I. Introduction
Amazon is a primary source of business for millions worldwide, and as a result, it generates an overwhelming number of orders over time. It can be difficult to keep track of the growing order archives, which is why archiving Amazon orders has become increasingly crucial. Many individuals find it challenging to sort through Amazon orders from years past to calculate their business’s total revenue or to keep track of vital transactions. This article aims to help users understand how to archive Amazon orders for their business needs.
II. Why Archive Amazon Orders?
Archiving Amazon orders has many benefits, such as making tax preparation more manageable, simplifying record-keeping, and improving organizational structure. Archiving Amazon orders as part of your tax records will help you eliminate stress and avoid errors when your taxes come due. It also ensures that you are in compliance with regulations enforced by the tax authorities in your country. Furthermore, efficient record-keeping saves valuable time, enabling you to track your business’s progress efficiently. With that said, archiving Amazon orders plays a significant role in improving organizational structure. It helps individuals and businesses manage their data better, providing them with a complete history of their Amazon orders.
Many people do not realize how crucial archiving Amazon orders is until they encounter problems. For instance, un-archived Amazon orders can create a chaotic file system that is not structured for efficient access. Additionally, unarchived Amazon orders can cause disputes with customers. A famous example of this is a case where Amazon denied a case refund to a seller because they could not access the order. Finally, ineffective archiving can cause significant problems with tax agencies and dramatically increase the audit possibilities.
III. Step-by-Step Guide: How to Archive Amazon Orders
Archiving Amazon orders is a simple process that only requires a few steps. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to archive Amazon orders:
- Log in to your Amazon Seller Central account with your credentials.
- On the upper right side of your homepage, click on the ‘Orders’ under the ‘Reports’ tab.
- On the right-hand side of your screen, click on the option ‘Advanced search.’
- Select the period of time to search
- Under the dropdown for ‘Order type,’ select ‘All’>
- Next, select ‘Download order reports’ and then click ‘Request download.’
- A pop-up window will appear showing the download request options. Fill out the necessary details such as email address and the report type you wish to download.
- Click ‘Request download,’ and Amazon will send you an email once the download is complete.
- Finally, click on the downloaded file and save it to your archive location. You may categorize it by year or by order type.
The default format for the downloaded data is a CSV file format which can be opened with Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheet, or other spreadsheet applications. It is essential to know that the file format only contains the complete data for five years. For orders beyond five years, the format lacks useful data beyond the price or amount sold. For orders beyond five years, it is advisable to save the packing slip at the point of delivery.
IV. Video Tutorial
If you prefer a video tutorial, you can watch this short video below:
V. Product Comparison
Various software and tools are designed to help users archive Amazon orders more efficiently. Here are some popular tools that offer archiving solutions:
- OrderMetrics: Offers extensive reporting for Amazon and Shopify-specific data and can track your business’s metrics and profitability over time.
- Taxomate: This tool imports data from Amazon into your Quickbooks or Xero accounting software, which helps automate your accounting expenses and revenue tracking
- Salez Shark: Provides detailed Sales data by identifying the products that sell, making it easier to track detailed sales analytics.
When selecting the most appropriate archiving tool, it is crucial to consider many factors. For instance, data exportability, costing, data range, software compatibility, data security, and reporting features.
VI. Expert Advice
“Archiving Amazon orders is essential to make sure that you are collecting the correct data-points that are used to file taxes. It can also help make sure that you have a history of the business, which can be looked at in the future to make sure that the proper decisions are made to grow the business.”
Joshua Rubin, CPA
According to Joshua, Amazon sellers should archive orders frequently and back them up on a secure cloud platform. It’s also essential to ensure that data is accurate and complete, especially when filing for your tax returns.
VII. Common Mistakes to Avoid
One common mistake Amazon sellers make is failing to archive old Amazon orders. Many sellers are so focused on new orders that they forget to keep track of older transactions. Also, some are not aware that the default format only saves useful data for five years. It’s vital to keep all orders past these five years. Sellers should ensure they archive their Amazon orders every quarter or every year, keeping track of the period covered, order type, or individual units. Finally, many sellers encounter the issue of duplicate archiving, so always ensure you only keep the exact copy required.
VIII. FAQs
What is Amazon order archiving?
Amazon order archiving is the process of creating a backup of the order data. It helps Amazon sellers improve organization, simplify their record-keeping, comply with tax regulations, and avoid costly mistakes.
How Do I access my archived Amazon orders?
To access archived Amazon orders, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Amazon Seller Central account using your credentials
- Click on the ‘Reports’ tab
- Click on ‘Order Reports’
- From the dropdown menu, choose the year for the order you would like to retrieve.
- Customize your search within that year by selecting the correct criteria, and click on ‘Generate Report’
- Your selected order report generates an excel table that lists all orders within that year and criteria requested and enables further data sorting and analysis.
Why should you archive your Amazon orders?
Archiving your Amazon orders serves several purposes. For example, archiving your Amazon orders helps with record-keeping, which is useful when preparing taxes and financial planning and avoids costly fines or penalties due to improper archiving. Also, archived orders provide a historical view of past transactions, improving organizational structure and future business decision-making.
IX. Conclusion
With the large number of transactions Amazon sellers generate over time, archiving Amazon orders is an essential component of record-keeping and financial planning. Improper archiving can lead to missing critical data for taxes and financial statements, not having an accurate picture of business progress over time, and auditors mistakes.
This article has provided a step-by-step guide, expert advice, possible product options, and common mistakes to avoid when archiving Amazon orders. By following these steps and recommendations, you can streamline your record-keeping process and avoid errors, enabling you to focus on more important aspects of your business.