Winkel Factuur Insights
Creating invoices manually is time-consuming, error-prone, and frankly: a waste of your time. Yet many webshop entrepreneurs still do it themselves. In this article, we explain why automatic invoicing is a game-changer for your e-commerce business, how much time you can save, and how you can start automating today.
Automatic invoicing saves webshop owners hours per week by generating VAT-compliant invoices instantly for every order, eliminating manual data entry and errors.
Manual invoicing costs webshop owners hours per week and leads to errors, late payments, and VAT mistakes. Automatic invoicing generates, sends, and archives compliant invoices for every order without any manual work.
Automatic invoicing means that invoices are automatically created, sent, and archived without manual intervention. With every sale in your webshop or on a marketplace like bol.com, a professional invoice is generated instantly.
How does automatic invoicing work?
1. A customer places an order in your webshop or on bol.com/Amazon
2. The invoicing software automatically retrieves the order data
3. An invoice is generated with correct VAT calculation
4. The invoice is sent to the customer and/or uploaded to the platform
5. Everything is automatically archived for your administration
This entire process happens within seconds, without you having to do anything.
Pro Tip: With Winkel Factuur, you automate invoices for bol.com, Amazon, Shopify, and WooCommerce all at once.
Start your free trial →Many entrepreneurs underestimate how much time manual invoicing takes. Let's do the math:
Time per manual invoice:
• Looking up order details: 1-2 minutes
• Creating invoice in Word/Excel: 3-5 minutes
• Checking VAT percentage: 1 minute
• Sending/uploading invoice: 1-2 minutes
• Archiving: 1 minute
• Total: 7-11 minutes per invoice
With 100 orders per month:
• 100 × 9 minutes = 900 minutes = 15 hours per month
• At €50/hour = €750 in lost time
And we haven't even mentioned:
• Errors you need to correct
• Missed invoices (compliance risk)
• Stress from backlogged administration
• VAT errors leading to additional assessments
Automatic invoicing often costs less than €50 per month. The ROI is therefore enormous.
Test all features without credit card. Automatic invoices within minutes.
Start free trial →Automatic invoicing offers much more than just time savings:
1. Time savings
The most obvious benefit. No more manual work, focus on growth.
2. Error-free invoices
No typos, no wrong VAT percentages, no missing data. Software doesn't make mistakes due to fatigue.
3. Instant delivery
Customers receive their invoice immediately after ordering. No waiting time, better customer satisfaction.
4. VAT compliance
Automatic VAT calculation based on customer location, product type, and B2B/B2C. No hassle with Belgian VAT or OSS.
5. Professional appearance
Consistent, branded invoices strengthen your professional image.
6. Always compliant
Invoices automatically meet all legal requirements. No risk of fines.
7. Overview and reporting
All invoices centralized, easily searchable, perfect foundation for your accounting.
As a bol.com seller, automatic invoicing is not just convenient but almost necessary. bol.com has strict invoice requirements.
bol.com invoice requirements:
• Every order must receive a VAT invoice
• Invoices must be uploaded to the customer portal
• Belgian VAT must be calculated correctly
• Invoices count toward your seller performance
What happens without proper invoicing?
• Customers can complain (no invoice received)
• Your seller performance drops
• In extreme cases: account restrictions
• VAT problems during audits
How Winkel Factuur helps:
• Automatic invoice for every bol.com order
• Direct upload to bol.com customer portal
• Correct NL and BE VAT calculation
• UBL invoices for business customers
• Credit notes for returns
Selling on bol.com?
Automate your invoices and improve your seller performance immediately.
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For webshop platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, automatic invoicing is also valuable, though it works slightly differently than with marketplaces.
Shopify invoicing:
Shopify has no built-in invoice function that meets Dutch VAT requirements. You need external software for:
• Professional VAT invoices
• Automatic sending to customers
• Correct VAT calculation for EU sales
• UBL export for business customers
WooCommerce invoicing:
WooCommerce has plugins for invoicing, but these are often limited:
• Basic PDF invoices (not always compliant)
• No automatic VAT calculation for abroad
• No direct accounting integration
• Limited customizability
Benefits of external invoicing software:
• Works with all platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, bol.com, Amazon)
• One system for all your sales channels
• Professional templates
• Direct accounting integration
• VAT reports
One of the biggest benefits of automatic invoicing is correct VAT calculation. This is more complex than many entrepreneurs think.
VAT complexity in e-commerce:
• Dutch VAT: 21% standard, 9% reduced rate, 0% exempt
• Belgian VAT: 21% and 6% - must be remitted separately!
• German VAT: 19% and 7%
• B2B within EU: VAT reverse-charged (0%) with valid VAT number
• OSS scheme: After €10,000 threshold, VAT in customer's country
What Winkel Factuur does automatically:
1. Detects customer location (NL, BE, DE, etc.)
2. Checks if it's B2B or B2C
3. Validates VAT numbers automatically
4. Applies the correct VAT rate
5. Generates invoice with correct VAT rules
6. Tracks OSS revenue per country
Result: Always correct VAT, no manual checks, no additional assessments.
Ready to start with automatic invoicing? Here's how:
Step 1: Choose your invoicing software
Select software that fits your platforms. Winkel Factuur supports bol.com, Amazon, Shopify, WooCommerce, and more.
Step 2: Connect your sales channels
Link your webshop and/or marketplace accounts. This usually takes 5-10 minutes per platform.
Step 3: Configure your invoice template
• Upload your logo
• Set your company details
• Choose your invoice numbering
• Configure VAT settings
Step 4: Activate automatic invoicing
Turn on automatic mode. From now on, all orders are automatically invoiced.
Optional: Accounting integration
Connect your invoicing software to your accounting (Exact, Twinfield, etc.) for fully automated administration.
Time investment: 30-60 minutes for complete setup. After that, never manually create invoices again.
What does automatic invoicing cost?
Professional invoicing software costs between €9 and €50 per month, depending on the number of orders and features. With 50+ orders per month, you easily recoup this in time savings.
Can I customize my invoice template?
Yes, good invoicing software lets you use your own logo, colors, and text. Your invoices look professional and branded.
What if a customer needs a credit note?
For returns or cancellations, the software automatically creates a credit note that also goes to accounting.
Does it work for B2B customers too?
Yes, including reverse-charge invoices for EU business customers with valid VAT numbers and UBL invoices.
What about GDPR/privacy?
Professional software complies with GDPR. Customer data is securely processed and stored.
Can I still invoice historical orders?
Yes, most software can also import and invoice existing orders.
Let's put the two methods side by side:
Manual invoicing:
• Time investment: 7-11 minutes per invoice
• Error risk: High (typos, wrong VAT)
• Cost: Free (but time loss)
• Scalability: Poor (more orders = more work)
• VAT compliance: Manual checking
• Professionalism: Variable
Automatic invoicing:
• Time investment: 0 minutes per invoice
• Error risk: Minimal (software checks)
• Cost: €9-50 per month
• Scalability: Excellent (10 or 10,000 orders)
• VAT compliance: Automatically correct
• Professionalism: Consistently high
Conclusion: From ~30 orders per month, automatic invoicing is always more cost-effective than manual.
Let's calculate the concrete ROI for an average webshop:
Situation: 200 orders per month
• Manual invoicing: 200 × 9 min = 30 hours/month
• Value of your time: €40/hour
• Cost manual: 30 × €40 = €1,200/month
With automatic invoicing:
• Setup time (one-time): 1 hour
• Monthly software costs: €29
• Time for review: 30 min/month
• Total monthly cost: €49/month
Monthly savings: €1,151
Annual savings: €13,812
And we haven't even mentioned:
• Avoided VAT errors and additional assessments
• Better seller performance on bol.com
• Less stress and more focus on growth
Automatic invoicing is no longer a luxury but a necessity for every serious e-commerce entrepreneur. The benefits are clear:
• Time savings: Free up hours per week for growth
• Error reduction: No more wrong VAT or typos
• Compliance: Always meet invoice requirements
• Professionalism: Consistent, branded invoices
• Scalability: Grow without administrative growth
The investment is minimal (often less than the cost of one hour of manual work) and the payback period is within the first month.
Selling on bol.com, Amazon, Shopify, or WooCommerce?
Then automatic invoicing is not optional but essential. Start today and experience the difference.
Professional invoicing software costs between EUR 9 and EUR 50 per month, depending on the number of orders and features. With 50 or more orders per month, you easily recoup this in time savings compared to manual invoicing.
The software detects the customer's location, checks whether the transaction is B2B or B2C, validates VAT numbers automatically, and applies the correct VAT rate. It also tracks OSS revenue per country, so you always charge the right amount.
Yes. Winkel Factuur connects directly to the bol.com API and automatically creates a VAT invoice for every order. Invoices are uploaded to the bol.com customer portal, with correct NL and BE VAT calculation and credit notes for returns.
Yes. Winkel Factuur integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, bol.com, and Amazon. Once connected, every order from any platform automatically generates a professional invoice without manual work.
The complete setup typically takes 30 to 60 minutes. This includes connecting your sales channels, configuring your invoice template, and setting VAT preferences. After that, you never have to create invoices manually again.