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Commerce marketingReviewed September 7, 2026

What is Cost of goods sold?

Cost of goods sold is the cost assigned to the products sold during a period, used to calculate gross profit.

Who this applies to#

  • Use cost of goods sold for the products included in the matching sales period

What Cost of goods sold requires#

  • Record cost per item before the sale if you expect product-level profit reporting to include it
Shopify

Shopify profit reports depend on cost per item recorded for products and variants when they are sold

What this does not require#

  • Cost of goods sold does not include every operating expense paid by the business

Common mistakes#

  1. Using current product cost for historical sales without checking the reporting method
  2. Treating COGS as total business expenses

Cost of goods sold checklist#

  • Define included costs
  • Match costs to sold units
  • Reconcile returns
  • Calculate gross profit

Official sources#