Setting Up Cost of Goods (COGS)
Overview
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is the direct product cost of the units you sell. Setting it in Dashboardly makes Gross Profit, Net Profit, Margin, and ROI meaningful instead of overstated.
Dashboardly keeps two seller-entered costs separate:
- Unit COG is the direct product cost for one unit.
- FBS shipping / unit is an outbound seller-fulfilled shipping fallback used only when TikTok does not provide an order shipping cost.
Both values can be stored as dated periods. An Effective Date controls when a value starts, and the value remains active until the next dated value begins. Adding a July cost therefore does not rewrite the cost used for March.
Product Defaults and SKU Overrides
Use a product-level value when all variants share the same cost. A SKU can have its own dated periods when that variant costs more or less.
Dashboardly resolves the dated fallback for a sold unit in this order:
- The SKU period active on the order date
- The product period active on the order date
- Zero if neither level has a usable value
A SKU-specific value overrides the product default only for that SKU. It does not change the other variants.
Manage One SKU from Product Overview
Open a product in Sales & Profit, then select Manage Unit COG.
- If a specific SKU tab is selected, the manager opens directly for that SKU.
- If All SKUs is selected on a multi-SKU product, Dashboardly asks you to choose a SKU before editing.
- If the product has only one SKU, it is selected automatically.
The manager shows the currently effective Unit COG and the complete dated history. Use Edit current period to correct the selected period or Add new period to schedule a new cost.
The date range selected on the report does not limit the cost period you can manage. Profit calculations use whichever COG period was active on each order date.
Manage Costs from Inventory
Inventory is the main workspace for product defaults, SKU overrides, outbound FBS shipping defaults, and cost history.
Edit a Product or SKU
Use the pencil beside Unit COG or Shipping Cost / Unit on the appropriate row. Product rows manage defaults; expanded SKU rows manage variant-specific overrides.
Update Several Products
Select Bulk costs to apply Unit COG, FBS shipping / unit, or both to several products with an immediate or custom Effective Date. Leaving one cost field blank preserves that value.
Import a Spreadsheet
Select Import Costs and choose the layout that best matches your workflow:
- Products only — one default-cost row per product; this is the default.
- Tree view — products followed by their child SKUs.
- Flat view — SKU rows only.
Download the current template, enter values in New Unit COG and/or New FBS Shipping Cost, and upload it again. Existing/current-value columns are reference-only.
Import Multiple Cost Periods at Once
Repeat the same Product or SKU row and give each row its own Effective Date.
| Seller SKU | Effective Date | New Unit COG | New FBS Shipping Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ------------ | ---------------- | -------------: | ----------------------: |
| SKU-RED-M | 2026-01-01 | 8.25 | 5.90 |
| SKU-RED-M | 2026-04-01 | 8.60 | 6.10 |
| SKU-RED-M | 2026-07-01 | 9.10 | 6.25 |
The January values apply through March 31, the April values through June 30, and the July values from July 1 onward. When a row has no date, the dialog's Default effective date is used. A row-level date always wins.
Upload Dated COGS from a Warehouse or ERP
Dashboardly API keys remain read-only by default. An owner or admin can create a key for exactly one shop and explicitly enable Allow dated COGS uploads.
Use that opt-in only for a trusted server-side warehouse or ERP integration. It permits dated COGS updates inside Dashboardly for the selected shop; it does not allow writes to TikTok Shop and is not exposed as an AI/MCP action. Keep the key server-side and never place it in browser code.
How Costs Reach Profit Reports
For each sold unit, Dashboardly uses:
- A priced FIFO inventory lot when one covers that unit
- Otherwise the applicable SKU dated period
- Otherwise the applicable product dated period
- Otherwise zero
The same resolved COGS feeds Inventory, Sales & Profit, Product Overview, Profit & Loss, and exports. SKU periods therefore affect only the selected variant, while product periods provide the fallback for variants without their own cost.
For seller-fulfilled outbound shipping, TikTok's imported order/settlement value remains authoritative. Your dated FBS shipping value is a fallback when that value is unavailable.
What to Include
Unit COG normally includes supplier or manufacturing cost, packaging, and other direct per-unit product costs. Do not include TikTok fees, advertising, overhead, or outbound FBS shipping because Dashboardly tracks those separately.
For inbound freight, customs, or import VAT tied to inventory receipts, use FIFO Cost Tracking so the landed cost can be distributed across received units.
Common Questions
Why did a past period not change?
The saved cost begins on its Effective Date. Add or edit the period that covers the earlier order dates instead of overwriting the current period.
Why does one SKU ignore the product value?
That SKU has its own active period. SKU periods take priority over product defaults for the same dates.
Why is COGS still zero?
Confirm that the sold SKU has either a SKU period, an applicable product period, or a priced FIFO lot for the order date. A future-dated period does not apply to earlier sales.
Why does COGS differ from Unit COG multiplied by units?
Priced FIFO lots have higher priority for the quantities they cover. Open FIFO Cost Tracking to review the inventory lots used for those units.
Does COGS apply to cancelled or refunded orders?
An order cancelled before shipment does not consume inventory. A shipped item that is not returned keeps its inventory cost. A physically returned item reverses the inventory-cost impact.