Common Challenges We Solve
Reconciling sales across your own website, marketplaces like Amazon or Noon, and social commerce channels into a single accurate revenue picture. Matching payment gateway settlements — which arrive net of fees and often batched across several days of sales — back to individual transactions. Handling cross-border sales and import VAT correctly where you sell to customers outside the UAE or source products internationally.
We also help e-commerce businesses build simple dashboards giving a real-time view of net margin by channel, rather than waiting until month-end to understand which channels are actually profitable.
VAT & Tax Considerations for E-Commerce
Domestic UAE sales are generally standard-rated, but exports and specific cross-border scenarios carry different treatment that needs careful application transaction by transaction. Marketplace commission and payment gateway fees also need correct VAT treatment as expenses, distinct from the revenue they relate to.
Getting this right also matters as the UAE’s e-invoicing mandate rolls out, since your VAT records and e-invoicing data need to stay consistent with each other.
Our Services for E-Commerce
Who We Work With
Shopify and WooCommerce store owners, marketplace sellers, social commerce businesses, and drop-shipping operations based in or selling into the UAE.
Getting Started
Inventory and Fulfilment for E-Commerce
Whether you hold your own inventory, use a third-party fulfilment provider, or drop-ship directly from suppliers, inventory valuation and cost of goods sold need consistent tracking across whichever model you use. We adapt our approach to your specific fulfilment setup rather than assuming a single standard model.
Get Expert Help for Your Business
Talk to an FTA-approved tax consultant today. Free consultation, no obligation — we’ll tell you exactly what your business needs.
Returns and Refunds Processing
Subscription and Recurring Revenue Models
E-commerce businesses increasingly offer subscription products alongside one-off sales, which need distinct revenue recognition treatment — recognised over the subscription period rather than entirely at the point of initial payment. We apply the correct approach for subscription revenue specifically.
Influencer and Affiliate Commission Accounting
E-commerce businesses working with influencers or affiliate partners on commission-based arrangements need to track these payments and their VAT treatment correctly, distinct from standard marketing expense. We ensure these arrangements are properly recorded as your marketing model evolves.
Chargebacks and Payment Disputes
Bundling and Multi-Item Order Accounting
Where products are sold as bundles or with free-gift promotions, allocating revenue and VAT correctly across the bundled items requires a clear, consistent method. We apply an appropriate allocation approach so bundled sales are reported accurately.
Marketplace Seller Fee Structures
Different marketplaces charge referral fees, fulfilment fees and advertising costs through different structures, and understanding the true net margin per marketplace requires tracking each fee type separately rather than working from one blended commission rate. We help build this visibility across whichever marketplaces you sell through.
We also help identify where switching fulfilment methods or renegotiating marketplace terms could meaningfully improve net margin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — we consolidate all your sales channels into one accurate, reconciled revenue picture for both VAT and financial reporting purposes.
We record gateway fees as a separate expense against gross sales, rather than only working from the net amount deposited to your account, which keeps your VAT reporting accurate.
Yes — we apply the correct VAT treatment to export sales and advise on any cross-border VAT considerations relevant to your specific markets.
Yes — we work with all major e-commerce platforms and build our bookkeeping process around whichever you use.
Your account is managed by our team based in Al Nasr Plaza, Oud Metha, Dubai, with local knowledge of FTA requirements, free zone rules and UAE banking practices.