(1) Methods of recording platform fees
Platform fees mainly refer to the store opening fees, transaction fees and other fees that need to be paid to the platform for sales on cross-border e-commerce sales platforms. Taking the AliExpress platform as an example, the platform fee mainly refers to the 5% of the total transaction amount of the seller’s order (including the product price and shipping costs) that the platform will charge as a handling fee after the transaction is completed. Certain special categories may charge a higher ratio.
There are two methods for recording platform fees. The first method is to use the amount paid by the buyer (including the product price and the shipping costs paid by the buyer) minus the amount of cancellation, refund, etc., and directly multiply it by 5%, which is calculated and recorded by the seller. The platform will not charge a handling fee for the amount refunded to the buyer. For example, if the cost of an order is $100, and the buyer and seller reach an agreement to partially refund $70, then the platform will charge a transaction fee for the $30 of the transaction, that is, 30X5%=1.5 USD. The platform does not charge a fee for the refund amount, so the calculation formula is:
Platform fee = (total transaction amount – refund amount – cancellation amount) X5%
This method of calculation by the seller is very convenient when quickly calculating short-term orders.
The second method is more direct and accurate, that is, downloading the platform transaction data from the backend of AliExpress or similar platforms, and directly extracting the platform fee from it.
(2) Recording method of various miscellaneous expenses
The various miscellaneous expenses involved in cross-border e-commerce retail business are most commonly packaging material fees (packaging bags, tapes, cartons, cowhide bubble bags), printing material consumption, normal inventory loss and other expenses that cannot be directly attributed to specific orders. The principle of recording these expenses is relatively simple, that is, “regular inventory, daily flow record consumption combined with weekly (or monthly) inventory”. After these miscellaneous expenses are recorded, they are counted regularly every month. Once the consumption is confirmed to be real and normal, they can be amortized into the calculation of the net profit of the month.
(3) Recording methods for management expenses, administrative expenses, financial expenses and tax expenditures
The recording methods for management expenses, administrative expenses, financial expenses and tax expenditures in the cross-border e-commerce retail industry are essentially the same as those in other industries. Cashiers and financial personnel only need to follow the standard “cashier-finance” operating procedures to collect and record the relevant expenses. These data will be integrated into the company’s accounts and recorded when the income statement (profit and loss statement), cash flow statement and balance sheet are compiled each financial month, and the company’s complete financial statements such as net profit, cash flow, changes in assets and liabilities can be obtained.