Reseller Accounting 2026 | Complete Guide (Vinted, Depop)

Do you sell on Vinted, Depop or Leboncoin and want to know if you're actually making money? This practical reseller accounting guide gives you simple methods, ready-to-copy formulas and the decisions to make to turn your activity into a profitable source of income.

Goal: know exactly how much you earn per item, avoid hidden fees, and decide when to automate with a tool like Tissuco.

Why does it matter?

Up to 73% of resellers don't know their true margin, they look at the selling price but not the net profit. The result: you think you're selling a lot while actually losing money on operations (purchases, fees, discounts, time).

Real case: you sell a piece of clothing for €50, but after purchase, cleaning, shipping and commission, your net profit is €5. Without tracking, you're fooling yourself into thinking your business is working when it's actually running at a loss.

Promise: by the end of this guide, you'll know how to calculate your margin, spot the fees eating into your profit, and decide when to move from Excel to an automated tool.

Who is this guide for?

• You sell regularly on Vinted, Depop or Leboncoin.
• You want to know if your activity is profitable without going through an accountant.
• You want simple methods (Excel/Sheets) and then an automation option when things get heavy.

What you'll learn

1. What data to track (the 5 essentials for reseller accounting)
2. How to calculate your true margin and net profit
3. How to use this data to buy smarter and sell more
4. When to switch to a SaaS tool to save time

What you need to track

You need two tables:
one for your purchases and one for your sales.
You can do this in Excel, Google Sheets, or directly with Tissuco.

1. Your purchased items

Each row = one item you bought.
Include these columns:

• SKU (a unique identifier, e.g. TSHIRT001)
• Purchase date
• Purchase price
• Purchase-related fees (e.g. shipping fees, cleaning, a small Vinted boost for promotion, etc.)
• Storage location (optional)

2. Your sales

Each row = one sale.

• SKU
• Sale date
• Sale price
• Discount (if you lowered the price)
• Any fees (e.g. a boost or shipping you paid yourself)

Try to log your sales as you go, even if you only have a few.

Basic formulas (for Excel or Sheets)

Copy and paste these formulas to automate your calculations.
You only need three values: purchase price, fees, and sale price.

• total_unit_cost = purchase_price + fees
• net_profit = sale_price - total_unit_cost
• margin_% = IF(sale_price>0; net_profit / sale_price; 0)
• days_to_sell = sale_date - purchase_date

Example (Excel)

Formulas to copy:

• =J2+E2 → total unit cost
• =(C2-D2)-(J2+E2) → net profit
• =IF(C2>0;((C2-D2)-(J2+E2))/C2;0) → margin %
• =B2-L2 → days to sell

Full example

Net profit formula:
(net_profit) = (sale_price - discount) - (purchase_price + fees)

The 5 pitfalls to avoid

1. Forgetting hidden fees

Many people forget: cleaning/alterations, Vinted boost, shipping fees you cover yourself, and even small storage costs. Result: you think you're making €20 but you're only making €12.

2. Not tracking time to sell

If you buy 100 items and only sell 10 in 6 months, your money is tied up and your ROI drops. Track your average selling time and set a target (e.g. sell within 30 days).

3. Mixing item categories

Margins vary: T-shirts vs jeans vs branded pieces. Tracking by category = better buying strategy.

4. Ignoring seasonality

Winter clothes don't sell the same in summer. Adjust your purchases and promotions to the calendar.

5. Selling too fast = low margin

Dropping the price after 2 days can cost you 20-30% margin. Strategy: wait 2-3 weeks then offer a gradual discount.

Your simple routine

Every week (10 to 15 min)

• Add your new purchases
• Add your sales
• Update the status of your items (in stock / sold)

Every month (30 min)

• See how much you earned in total
• Compare your margins by item type
• Decide what's worth buying again or not

You add your items and sales, and the software automatically calculates your profit, margin and stock value.

Excel vs SaaS Tool: When to switch to automation?

Simple rule

• Fewer than 20 items/month → Excel/Sheets is enough (cost: €0, time saved: 0h).
• 20-50 items/month → Excel becomes a burden (potential gain: 2-3h/month by automating).
• > 50 items/month → SaaS tool is essential (gain: 5-10h/month).

Why Tissuco over Excel?

Result: with Tissuco you save time, reduce data entry errors and visualise profitability by item and category. For reseller accounting, it's the natural step up when you want to scale.

Try Tissuco for free

• Create a Tissuco account: 14 days free, no credit card required.
• See the features
• See the pricing

FAQ

Stay consistent, even if you're just starting out. Tracking your numbers is what will help you truly understand what's making you money.

Want me to turn your current Excel spreadsheet into a template ready to import into Tissuco? Let me know and I'll create a ready-to-use template for you.