030 555 721 370
anfrage@guhr-steuerberatung.de
Auerstr. 14, 10249 Berlin
Industry · E-Commerce
Tax advisory for e-commerce that truly scales.
We are the tax firm for owners of online shops, Amazon FBA sellers and D2C brands. We handle bookkeeping and annual accounts reliably – and beyond that we get your OSS, PAN-EU VAT and payment settlements in order and show you the real margin after ad spend. Nationwide, digital and personal.
Nationwide · 100% digital- Specialised in e-commerce
- A personal point of contact
Sound familiar?
Problems online sellers know all too well.
We talk to shop owners, Amazon sellers and D2C founders every day. This is what we hear again and again:
You don't know what actually ends up in your pocket.
Revenue looks great, but after Amazon fees, ads, returns and cost of goods, nobody knows what margin is left – or which product is quietly burning money.
VAT across the EU is a blind flight.
Distance-selling thresholds, the OSS scheme, foreign VAT IDs – you suspect something is unresolved, but your advisor never set it up properly.
Amazon PAN-EU triggers registration duties.
Your stock suddenly sits in Poland, Czechia and France. That creates intra-Community transfers and foreign VAT registration duties – often unnoticed until the letter arrives.
Payment settlements never match your books.
Amazon, Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, Shopify – payouts arrive bundled, with fees and reserves. No one can reconcile that against DATEV by hand.
You pay too much tax.
No one shows you the levers – not on legal form, managing-director pay, the investment deduction (IAB) or a holding structure once the shop scales.
Your tax advisor doesn't get your business.
FBA transfers, dropshipping chain transactions, IOSS for imports under €150 – you end up explaining it to your advisor instead of getting answers.
What changes for you
More clarity. Less tax. More time for your shop.
We are not a classic tax firm. We deliver what you actually need as an owner – results, not just binders.
You see your real margin – per channel.
Contribution margin after ad spend (ROAS/MER), marketplace fees and cost of goods shown cleanly. You know which product and which channel actually earns.
OSS & foreign VAT run automatically.
We set up the One-Stop-Shop scheme, monitor the €10,000 threshold and file your EU distance sales on time – without you ever having to think about it.
PAN-EU set up compliantly.
Foreign VAT registrations, intra-Community transfers and filings are coordinated. Amazon's warehousing logic becomes a clean, controlled process.
Payment data flows into DATEV automatically.
Amazon, Stripe, PayPal, Klarna and Shopify settlements are reconciled automatically, including fees, reserves and payout cycles. No more Excel nights.
A noticeably lower tax burden.
We review legal form, the investment deduction, a holding structure and managing-director pay – proactively, not first in April.
Structures that grow with you.
From your first marketplace to a multi-country D2C brand – your bookkeeping scales with you, without having to rebuild everything.
Personally from Karsten Guhr
An online shop rarely fails on revenue. It fails on VAT that spirals out of control across the EU, on settlements no one reconciles, and on a margin nobody can see after ad spend. That is exactly where we come in: we turn OSS, PAN-EU and payments into one clean process – and give you the numbers to scale profitably instead of growing blind.
We know your business
We speak e-commerce.
OSS, PAN-EU, import VAT, IOSS, chain transactions, settlement reports, ROAS and the lower-of-cost-or-market principle – we know how an online business ticks. So you don't waste time explaining your model.
- 01
OSS scheme (One-Stop-Shop)
Report EU distance sales above the €10,000 threshold centrally via OSS – instead of registering in each country. We set it up and monitor the threshold.
- 02
Amazon PAN-EU & FBA
Warehousing across several EU countries triggers VAT registration duties. We map the movements correctly as intra-Community transfers.
- 03
Import VAT, IOSS & customs
Handle imports from third countries correctly: import VAT recovered as input tax, IOSS for consignments under €150 and clean customs valuation.
- 04
Marketplace liability (§ 25e UStG)
Certification and record-keeping duties for marketplace sellers. We make sure your VAT data is clean and marketplace liability is excluded.
- 05
Payment & settlement reconciliation
Amazon, Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, Shopify: fees, reserves and payout cycles reconciled into DATEV automatically – transaction-level, not lump-sum.
- 06
Inventory, stocktaking & returns
Valuation under the lower-of-cost-or-market principle, ongoing stocktaking and correct booking of returns – so your accounts and margin match reality.
- 07
Dropshipping & chain transactions
Allocate chain transactions correctly under § 3(6a) UStG: where does the moving supply sit, who owes which VAT? We avoid costly misbookings.
- 08
Contribution margin after ad spend
Translate ROAS and MER into real margin. We make visible what is actually earned after ads, fees and returns.
Industry benchmarks
We know e-commerce margins. And we get more out for you.
We look after more than 50 online sellers and see real numbers every month – not revenue screenshots from ad managers. We know what's normal for your model, where you should be, and which tax levers lift your after-tax margin.
Typical EBIT range
- 3 – 8%Marketplace reselling (Amazon/eBay)Fee- and competition-driven · clean cost of goods is a must
- 8 – 18%D2C own brand (Shopify)Stronger brand and margin · ROAS/MER control is decisive
- 15 – 30%Niche & premium brandHigher margin through positioning · a holding pays off early
- 5 – 12%Dropshipping / print-on-demandCapital-light but VAT-sensitive · chain transactions must be right
How we lift your after-tax margin – legally and without balance-sheet acrobatics:
- Holding structureProfits of the trading GmbH flow into a holding roughly 95% tax-free (§ 8b KStG) – effectively around 1.5% instead of over 26% at private level.
- Investment deduction (IAB)Claim up to 50% of planned investments against profit in advance – ideal for warehousing, packaging tech, photo studio and IT.
- Optimised inventory valuationConsistent use of the lower-of-cost-or-market principle and a clean stocktake reduce the profit on slow-movers – real cash saved at year-end.
- Legal form & MD payOnce your margin is stable, switching to a GmbH pays off. A mix of salary, bonus and distribution tuned to your profit.
- Input tax & import VATConsistently recover import VAT as input tax and steer the timing of payments – this protects your liquidity month after month.
- IP & brand holdingMove trademark rights and your own designs into a holding – with a clearly separable licence stream and protection from operating risk.
Why GUHR
Tax advisory that finally thinks ahead.
We don't want to be the next advisor who emails „receipts by the 10th, please“. We want to be the partner who makes your shop safer, more profitable and more predictable.
Specialised in e-commerce
Over 50 seller engagements – we know the typical VAT traps in FBA, OSS and dropshipping and the real optimisation levers.
Nationwide · digital
Set up entirely digitally. Payment connections, DATEV and reporting run automatically – wherever you run your shop from.
Proactive, not reactive
We reach out before the tax office – or a foreign authority – asks. Tax strategy for the current year, not the last one.
Personal, not anonymous
One dedicated contact who knows your assortment, your channels and your numbers. Answers in hours, not weeks.
More than tax advisory
A network of successful sellers. Included.
With GUHR you join a client circle you would otherwise only meet at seller conferences. Founders who speak openly about margin, sourcing, scaling and exit – because they trust the same advisor.
A selection from our e-commerce client circle
We only name specific clients with their consent. In the intro call we'll show you relevant cases from your niche.
What that means for you in practice:
- 01
Founder round-tables
Quarterly small-group meetings – topics like pricing, PAN-EU expansion, building a holding and exit. By invitation, under NDA.
- 02
Peer benchmarks
We mirror your metrics anonymously against comparable shops of your size and niche. So you see where your margin really stands.
- 03
Warm introductions
Looking for a fulfilment partner, an agency or an M&A opportunity for your shop? We connect you directly – no commission chasing.
Head office Berlin · clients from Sylt to Garmisch
Nationwide · 100 % digital
One firm. Available anywhere in Germany.
Whether Berlin, Munich or somewhere in between: we run every mandate fully digital – DATEV-connected, signed PDFs, video meetings. No commuting, no postal delays, no 90s-style bookkeeping.
- 01
DATEV Unternehmen online
Receipts, banking, payroll, reports – you work in the standard interface every German tax advisor speaks. No vendor lock-in.
- 02
Video meetings instead of on-site visits
Quarterly review, tax strategy, holding check – via video with screen sharing. You save half a day every time.
- 03
Signed PDFs & digital powers of attorney
Tax filings, annual accounts, contracts – signed via qualified e-signature. Accepted by the tax office, done in minutes.
How we work with e-commerce
From intro call to worry-free bookkeeping.
On average 14 days from the decision to switch to a running digital operation – including payment and marketplace integration.
Intro call & status check
30 minutes. We review your setup, OSS/PAN-EU status, tax burden and the biggest levers – free of charge.
01
Onboarding in 14 days
We handle the switch from your current advisor, set up DATEV and connect Amazon, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal and Klarna automatically.
02
Ongoing support
Monthly management accounts with real margin after ad spend, OSS filings, live numbers in a dashboard and one dedicated contact – plus proactive alerts.
03
Annual review & strategy
Accounts, inventory valuation, tax optimisation and a clear plan for the next financial year – not just a look back, but a growth concept.
04
030 555 721 370FAQ
Answers for online sellers.
What you most often ask us before switching.
Intro call for e-commerce
What your shop is leaving on the table – we'll show you in 30 minutes.
You describe your setup, we name the concrete levers (OSS, PAN-EU, payment reconciliation, holding, IAB) and send a written proposal within 48 hours. Nationwide and free of charge.