Amazon's New QuickBooks Integration: What Sellers Should Know (And an Alternative Approach)
Amazon now offers embedded QuickBooks access in Seller Central. But is giving Amazon direct access to your financial data the right move? Here's what you need to know — and a different way to connect your accounting without sharing everything.
Amazon recently announced a new integration that embeds QuickBooks Online directly into Seller Central. The pitch? Manage your finances and Amazon business in one place.
On the surface, it sounds convenient. But the reaction from sellers has been… mixed.
Let’s break down what this integration actually does, why some sellers are hesitant, and how you can get the benefits of connecting Amazon and QuickBooks without the tradeoffs.
What Amazon’s QuickBooks Integration Does
The new embedded QuickBooks app in Seller Central lets you:
- View profit and loss trends alongside your Amazon performance
- Track sales, fees, and expenses in one dashboard
- Monitor payout details with transaction breakdowns
- See inventory levels across sales channels
First-time QuickBooks users get a three-month free trial. After that, standard QuickBooks Online pricing applies.
In the official partnership announcement, Intuit’s CEO framed the integration as a growth tool, noting that businesses using QuickBooks have “a nearly 20-point higher success rate” than those without it.
Why Some Sellers Are Skeptical
The announcement — first reported by CNBC in late 2024 — sparked debate in seller communities. The core concern: data access.
To use this integration, you’re giving Amazon visibility into your QuickBooks data — your margins, your costs, your financial health. For some sellers, that’s a dealbreaker.
“Why would I give Amazon data so they can see exactly how much money I make?”
This isn’t paranoia. Amazon already requires supplier invoices for verification, reimbursements, and appeals. Sellers have long worried about Amazon using business data for competitive insights — whether to inform private label decisions, adjust fee structures, or prioritize certain product categories.
Adding direct access to your accounting software raises the stakes.
There’s also the cost question. QuickBooks Online isn’t cheap, and as one seller noted, Intuit has a history of raising subscription prices by 25-50% every year or two. A three-month trial is nice, but the long-term cost adds up.
The Real Problem: You Need Both Integrations, But Not Like This
Here’s the thing: connecting your Amazon sales to your accounting is valuable. Understanding your true profitability across fees, COGS, and returns matters. And if you sell on multiple channels, having a unified view of your finances is essential.
But there’s a difference between:
- Giving Amazon access to your books (what this integration does)
- Pulling Amazon data into a system you control (a better approach)
The second option gives you the insights without the exposure.
A Different Approach: Keep Your Data Yours
At Craftybase, we’ve built integrations with both Amazon and QuickBooks — but they work differently.
How it works:
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Amazon integration: We import your Amazon orders, products, and fees into Craftybase. You see what sold, what it cost, and what you actually kept after Amazon’s cut. Learn more →
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QuickBooks integration: We sync your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) and inventory valuations to QuickBooks as journal entries. Your accountant gets accurate numbers without manual data entry. Learn more →
The key difference? Amazon never sees your QuickBooks data. The information flows through Craftybase, where you control what goes where.
What You Get With This Approach
Accurate COGS Without the Guesswork
Craftybase calculates your true cost of goods sold — factoring in materials, labor, overhead, and weighted averages. That flows to QuickBooks automatically.
No spreadsheets. No manual journal entries. No month-end scramble.
Multi-Channel Visibility
If you sell on Amazon and Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, or Faire, you need a system that sees everything. Craftybase pulls orders from all your channels into one inventory, so you know your real stock levels and profitability across the board.
Stock Push to Keep Channels in Sync
When your inventory changes — whether from a manufacture, an adjustment, or a sale — Craftybase can push those updates back to your connected stores. Your WooCommerce and Shopify stock stays accurate without manual updates.
This is something Amazon’s QuickBooks integration doesn’t offer. It’s focused on financial reporting, not operational inventory management.
Cost-Effective for Small Manufacturers
QuickBooks Online Advanced (the tier with the most robust inventory features) runs around $275/month. For many makers, that’s overkill.
Craftybase plans start at a fraction of that cost and are purpose-built for small-batch manufacturers and handmade sellers. You get inventory tracking, COGS automation, and QuickBooks sync without paying for enterprise features you’ll never use.
When Amazon’s Integration Might Make Sense
To be fair, if you:
- Sell exclusively on Amazon
- Already use QuickBooks Online
- Don’t have concerns about data sharing
- Want a simple, single-platform view
…then the embedded QuickBooks app might be convenient.
But if you sell on multiple channels, make your own products, or want to keep your financial data independent from Amazon, there’s a better path.
The Bottom Line
Amazon’s QuickBooks integration isn’t inherently bad. It’s a tool, and for some sellers, it’ll be useful.
But for makers who want:
- Control over their financial data
- Multi-channel inventory management
- Automatic COGS sync to QuickBooks
- Stock push to keep storefronts accurate
- A cost-effective solution built for small manufacturers
…Craftybase offers a different approach. One where you get the benefits of connected systems without giving Amazon the keys to your books.
See how Craftybase connects Amazon and QuickBooks →
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does Craftybase integrate with Amazon? A: Yes. Craftybase imports your Amazon orders, products, and fees automatically. You can see true profitability after Amazon’s cut, track inventory, and calculate accurate COGS.
Q: Does Craftybase sync with QuickBooks? A: Yes. Craftybase syncs your Cost of Goods Sold and inventory valuations to QuickBooks Online as journal entries. Your books stay accurate without manual data entry.
Q: Can I use Craftybase if I sell on multiple channels? A: Absolutely. Craftybase connects with Amazon, Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, Faire, Square, and more. All your orders flow into one inventory system.
Q: Does Craftybase offer stock sync? A: Yes. Our Stock Push feature syncs your inventory levels back to connected channels like Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce — so your storefronts always reflect what you actually have available.
Q: Is Craftybase cheaper than QuickBooks? A: Craftybase isn’t a replacement for QuickBooks — it’s a complement. But our plans are significantly less expensive than QuickBooks Online Advanced, and purpose-built for makers who need inventory and COGS tracking, not full-scale accounting software.
