Hey everyone,

French e-commerce entrepreneur here, relocating to Riga in April 2026. I run multiple Shopify stores (dropshipping model, 750k€ annual revenue, 8-9 shops across EU markets).

Current situation:

  • In France, I pay €100/month for full accounting with Dougs.fr (software of automation)
  • Got quotes from Latvian firms: €800-1500/month (Euroaudit, BDO, Grant Thornton)
  • That's 8-15x what I currently pay – feels like a rip-off for expats

What I'm considering:

  • Pats.lv SaaS (€50/month) for automation
  • Freelance accountant (2-3h/month) for validation + VAT declarations
  • Total: €130-200/month vs €1000+ for big firms

Questions for the community:

  1. Who are you using for accounting?
    • Real monthly cost (not website prices)
    • Satisfied or not?
    • Any hidden fees?
  2. Is the Pats.lv + freelance combo legal?
    • Anyone doing this successfully?
    • Any issues with tax authorities (SRS)?
  3. Freelance accountant recommendations?
    • Names/contacts of reliable ones
    • Hourly rates you actually pay
    • Good experience with e-commerce/multi-country VAT?
  4. Am I missing something?
    • Do big firms at €1000/month provide value I don't see?
    • Or are they just overcharging expats who don't know better?

My setup:

  • ~500 sales/month across shops
  • Multi-country VAT (FR, UK, IT, DE)
  • OSS declarations
  • Dropshipping from China
  • Need: monthly VAT + quarterly reports + annual filing

I'm okay paying €200-300/month if it's worth it, but I refuse to pay €1000+ for prestige I don't need.

Looking for real experiences !

Thanks!

by Horror-Milk-1499

4 comments

  1. I was going to say BDO and Grant Thornton are well beyond what you need for 750k€/pa revenue as they’re full service accountancy (incl. audit) and consulting firms. That said, you’ll be hard pressed to find an actual specialist to help you properly on the cheap due to your set up so it may be better for you to go for them? I’ve worked with the UK arms of both, they’re decent. Not amazing but will do the job – even if a little pricey.

    What I wouldn’t do is use a freelance. That’s a recipe for disaster due to the structure IMO.

  4. [pats.lv](http://pats.lv) doesn’t work for SIA (LLC), even though they advertise it. It’s a messy alpha-stage version of a service.

    E-commerce automation is what accountants set up with their clients on a case-by-case basis – reach out to smaller service providers and inquire about setting up an option for you, then you could look at ~250 EUR per month.

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