In e-commerce, everyone is looking to increase sales, optimise margins and find new products… But one essential point is too often overlooked: taxation. Poor accounting oversight can literally cost tens of thousands of euros.
That is exactly what happened to Alexis, an Amazon arbitrage seller and e-commerce entrepreneur, who discovered he had left €18,500 in VAT credit unclaimed simply because his accountant did not specialise in e-commerce.
By changing partners and entrusting his accounting to a modern solution such as Dougs, he was able to recover that amount immediately and secure his future returns.
The classic e-commerce mistake: a “generalist” accountant
Most entrepreneurs start their business with a traditional accountant: often recommended by someone close to them or chosen because they are nearby.
The problem is that e-commerce—and Amazon FBA in particular—follows tax rules that are far more complex than those of a conventional local business.
👉 Result:
- Incomplete or poorly prepared VAT returns,
- Unreclaimed VAT credits,
- The risk of a tax adjustment in the medium term,
- And above all… money lost.
An accountant who does not understand the OSS (One Stop Shop) or the specifics of intra-Community VAT may cost you far more than their fees.
The true story: an entrepreneur who reclaimed €18,500
A member of our e-commerce community was already running a substantial business, with turnover of several hundred thousand euros.
Until then, he had worked with a traditional accountant. But he always felt that his cash flow did not quite match his results.
By changing accountants and switching to Dougs, which specialises in e-commerce, the reality hit:
- His VAT returns were not optimised.
- In total, €18,500 in VAT credit was waiting to be reclaimed.
- Within a few weeks, he was able to reinject that money directly into his cash flow.
This is the kind of amount that can make the difference between a business that stagnates and one that grows.
Why e-commerce taxation is different
An e-commerce business cannot settle for a generalist accountant. Here is why:
- Intra-Community VAT: you buy in Spain, sell in Germany, and hold stock in several countries → everything changes depending on the place of dispatch.
- OSS (One Stop Shop): a specific scheme for declaring European VAT. If your accountant never mentions it, that is a major red flag.
- Marketplaces such as Amazon: your sales may be attributed to several different countries without you knowing it.
- Complex flows: Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, Amazon Seller Central… all are data sources that need to be consolidated.
Without expertise, mistakes are inevitable. And those mistakes are costly.
Modern solutions for e-commerce businesses
The good news is that there are now 100% online accounting solutions designed for digital and e-commerce entrepreneurs.
Among them, Dougs stands out through:
- E-commerce expertise (Amazon, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, etc.).
- Tools that connect directly to your platforms.
- Automated and verified VAT returns.
- Prices that are often more competitive than those of a traditional bricks-and-mortar firm.
- And above all: the ability to identify forgotten VAT credits and secure your tax obligations.
What you can do today
Here are three simple actions:
- Check your past VAT returns → ask your accountant whether you have already reclaimed your credits.
- Ask a test question: “Do you know the OSS and how to apply it to my Amazon sales?” → if the answer is vague, run.
- Compare with a specialised solution such as Dougs. You may be surprised by the potential savings.
Conclusion
A good accountant is not an expense: they are a cash-flow lever.
Alexis’s story of reclaiming €18,500 proves that poor accounting oversight can cost a fortune… and that the right partner can instead become a strategic asset.
👉 Si vous vendez sur Amazon ou Shopify et que vous voulez sécuriser vos finances, découvrez Dougs, the online solution designed for e-commerce businesses.