books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees a shop with a register. Your business buys goods sight unseen by the bale or the estate lot, spends real money restoring a piece before it can sell, and prices by rarity instead of a fixed markup. When the books do not know that, one big buying trip looks like a disaster and a restored piece looks like it cost nothing extra.
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1
An import bale or estate lot wrecks the monthly number
A $2,000 denim bale or an estate lot bought sight unseen lands as one invoice, even though the pieces inside will sell one at a time over months as they are sorted and priced.
What we doKeeps bale and lot purchases visible against what has actually sold from them, so a big buying trip does not read as a bad month. -
2
Restoration costs disappear into the piece's price
A vintage jacket that needs a zipper replaced or a dress that needs re-stitching costs real money to make sellable, and if that cost is not tracked, the shop cannot tell if a repair-heavy piece was worth buying at all.
What we doKeeps restoration and cleaning costs in their own line, so the true cost of a piece includes what it took to get it sale-ready. -
3
Online and storefront sales get counted as one thing
A piece listed on Etsy or Depop sells at a different pace and price than the same rack in the store, and blended together, an owner cannot tell which channel is actually worth the time it takes to run.
What we doKeeps online marketplace sales separate from storefront sales, so each channel shows its own real number. -
4
Rarity pricing makes margin hard to read
A common band tee and a rare deadstock jacket sell for wildly different prices with wildly different margins, and averaged together, the shop's true profitability on any one buying trip is hard to see.
What we doKeeps sales visible by source lot where possible, so a strong buying trip and a weak one both show up honestly.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a vintage clothing store.
Set up once for how you source and how you sell. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Retail salesStorefront sales rung through Square or a similar point of sale.
- Online marketplace salesEtsy, Depop, or Grailed listings, net of the marketplace's cut.
- Wholesale salesBulk sales of lower-tier pieces to other dealers or pickers.
- Consignment salesRare pieces sold on behalf of a collector, with their cut owed out.
Money out
- Sourcing costsEstate buys, import bales, and picking trip purchases.
- Restoration and careDry cleaning, mending, and reproduction hardware for repairs.
- Photography and listing costsProduct photos and props used for online listings.
- Rent and utilitiesThe storefront and any sorting or steaming space.
- PayrollSorting, pricing, and sales staff, kept apart from owner draw.
- Travel for sourcing tripsMileage, flights, and lodging for estate sales and picking runs.
- Marketplace and card feesWhat Etsy, Depop, or the card processor keeps before payout.
What we watch for you
- Sell-through by source lot
How much of a bale, estate buy, or picking trip actually sold. Tells you which sourcing is worth repeating.
- Restoration cost per piece
What repairs and cleaning add to a piece's real cost before it is worth selling.
- Online versus storefront margin
Which channel actually earns more after its own fees and time, so effort goes where it pays.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things vintage 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 it as inventory against what actually sells from it, so the full $2,000 will not read as a loss the month you paid for it.
Yes, I keep restoration costs in their own line so the piece's real cost includes the repair, not just what you paid the seller.
If you pay her $2,000 or more this year and she is not on payroll, she gets a 1099 by January 31. I am keeping that total as we go.
The tax side
The tax side of a vintage clothing store.
Most of what goes wrong here is sight-unseen buying that lands as one invoice for goods that sell over months.
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 pieces actually sold during the year, including restoration costs, is what counts against sales. Unsold bale or lot inventory at year end changes what the return shows as profit.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for picking, restoration, or sourcing leads 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, permanently. It comes out right when picking trips and restoration costs are counted in the right month.
- Self-employment taxAn owner running the store solo, 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 vintage clothing stores miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Dry cleaning and garment care
- Reproduction buttons and hardware
- Sewing and mending supplies
- Photography equipment and props
- Etsy and Depop listing fees
- Storefront rent and utilities
- Picking trip mileage and lodging
- Steamers and garment racks
- Business liability insurance
- Signage and window displays
- Storage for sorting inventory
- Shipping and packaging supplies
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 vintage store year, kept every month.
Picking trips and estate season come on their own schedule. Your taxes come on a schedule too. 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 pickers and restoration 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 picking trips have sold through the way they should.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Holiday gift buying picks up for statement vintage pieces. Gus looks at sourcing decisions 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 vintage clothing 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 vintage store owners ask first.
How does Gus handle a bale or lot I bought sight unseen?
He keeps it as inventory against what actually sells from it over time, so a big buy does not read as a loss the month you paid for it, and it evens out as pieces sell.
Does a restoration cost change what a piece is worth on the books?
Yes. Gus keeps cleaning and repair costs in their own line, so a piece's real cost includes what it took to make it sellable, not just the original purchase price.
I sell on Etsy and in my storefront. Can Gus tell them apart?
Yes. He keeps online marketplace sales separate from storefront sales, so you can see which channel is actually earning after its own fees.
My picker finds me estate leads for a cut of the sale. Does that need paperwork?
If you pay her $2,000 or more in a year and she is not on payroll, she needs a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that running total all year.
My books have not been touched since my last big picking trip. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the statements covering however many buying trips have piled up. Gus sorts sourcing costs from sales, the accountant checks the numbers, 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