· INVENTORY · SALES TAX · ECOMMERCE · SEASONAL CASH FLOW
Financial Management Built to Keep Pace With Retail
Inventory accounting, multi-state sales tax, seasonal cash flow, and e-commerce compliance create financial complexity that changes quickly. Archer Lewis works with retailers who need advisors that understand the industry.
Our Approach
Financial advisors who understand how retail businesses actually work.
Retail businesses operate on financial models shaped by inventory turns, seasonal demand, and margin management. Sales tax compliance has grown dramatically more complex since the Wayfair decision, with economic nexus thresholds in nearly every state creating obligations for online sellers that didn't exist a few years ago. Archer Lewis works with retailers to handle the bookkeeping, inventory accounting, sales tax compliance, and tax planning that keeps retail businesses financially healthy and growing.
What We Handle
Accounting and tax services for retail businesses
From inventory accounting to multi-state sales tax, our team handles the financial complexity specific to retail.
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Inventory Accounting
Cost of goods sold, inventory valuation, and shrinkage tracking, so your margins reflect what's actually happening in your business.
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Sales Tax Compliance
Multi-state sales tax management for physical and e-commerce retailers: registration, collection, filing, and nexus analysis.
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Retail Bookkeeping
Daily sales reconciliation, payment processing fees, returns, and inventory: books that reflect the reality of retail operations.
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Cash Flow Planning
Seasonal cash flow planning for retailers with peak and off-peak cycles, so you're never caught short before your best season.
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E-Commerce Tax Compliance
Marketplace facilitator rules, economic nexus thresholds, and platform-specific sales tax compliance for online retailers.
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Retail Tax Planning
Business structure, owner compensation, and year-round tax strategy for retail business owners.
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Multi-Location Accounting
Consolidated and location-level financial reporting for multi-location retailers and franchisees.
Sales tax compliance for retailers has grown significantly more complex.
Since the South Dakota v. Wayfair decision, economic nexus rules have created sales tax obligations in nearly every state for retailers that cross revenue or transaction thresholds, including online sellers who have never had a physical presence there. Archer Lewis manages sales tax compliance proactively to help you stay ahead of new obligations as they arise.
Talk to a Retail Advisor
Common Questions
What retailers ask us.
Probably yes, if you cross the economic nexus threshold, which in most states is $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions annually. Since the Wayfair decision, physical presence is no longer required to create a sales tax obligation. We analyze your sales by state and identify exactly where you have nexus and what your obligations are.
FIFO is most common in retail. It generally produces financial statements that reflect current inventory costs and is straightforward to implement. We analyze your inventory profile and recommend the method that produces the best outcome for both financial reporting and tax purposes.
Most major online marketplaces (Amazon, Etsy, eBay) are now required to collect and remit sales tax on behalf of sellers in most states. But that doesn't eliminate all your obligations. Sales through your own website and sales in states without marketplace facilitator laws may still create direct obligations. We map your full sales tax picture across every channel.
Cash flow planning for seasonal retailers requires modeling both the demand cycle and the inventory purchasing cycle, which often requires cash outflows well before peak revenue arrives. We build 12-month cash flow projections that account for seasonal patterns and help you plan financing needs in advance.