Invoice Template for E-Commerce Businesses: Templates, Guides, and How-To
Free e-commerce invoice template plus a guide to sales tax, wholesale Net terms, and invoicing from Shopify, Stripe, Amazon, and Etsy orders.
Most online orders are paid at checkout. A buyer adds to cart, pays by card, and Shopify or Stripe emails a receipt. No invoice changes hands, and none is needed. Against a U.S. e-commerce backdrop that reached roughly $1.19 trillion in retail sales in 2023, even small online sellers run into the orders that receipts alone don't cover.
The moment a wholesale buyer wants Net 30 terms, a corporate client asks for a PO-referenced invoice, or a state auditor asks how you calculated sales tax on a $14,000 order to a Texas reseller, the receipt stops being enough. Knowing when to send an invoice, what to include, and when to use ACH instead of card payments can help you protect margin and keep clearer records.
When do e-commerce businesses still need invoices?
A receipt confirms a completed purchase; an invoice requests payment and documents terms — they are not the same. Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, Square, and Amazon all generate receipts automatically after a card charge clears. That covers the bulk of direct-to-consumer sales.
You need a real invoice when:
- A B2B or wholesale buyer is placing the order. They expect Net 15 or Net 30 terms, not a card swipe at checkout.
- The order is custom or large. A 500-unit private-label run usually needs a 50% deposit invoice, then a balance invoice on delivery.
- You're selling into a marketplace partnership or dropship arrangement. The partner's AP department pays from invoices, not receipts.
- The buyer is tax-exempt. A resale certificate on file means you need an invoice that shows zero sales tax with the exemption referenced.
- A [chargeback](/business-banking-security/chargebacks) or refund dispute lands on your desk. An itemized invoice with shipping address, SKU detail, and signed terms is stronger evidence than a Stripe receipt.
Invoices also matter for clean bookkeeping. Receipts dump into your accounting system as a single line; invoices preserve SKU-level detail, tax breakdowns, and PO numbers your accountant and any future auditor will want to see.
What should an e-commerce invoice include?
A complete e-commerce invoice has eight blocks. Missing details can slow down payment because buyers may need to ask for corrected billing, tax, or PO information.
- Seller details. Legal business name, address, EIN, and a contact email or phone for billing questions.
- Buyer details. Bill-to name and address, ship-to address if different, and the buyer's purchase order number.
- Invoice metadata. A unique invoice number, the issue date, and the due date (or terms like "Net 30").
- Line items. SKU, product description, quantity, unit price, and line total for each item. Show discounts on their own line so the math is auditable.
- Shipping. Carrier, method, and cost as a separate line.
- Sales tax. Broken out by jurisdiction when needed, with the tax rate visible.
- Payment instructions. Accepted methods (ACH, card via Stripe link, check), bank details for ACH, and any early-payment discount like "2/10 Net 30."
- Policies. Return window, warranty terms, and a reference to your standard sale terms.
For wholesale invoices, also include the buyer's resale certificate number and the marketplace or sales channel the order came through.
Where can I get a free e-commerce invoice template?
The template below works for direct-to-consumer custom orders, wholesale orders, dropship arrangements, and B2B marketplace sales. Copy it into Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Google Sheets, Excel, or export to PDF when you're ready to send.
INVOICE
[Your Business Name]
[Street Address, City, State ZIP]
EIN: [XX-XXXXXXX]
billing@[yourdomain].com | [phone]
Bill To: Ship To:
[Buyer Company] [Ship-to Name]
[Buyer Contact Name] [Street Address]
[Street Address] [City, State ZIP]
[City, State ZIP]
AP Email: [ap@buyer.com]
Invoice #: INV-2026-0142 Issue Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]
PO #: [Buyer PO Number] Due Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]
Order Source: [Shopify / Amazon / Etsy / Direct] Terms: Net 30
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SKU DESCRIPTION QTY UNIT PRICE LINE TOTAL
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[SKU-001] [Product name, variant] [50] $[12.00] $[600.00]
[SKU-002] [Product name, variant] [25] $[18.00] $[450.00]
Wholesale discount (10%) -$[105.00]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal: $[945.00]
Shipping (UPS Ground): $[42.00]
Sales tax (TX, 8.25% on $945): $[77.96]
TOTAL: $[1,064.96]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Resale Certificate on File: [Yes / No (Cert # XXXXXXXX)]
Payment Methods:
ACH (preferred): Routing [XXXXXXXXX] Account [XXXXXXXXXX]
Card: [Stripe payment link]
Check: Payable to [Your Business Name], mail to address above
Terms: Net 30 from issue date. 1.5% monthly late fee after due date.
Returns: 14 days from delivery, unopened, original packaging.
Warranty: [reference to standard terms URL]
Questions? billing@[yourdomain].comGet it in the format you actually want. The text above is portable. Paste it into Google Docs or Microsoft Word as a plain document, into Google Sheets or Excel as a spreadsheet, or export either to PDF when you're ready to send. To build a spreadsheet version with live calculations, paste the template into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini and ask for an Excel or Google Sheets file with formulas for line totals, subtotal, shipping, sales tax, and grand total. A prompt that works: "Turn this invoice template into a fillable Excel spreadsheet where I enter SKU, quantity, and unit price, and the line totals, subtotal, shipping, sales tax (let me set the rate), and grand total calculate automatically. Add a second tab for a customer list I can pull bill-to and ship-to addresses from."
How do I invoice as an e-commerce seller, step by step?
Step 1: Decide if you need an invoice or just a receipt
If the buyer paid by card at checkout, the platform receipt is enough for most consumer orders. Send a real invoice when the order is B2B, the buyer asked for one, the buyer needs Net terms, or the order will be paid by ACH or check after the fact.
Step 2: Pull order details from your dashboard
In Shopify, open the order and copy the order number, SKUs, quantities, and ship-to address. In WooCommerce, the order detail page has the same fields. For Amazon Seller Central, the Order ID and shipping address live under Manage Orders; for Etsy, under Sold Orders. Marketplace order IDs go in the PO field on your invoice so the buyer can reconcile.
Step 3: Add tax and shipping based on the ship-to state
Many states use destination-based sales-tax sourcing, but rules vary by state; confirm the sourcing rule for each state where you have nexus. If you have nexus in the buyer's state (more on this below), add the state and any local rates as a separate line. Shipping is its own line. Bundling it into the unit price makes returns and tax math messy.
Step 4: Send via email with a payment link
Attach the invoice as a PDF and include a payment link in the email body. For ACH, give bank details directly; for card, paste a Stripe or similar payment link. Put the invoice number and PO number in the email subject so AP teams can route it.
Step 5: Track status and send reminders
Mark the invoice as sent, then check status weekly. A standard cadence: a friendly reminder three days before the due date, a firmer one the day after, and a phone call seven days past due. Many overdue B2B invoices clear after one reminder, especially when the original email missed the right AP contact.
How should e-commerce sellers invoice wholesale and B2B orders?
B2B and wholesale ecommerce orders typically use Net 15 or Net 30 terms rather than card-at-checkout. A boutique buying 200 units doesn't want a card fee baked into the order, and you don't want to absorb it.
Four practices keep wholesale invoicing clean:
- Use ACH, not card, for orders above a few thousand dollars. Standard Stripe card processing runs 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful online transaction, so on a $10,000 wholesale order the card fee alone is about $290.30.
ACH transfers are typically priced as a flat fee or a much lower percentage, which is why ACH is generally cheaper for large wholesale and B2B invoices — confirm current ACH pricing with your bank or processor before quoting terms.
- Require a deposit on custom or large runs. A 50% deposit invoice on order confirmation and a balance invoice at ship date protects you if the buyer cancels mid-production.
- Collect a resale certificate before the first order. Keep it on file with an expiration date and reference the certificate number on every tax-exempt invoice.
- Document terms in writing. Net 30 from invoice date, late fee percentage, and return window should all appear on the invoice itself, not just in a separate agreement.
How do sales tax rules apply to e-commerce invoices?
Sales tax is where ecommerce invoicing gets technical. Two rules drive everything.
Nexus determines whether you collect. You owe sales tax in a state when you have nexus there: either a physical presence (an office, warehouse, or employees) or economic nexus from crossing the state's sales threshold. In South Dakota v. Wayfair (2018), the Supreme Court held that states may require out-of-state sellers to collect sales tax even without a physical presence, which opened the door to today's economic nexus regimes.
Economic nexus thresholds vary by state and can change, so check each state's current sales-tax rules before deciding whether to collect tax.
Marketplace facilitators often collect for you. Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Walmart, and Target collect and remit sales tax for eligible marketplace transactions in many states, but sellers should confirm how each marketplace handles each state. Your direct Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce sales are different. You collect, file, and remit sales tax yourself in any state where you have nexus.
On the invoice itself:
- Show sales tax as a separate line, not folded into the unit price.
- Note the jurisdiction and rate (e.g., "Sales tax (CA, 8.75% on $2,400)").
- For tax-exempt buyers, show "$0.00 (Resale Cert #XXXXX on file)" so the exemption is documented.
- Save invoices for the longer of your state's sales-tax recordkeeping period and your federal recordkeeping window.
Ecommerce sellers should keep invoices for at least 3 years to support state sales tax audits, and some states require longer. The IRS generally has three years from the date a return is filed to assess additional tax, and that window extends to six years when income is substantially underreported.
State sales-tax retention periods can be longer than the federal baseline — California, for example, requires sellers to keep sales and use tax records for at least four years.
How does invoicing with Novo work for e-commerce?
Novo is a fintech offering business banking solutions for small ecommerce operators, with a $0 monthly fee and no minimum balance requirement on the Novo business checking account. The invoicing tools are part of the account, not a separate subscription. Eligible deposits are insured for up to $250,000 through our partner bank, Middlesex Federal Savings, Member FDIC.
What you get for ecommerce invoicing:
- Unlimited invoices from the dashboard. Send as many invoices as you need with no per-invoice fee. Novo lets you send unlimited invoices from the dashboard and accept ACH or card payments.
- ACH and card acceptance. Buyers can pay by ACH or by card through the Stripe integration.
- Direct integrations with your sales stack. Novo integrates directly with Shopify, Stripe, Square, and PayPal, so platform payouts land in your Novo business checking account without a manual transfer step.
- $0 monthly fees and no minimum balance. Novo business checking has a $0 monthly fee and no minimum balance requirement.
- Reserves for sales tax and inventory. Novo Reserves let ecommerce sellers set aside money for sales tax and inventory inside their Novo checking account, so the tax you collected is visually separated from your operating balance.
One tradeoff to know up front: Novo does not accept cash deposits, which matters for sellers with in-person sales channels like pop-ups, craft fairs, or trade shows. If you take cash regularly, you'll need a separate way to handle it.
What are common e-commerce invoicing questions?
Do I need to send an invoice for every online order?
No. For standard card-at-checkout consumer orders, the platform-generated receipt is enough. Send a real invoice when the buyer is B2B, the buyer asked for one, the order uses Net terms, or the order is custom or wholesale.
What's the difference between a receipt and an invoice?
A receipt confirms a completed purchase; an invoice requests payment and documents terms — they are not the same. Receipts are issued after payment; invoices are issued before payment and include the due date, accepted payment methods, and itemized line totals.
How do I invoice an international customer?
Use the same template, but add the buyer's VAT or tax ID if they have one, quote the total in the buyer's currency or in USD with a clearly stated rate, and note any duties or import fees the buyer is responsible for. International ACH isn't standard, so most international ecommerce invoices are paid by wire or card. Novo supports incoming international wires but does not send outgoing international wires directly.
Can I automate invoicing from Shopify or WooCommerce?
For direct-to-consumer orders, Shopify and WooCommerce already auto-send receipts. For wholesale or B2B orders, you can use a wholesale app (Shopify has several) that generates an invoice and emails it with a payment link. You can also export the order to your invoicing tool of choice and send manually.
How long should I keep ecommerce invoices?
Keep invoices for at least three years federally. The IRS assessment window can extend to six years when income is substantially underreported, and state sales-tax recordkeeping periods may be longer, so check your state's published rules and keep records to the longest applicable window.