Overview
COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) represents the direct cost of producing or purchasing the products you sell. Understanding COGS is essential for calculating your true profit margins.
How COGS Works in Dashboardly
Dashboardly calculates COGS using the costs you enter for each product SKU:
- Per-unit cost — The cost you set per product or per SKU on the Inventory page
- COGS per order — Sum of (unit cost × quantity) for each SKU in the order
- Total COGS — Aggregated across all orders in the selected period
Formula
COGS = SUM(unit_cost × quantity) for all line items in completed orders
Important Notes
- COGS is only calculated for orders with cost data entered
- If you haven't set costs for a SKU, those orders show $0 COGS
- Refunded orders: COGS is still counted if the product was shipped but not returned
- Cancelled orders before shipping: COGS is excluded
Where to Set Product Costs
- Go to the Inventory page in the left sidebar
- Find your product in the table
- Enter the per-unit cost at the product level (all SKUs inherit automatically) or per individual SKU
- Costs update your profit metrics across all time periods