Is Xero Good for Australian Resellers?

What Xero Does Well

Xero is a genuinely excellent accounting platform. Its Australian bank feeds are the best in the industry — transactions flow in automatically and matching is intuitive. Invoicing is polished, reporting is comprehensive, and your accountant almost certainly knows how to use it. For service businesses, traditional retail, and companies with employees, Xero is hard to beat.

Where Xero Falls Short for Resellers

The problem is that Xero wasn't designed for resellers. Key shortcomings include:

• No platform imports: No native connection to eBay, Depop, or Facebook Marketplace. You'd need third-party apps (extra cost) or manual data entry.
• No per-item COGS: Xero tracks inventory in bulk, not per listing. For resellers selling unique items, this is a fundamental gap.
• Complex for simple businesses: A sole trader selling 50 items/month on eBay doesn't need payroll, invoicing, or project tracking. Xero's complexity is unnecessary overhead.
• Expensive: Starting at $29/month (and most resellers need the $60+ plan for full features), it's costly for the value it provides to small resellers.

The Verdict

Xero is a great product for the wrong audience. If you're a full-time reseller with employees and complex financials, Xero works — with significant customisation. For everyone else, purpose-built tools are a better fit. See our Franked vs Xero comparison and best accounting software guide for alternatives.