My Amazon/Shopify Receivables balance looks high. What could be driving that?

The balance in this account on your balance sheet represents what the platform has not yet paid out to you as of the end of that month. Depending on the frequency of payouts to your checking account, the balance would likely only represent a few days or weeks of sales. 

If the value in the account is higher than this remaining payout amount, then it may mean that something is not being account for. This typically could be a few things:

1) are the payouts to your bank account (cash inflows to your bank account from the platform) categorized correctly to the Amazon/Shopify Receivables account?

2) the platforms fees (credit card fees, marketing initiatives, or other fee related charges) have not been accounted for. 

You can validate the amount by reviewing reports in the commerce platform's website that provide you with the balance as of the corresponding date. 

A few important considerations:

• The platforms reduce their payouts because they withhold fees. Another way of saying this is that they pay out less than the sales amounts that you made.
• Each platform has a different fee structure
• Another consideration for Shopify is if your customers pay you via Paypal and you still have $ sitting in your Paypal account. We recommend you transfer money from your Paypal account to your checking account as frequently as possible so that you have that cash available for your working capital.

You can create a Platform fee rule by completing the information on the the Platform fee page in Pocket.