A2X Amazon Integration: is it Worth it? Read Before Buying

Accurate eCommerce accounting for your growing Amazon store largely relies on your tech stack. In addition to a reputable, reliable, and user-friendly accounting software, you need a software that automatically transafers Amazon transaction data to that accounting software. For some Amazon sellers, A2X is the solution of choice. But, considering its increasing costs, is it worth it?

Link My Books is a top A2X alternative. Providing a range of powerful analytical tools and offering better value for money, Link My Books is an innovative solution for maintaining accurate accounts within your QuickBooks Online or Xero software.

‍

This guide is for Amazon sellers who are considering buying an A2X subscription (or are considering migrating). Today, we're looking at the ins and outs of the software and why Link My Books is the better choice for many Amazon businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers.

An Overview of A2X and Link My Books

A2X and Link My Books help considerably with keeping your eCommerce financials categorised, organised, and accurate. Here's a high-level overview of each accounting automation software:

A2X at a Glance

‍

‍

A2X automatically transfers your Amazon sales data to your accounting software. Breaking down your Amazon payouts into tidy summaries, the software reconciles your financial transactions for accurate bookkeeping. Summaries include metrics like Amazon sales, fees, refunds, and shipping.

A2X summaries also include your tax. With this information sitting nicely in your accounting solution, filing your tax returns becomes easier. And with the detailed reports that A2X generates, you can keep on top of your Amazon finances and improve your business processes too.

Link My Books at a Glace

‍

‍

Link My Books sits in between your Amazon account and accounting software. And, like A2X, it automatically transfers your Amazon sales data in the form of tidy summaries. Summaries are accurately recorded in your QuickBooks or Xero software, with revenue and expenses broken down and categorised accordingly.

Link My Books also accounts for taxes and COGS (cost of goods sold), applying the correct tax rates, regardless of the countries you sell in. Our software encourages you to expand your Amazon business by allowing you to connect to unlimited Amazon marketplaces, even with our cheapest subscription plan. We accurately calculate taxes on every item you sell.

Link My Books has some impressive (and unmatched) analytical and reporting tools. These can further help you to grow your brand and achieve success selling online.

A2X vs Link My Books: A Detailed Comparison

• Features
• Support
• Integrations
• Plans and Pricing

Features Compared

‍

‍

‍

First and foremost, we're going to go through the core features of A2X and Link My Books for Amazon sellers and accountants:

A2X

‍

‍

‍

• Certification course: A2X has a unique certification course for professional accountants and bookkeepers which covers a variety of eCommerce accounting-related topics. Once you've enhanced your A2X and accounting knowledge by completing the 9 on-demand video modules, you'll get a certification badge. Plus, you'll be added to the A2X accountant directory which could help you reach more clients.
• NetSuite integration: A2X integrates with NetSuite. Although not technically attributed directly to A2X, integrating with NetSuite adds features and functionality to a subscription. For example, users could benefit from order and inventory management tools, in addition to the NetSuite accounting solution. If you integrate with NetSuite, you can also benefit from chart of accounts mapping.
• Marketplace facilitator tax: If you're subject to marketplace facilitator tax, A2X recognises this and accounts for the tax already collected and submitted. Tax debit and credit information is also stored in your accounting software and as an A2X entry. This helps to ensure you're correctly reporting and paying your taxes.

Link My Books

‍

‍

• Benchmarking: Link My Books' reporting and analytical tools set it apart from A2X. Benchmarking is a feature unique to Link My Books. It effectively and accurately compares your Amazon business with similar businesses and industry averages. Giving users a percentile ranking for metrics like sales growth trend, advertising fee ratio, and refund ratio, Amazon sellers can conduct industry analysis to improve their ranking and ultimately grow their business.
• Profit & Loss by Channel: P & L by Channel allows you to compare business performance across all your sales channels. It looks at things like sales, refunds, advertising fees, and fulfilment fees (to name just a few), so you can see what you're doing right and where you're going wrong. For example, you might identify ways to bring your advertising costs down by comparing different approaches across multiple channels. With P & L by Channel, you can also do side-by-side comparisons and filter data by different time-periods.
• Guided Tax Wizard: Link My Books' Guided Tax Wizard was created with simplicity in mind. Its purpose is to help Amazon (and other eCommerce) sellers get their taxes right every time. The Guided Tax Wizard consists of just a few short questions about your tax rates. Once you've completed it, the same rules are applied to every item you sell, wherever that might be. You can also take advantage of a free 1:1 onboarding video call with our specialist team to help you with this process.

Where Link My Books' Features Beat A2X

‍

‍

Link My Books' reporting and analytical tools like Benchmarking and P & L by Channel is definitely one of the aspects with which Link My Books outranks its competitor. Detailed and accurate reporting capabilities such as these will guide growth, and help you make decisions based on real data, not just guess work.

Link My Books Benchmarking is also a first-of-its-kind feature. Its an innovative and powerful tool that you wont find elsewhere. Link My Books helps you to understand where your business thrives and where you need to make improvements. It eliminates the need to constantly research industry averages because the information is there, ready and waiting for you.

Where A2X's Features Beat Link My Books

‍

‍

A2X's Amazon NetSuite integration is its standout feature. NetSuite adds some useful capabilities to the software so that Amazon sellers can better manage aspects like inventory and orders. Additionally, the A2X certification course is great for professional accountants wanting to further establish themselves as experts in the eCommerce industry and potentially find more clients.

Support Compared

‍

‍

When it comes to relying on software for boosting your e commerce business, a strong level of support is crucial. This support should come in the form of setting up your account, rectifying technical issues, and offering practical advice for developing your Amazon store and brand.

With that in mind, let's get stuck into the support offered by A2X and Link My Books:

A2X

‍

‍

A2X conveniently has a 24/7 support system, where users can get in touch with the team any time of the day. This is especially useful given that users come from different time-zones. If you want to reach out to the A2X support team, you can do so via live chat and email.

There's also a support center and a community center where you can learn about different topics, including A2X, accounting, and eCommerce. Additionally, there's a page with resources like checklists, guides, and webinars which dive deeper into such topics.

Link My Books

‍

‍

‍

Excellent customer support is one of Link My Books' top priorities. Whether you need help setting up your Link My Books account, analysing your data, finding a reputable accountant, or growing your Amazon store, our support team, along with our educational resources, can help. Our support team is made up of accounting and eCommerce experts, who are all highly-experienced and qualified in their role.

The Link My Books website is packed with learning materials too, including webinars, how-to-guides, and informative blog posts. We cover a wide range of topics about e commerce accounting for different sales channels. And, building your business as a power seller, accountant, or even a brand new business. Furthermore, our podcast, 'The eCommerce Profitability Show', is the perfect resource for maximising your profitability.

Where Link My Books' Support Beats A2X

‍

‍

The Link My Books podcast, 'The Profitability Show', is a must-listen for all eCommerce businesses wanting to reach their potential and beyond. Hosted by Link My Books co-founder Dan (a former Amazon power seller), the show connects with successful businessmen and women who share their expertise with the audience.

One notable episode for Amazon sellers is called "How to Grow a Top Amazon Brand". In this episode, Dan speaks with Aaron Cordovez, co-founder and CEO of successful Amazon brand, Zulay Kitchen. They discuss proven strategies for growing your Amazon business and transforming your side-hustle into a powerhouse of profitable growth.

Where A2X's Support Beats Link My Books

‍

‍

A2X's round-the-clock support is undoubtedly the aspect with which it excels. 24/7 support is indicative of A2X's commitment to providing a high level of support that is both accessible and useful. This support could be an important factor for those working in a different time zone to A2X or those who work on their Amazon business in the evenings as a side hustle.

Integrations Compared

‍

‍

Integrations are the foundations of automated eCommerce accounting software like Link My Books and A2X. They refer to the different sales platforms, accounting/bookkeeping software, and payment processors that they connect with. Both software's connect with all major payment processors, which is useful for Amazon sellers operating across multiple eCommerce platforms, like Etsy, Walmart, Shopify, etc.

Payment processors aside though, here's a summary of each software's integrations:

A2X Integrations

‍

‍

A2X connects with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage, and NetSuite. With regards to sales channels, it can integrate:

• Amazon
• Etsy
• eBay
• Shopify
• Walmart
• BigCommerce

Link My Books Integrations

‍

‍

It doesn't matter whether you've opted for Xero or QuickBooks for Amazon FBA, because Link My Books integrates with both. They're two of the best accounting software for Amazon accounting. And, these are the sales channels you can connect to your Link My Books account:

• Amazon
• Shopify
• Walmart
• eBay
• Etsy
• WooCommerce
• TikTok Shop
• Square

Where Link My Books' Integrations Beat A2X

‍

‍

Link My Books offers two more eCommerce integrations than A2X. One of these is TikTok Shop. TikTok Shop is growing in popularity, particularly amongst younger generations. This inclusion opens the door for future growth opportunities on the platform.

Where A2X's Integrations Beat Link My Books

‍

‍

A2X integrates with an additional two accounting softwares; Sage and NetSuite. This makes it more flexible when it comes to choosing what accounting software you use. A2X is also suitable if you have a BigCommerce store.

Plans and Pricing Compared

‍

‍

Plans and their respective pricing is a pretty major consideration for Amazon sellers deciding between A2X and Link My Books. Here's an analysis of each:

A2X Pricing

‍

‍

A2X have recently increased in price. The cheapest (previously $19/month) is now $29/month. A2X is slightly complex in its pricing structure, particularly for those who sell on multiple channels. For example, if you have 5 Amazon Merchant IDs, you'll need a different plan than if you have 5 stores across different platforms.

As well as the number of Merchant IDs and eCommerce platforms, your price will also depend on the number of products your stores collectively sell.

‍

‍

If you sell products across multiple platforms, you'll need a 'Multi-Plan'. The price for these begins at a rather hefty $89/month. This allows you to connect 2 eCommerce channels and have up to 1,000 orders across both stores combined.

Conversely, the cheapest 'Mini' plan for $29/month allows up to 200 orders on one Amazon store. With this plan, you can only sell on one marketplace too.

You can try A2X for free.

Link My Books Pricing

‍

‍

Link My Books is considerably cheaper and you get way more for your money. We've also got a far more straightforward pricing structure. Instead of separating Amazon plans and multi-plans, we just have plans that include a set number of eCommerce sales channels.

There are three plans altogether; Lite, Pro, and Premium. You can use the slider at the top to adjust the number of orders you need to accommodate for per month and the price will adjust automatically to reflect this.

‍

‍

Our cheapest Lite plan, for $17/month allows up to 200 orders on one sales channel and an unlimited number of marketplaces. If you adjust the slider at the top to 1,000 orders, the Lite price becomes $35/month.

The Pro plan allows you to connect 5 eCommerce channels. And the Premium plan allows 10, regardless of the number of orders you have. For example, for 10,000 orders across 5 stores, you can get the Pro plan for $89/month. For $125, the Premium plan allows for 10,000 orders across 10 stores.

You can also try Link My Books for free.

The Winner for Pricing?

‍

‍

‍

It's pretty obvious by any stretch that Link My Books is victorious in the pricing category. Our plans are not only cheaper and simpler, but also more generous. Whether you have 5 stores on the same platform or 5 stores across different platforms, you can expect the same price.

How Does Link My Books Facilitate Accurate Multi-Channel eCommerce Accounting?

‍

‍

If you're operating across multiple sales channels, then Amazon accounting is just one element of your e commerce accounting setup. Link My Books is entirely flexible when it comes to multi-channel e commerce accounting. It delivers analytics, tax calculations, and reconciliation with pinpoint accuracy, whether you have an Amazon, Shopify, eBay, or Etsy store (or all 4!).

Payout Reconciliation

‍

‍

Link My Books reconciles bank account deposits from your Amazon account, ensuring they perfectly match your records. Bank account reconciliation takes just a few clicks.

Importing transactions

Link My Books consolidates your financial data across every sales channel, importing transactions and their corresponding data to both Link My Books and your Amazon accounting software.

Analytics

Compare your various sales channels for performance and expenditure. Analyse data by transaction type. Or, do side-by-side analysis of, for example, Amazon settlements and eBay settlements.

Calculating Tax

‍

‍

Link My Books takes over the time-consuming task of calculating your sales tax across all of your stores, regardless of order volume or geographical location of your customers. It automatically applies the correct tax rates to each order.

Do You Want to Switch to Link My Books?

‍

‍

Migrating from A2X to Link My Books really couldn't be any easier. Firstly, click on the 'Free Trial' button. Then go through this simple four-step process:

• Step 1: Fill in the short form by answering questions like what your business's name is and what sales channel you want to connect initially. Then click 'Next' and go through the process of connecting your sales channel, and QuickBooks or Xero account.
• Step 2: When you get to the Guided Tax Wizard, copy the same mapping that you used for your A2X ledger accounts. Save and move forward to complete the setup process.
• Step 3: Don't send any more data from Amazon (or any other channel) to A2X. Or, from A2X to your QuickBooks or Xero account.
• Step 4: Begin sending transactions and data from Link My Books to your QuickBooks or Xero account.

If you need any help migrating, please do reach out to our support team or choose the 1:1 onboarding option during the setup process.

Link My Books: Accurate Accounting For Amazon Sellers

‍

‍

Let's face it, E Commerce accounting is notoriously complex. Selling on Amazon in particular, with its FBA fees and global consumer-base, comes with some challenges. For accurate books, you not only need a reliable accounting software for organising your financials, tracking codes, and recording tax liabilities, but you also need a software to make this complex, time-consuming task straightforward.

Link My Books enables Amazon sellers around the world to keep on top of their transactions, finances, and tax liabilities. It transfers e commerce data from all your Amazon transactions over to your QuickBooks or Xero account, breaks it down, and simplifies it. Link My Books also facilitates multi-channel businesses and in-depth performance analysis.  

Whether you're solely an Amazon seller or you also sell on Etsy, Walmart, eBay, and TikTok Shop, Link My Books is a valuable software for eCommerce accountants and bookkeepers. Sign up today for your free trial and discover how we can help you grow.

‍