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Inventory

Inventory tracking, valuation, and management for businesses

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13 min read

Custom Sign Shop Pricing That Actually Pays: Separating Materials, Labor Burden, and Installation

A flat $55 shop rate quietly underprices illuminated and digital sign work while vinyl subsidizes the loss. Learn how to split every quote into materials with 7% indeterminates and 1.5x markup, fully burdened labor including payroll taxes and workers comp, and installation as a separate crew and equipment profit center — with a sample channel letter worksheet and a bookkeeping setup that makes estimates match actuals.

Mike Thrift

small-businessbookkeepingjob-costing
11 min read

Your $120 Used Phone Sale Just Got Cheaper — and Your $120 New One Just Got More Expensive: Making Sense of eBay's July 2026 Fee Reform

eBay's July 1, 2026 fee reform cuts final value fees to flat 5% for used and refurbished goods and raises new-goods fees to 7% for commercial sellers on selected marketplaces. Learn how the 5% vs 7% split changes reseller margins, why private sellers are unaffected, and how to reconcile gross 1099-K sales to net payouts without losing the fee deduction.

Mike Thrift

ecommercebookkeepingsmall-business
19 min read

Your 10% Surcharge Expired on July 24 — But Your Books Didn't: A Small Importer's Guide to the Section 122 Sunset and the $23.7 Billion in IEEPA Refunds

The 10% Section 122 surcharge expired July 24, 2026 after 150 days and was replaced by 10-12.5% Section 301 duties; CBP's CAPE portal has already paid $23.7 billion of an estimated $166 billion in IEEPA refunds — learn how to re-model landed cost per SKU, track entry-level recoveries, and avoid booking refunds as income too early.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingtariffscustoms
14 min read

E-Bike Rental Fleet Bookkeeping: How to Depreciate a Fast-Aging Asset, Capitalize Battery Packs, and Budget the $400–$900 Replacement Cycle

A 10-bike e-bike rental fleet costs $15,000–$30,000 to launch, but each swappable battery lasts only 500–1,000 cycles and costs $400–$900 to replace — often within a year at rental utilization. This guide shows how to capitalize bikes and packs separately, depreciate under 2026 Section 179 and restored 100% bonus depreciation, reconcile net app payouts to gross revenue, and track utilization and revenue per bike per day before the next battery wave hits.

Mike Thrift

small-businessbookkeepingassets
12 min read

Brazil Just Got a 50% Tariff: What Small Importers of Coffee, Beef, and Steel Need to Know About Product Exclusions

A July 30 IEEPA order adds 40% to Brazilian goods on top of the 10% reciprocal tariff for a total 50% above MFN from August 6. Orange juice, Brazil nuts, and pig iron are excluded via Annex I, while steel and aluminum are excluded from the Brazil addition because Section 232 already applies — coffee and beef are not excluded. Here's the entry-date, FTZ, and bookkeeping checklist for small importers.

Mike Thrift

tariffsinventorycustoms
19 min read

Monument and Headstone Bookkeeping: Why a 50% Deposit Isn't Revenue (and How Cemetery Contracts Need Separate Books)

Monument shops collect deposits months before delivery and carry $25,000 to $90,000 in granite — so deposits must sit as deferred revenue until installation, granite must be costed by specific identification including freight, and retail walk-ins need a completely separate profit center from cemetery wholesale.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepinginventorysmall-business
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