Plain-English answers on real profit, Shopify fees, IRS deductions and the code sections behind them, and how sales-tax nexus actually works — from the team building bookkeeping software only for Shopify sellers.
"2.9% + $0.30" hides a fixed cost that hits small orders hardest. See the real effective rate by order value — a $10 order pays nearly double the headline rate.
Read the guide → Fees & profitRevenue minus fees minus cost isn't the whole story. Walk through a single order end to end and see what you actually keep.
Read the guide →Almost always, yes — and there's a specific line of the tax code (§162) that says so. Where it lands on your Schedule C, and the edge cases to watch.
Read the guide → Schedule C · IRS codeEvery line that matters to a DTC store — gross receipts, COGS via Part III, the key expense lines, plus self-employment tax and quarterly estimates.
Read the guide → Is X deductible? · IRS codeSubscription, processing fees, transaction fees, apps, themes and domains under §162 — where each lands, plus the gross-vs-net trap that overstates your profit.
Read the guide → Estimated taxes · 1040-ESNo one withholds tax on your store's profit — the IRS generally expects you to pay as you go. The pay-as-you-go rule, the safe harbors, and the four deadlines, in plain English.
Read the guide →Why a store can owe sales tax in a state it's never visited. The rule after Wayfair, in plain English, without a wall of thresholds.
Read the guide → Nexus · ChecklistWhat triggers an evaluation, what to track per state, the common myths (marketplace-only, "I'm under the line"), and when to call a sales-tax pro.
Read the guide → Nexus · Multi-channelMarketplaces collect for their own sales, but your combined footprint (and sometimes your fulfillment network's own inventory) is what actually drives your nexus picture.
Read the guide →Guides are educational and are not tax, accounting, or legal advice. Verify any tax treatment with a qualified professional. Profenor is bookkeeping software, not a CPA firm. © Profenor (RJ-DCF LLC).