10 AI Tools Online Sellers Can Write Off in 2026

Can online sellers deduct AI tools?

Yes! If you pay for AI software to help run or grow an online selling business, it can count as a write-off. The IRS small-business tax guide says a business expense must be ordinary and necessary for your work.

That applies whether you sell through your own storefront or a marketplace such as Etsy, Amazon, or eBay. To claim it, make sure these two things are true:

• A business: You run the store to make a profit. Casual sales from cleaning out your closet may be a hobby rather than a business.

• Business use: The tool helps with work such as researching products, building listings, editing product images, marketing your store, or supporting customers.

You do not need an LLC to claim business expenses. Keeper’s online seller write-off guide covers the rest of the costs that can come with running a store.

10 AI tools online sellers can write off

Listings and store research

1. ChatGPT can help research a market, compare products, draft listings, and turn store data into a working plan. If you use ChatGPT to help you with any business tasks, it counts as a write-off. If you use the same subscription for both personal and business chats, deduct the business-use portion.

2. Shopify Sidekick and Shopify Magic can generate product descriptions and images, answer questions about store data, and complete tasks in the Shopify admin. Sidekick is included with Shopify, so there is no separate AI cost to deduct. If you have a paid Shopify plan, it counts as a write-off.

3. Helium 10 Listing Builder uses AI-enhanced copywriting and keyword data to create and optimize Amazon listings. If you use Helium 10 to update product listings, it counts as a write-off.

4. eRank gives Etsy sellers keyword data, listing audits, and an AI Listing Helper that generates title, description, and tag ideas. If you use eRank to do research for your business, it counts as a write-off.

Product photos and design

5. Canva Magic Studio can generate and edit product images, resize store graphics, remove backgrounds, and create marketing assets. If you use Canva Pro to create or edit images for your store, it counts as a write-off.

6. Photoroom uses AI to create product photography, remove backgrounds, and generate image variations. If you use Photoroom for listing images or ads, it counts as a write-off.

Marketing and customer support

7. CapCut Pro uses AI to generate scripts, captions, voiceovers, and short product videos for social media. If you use CapCut Pro to edit store ads, it counts as a write-off.

8. Omnisend uses AI to write emails and subject lines, build customer segments, recommend products, and personalize campaigns. If you use Omnisend for email marketing, it counts as a write-off.

9. Tidio gives solo sellers an AI customer-service agent that can answer common questions and recommend products when no one is available to reply. If you use Tidio for customer support, it counts as a write-off.

Amazon account management

10. Claude can compare listings and work with seller data through a connector. For example, this Amazon seller connected Seller Central to Claude through Agent Central to help manage PPC. If you use Claude to set pricing, it counts as a write-off.

Deduct what you paid—not the AI feature

You can only deduct platforms or subscription fees you actually paid. If a platform includes an AI feature for free, you cannot claim a second deduction for the feature. Deduct the business-use share of the platform fee instead.

That rule covers the common ways sellers pay for AI:

• Subscriptions: Monthly or annual software plans.

• Usage charges: Image generations, API calls, support resolutions, and other metered fees.

• Marketplace apps: Paid apps added to Shopify or another ecommerce platform.

• Bundled features: AI included in a broader store, design, marketing, or support plan.

AI software is not inventory

Products you buy to resell usually belong in inventory and cost of goods sold. An AI subscription used to research, list, price, or market those products is a software expense instead. It does not become inventory just because it helps you sell inventory.

Most recurring AI subscriptions and usage charges can go in Part V of Schedule C under “Other Expenses.” A label such as “AI and ecommerce software” makes the total easy to trace. If you use a tool only to create or run ads, advertising is another reasonable category. Pick one and use it consistently.

Split subscriptions across stores and personal use

Amount paid × business-use percentage = potential deduction

Say you pay $40 per month for a design tool and use it 75% for product photos and 25% for personal projects. Your potential business deduction is $30 per month.

If the same plan supports two stores, divide the business share again using a reasonable method such as projects, exports, orders, or time. Keeper supports multiple businesses and lets you split an expense between them, making it easier to keep each business’s share organized in the right place.

Keep a record of each AI expense

The IRS recordkeeping guide recommends keeping records that support the amount, date, and vendor of each expense.

• Save the invoice: Keep the vendor, date, subscription or usage charge, and amount.

• Match the payment: Keep the card or bank transaction, especially when the billing name differs from the product name.

• Show your split: Write down how you divided business and personal use or allocated one plan across stores.

• Subtract refunds: Track refunds and promotional credits. You can only deduct what you paid.

You can do all this yourself, or let Keeper do the work for you. Keeper automatically tracks transactions, categorizes each expense, and keeps the records connected to your business.