Online sellers are scrambling after learning today they'll no longer be able to use GoDaddy Bookkeeping to track expenses and prepare their taxes. eBay sellers in particular are desperately seeking alternatives.
One seller told us, "This is major, Ina, as I don't know if QuickBooks even has the ability to import our eBay sales, let alone from multiple eBay stores."
GoDaddy sent the following message to customers this morning:
Online Bookkeeping will retire in 30 days.
After much consideration, we've made the decision to discontinue Online Bookkeeping on June 18, 2022. At that time, the Online Bookkeeping tool will stop importing transactions from your connected channels and your existing data will be archived. To provide you with the best possible experience going forward, we've partnered with Intuit to offer you a special discount on QuickBooks Online.
You have until September 30 to download your Online Bookkeeping content. You can either move your data to QuickBooks using our migration tool or export your .csv file and import it to another accounting platform. You'll receive a prorated return for any time remaining on your term.
We appreciate your business and are here to help make your transition as smooth as possible.
Our reader explained the dilemma he and online sellers faced:
"We've been using Go Daddy bookkeeping for over a decade, so this is really bad news. At only $10 and some change/month, it's been the most affordable bookkeeping system we found for importing eBay sales and for preparing for our taxes.
"Does anyone have suggestions besides QuickBooks? Or, does anyone know if QuickBooks can import multiple eBay stores?
"I’m sure QuickBooks is far more expensive than what we've been paying for Go Daddy bookkeeping. So disappointed in this news."
Quickbooks Online pricing is available on
this page, and GoDaddy provided the following faq about the discount it had negotiated for its users, which is good for one year:
How much will Intuit's QuickBooks Online cost me?
We have negotiated a good deal for you on QuickBooks Online. You can get 40% off the subscription fee for the first year on any of the plans, starting at $25/month. For comparison, if you were using the GoDaddy Bookkeeping Essential plan, you should find most of its features in Quickbooks online "Simple start" plan.
We had heard rumblings in March about GoDaddy Bookkeeping's possible demise and had reached out to the company. A GoDaddy spokesperson initially said, "We still offer GoDaddy Bookkeeping for sale to our customers and we haven't sent any notifications that we're discontinuing the product," and in a follow-up note, wrote, "We checked and customers can still set up new accounts by calling in. We're still looking into the other details and will be in touch."
Unfortunately by waiting until today to confirm the news, it leaves sellers only 30 days to search for an alternative and get it up and running. We sent another inquiry to GoDaddy this morning.
Some sellers discussing the news online were skeptical, fearing it was a phishing email, but in a
faq on its website ("Why is GoDaddy Online Bookkeeping being discontinued?"), the company wrote the following:
"GoDaddy Bookkeeping has a great set of features that meet customer's need and is nominally priced. Over these years, we have worked hard to ensure the reliability and performance of the product. But the company's strategic priorities have shifted away from bookkeeping and we may not give the full attention this product desires. Other bookkeeping tools on the market may be good fit for your needs in the future."
We'll keep an eye out for any announcement from eBay or other marketplaces - if you get one, please forward it to us and we'll share it here. And please share your suggestions for colleagues about alternative bookkeeping tools that integrate with ecommerce platforms along with the costs of using them.