Add packaging, fulfilment and fees on top of the unit cost
The price you pay your supplier is not what a sale costs you. Cogsy lets you define your own kinds of cost, set each one per unit or as a percentage of the price, and see the total cost and margin for every variant.
Updated
- Unit cost · Supplier AIn Shopify's cost per item$21.40
- Packaging · Per unitIn Shopify's cost per item$1.20
- Pick and pack · Per unit, whole shopKept in Cogsy only$2.85
- Payment processing · 2.9% of priceKept in Cogsy only$1.97
Cost kinds
A cost kind is a named cost you add on top of the unit cost. Each kind is charged in one of two ways:
- Per unit: a fixed amount for each unit sold, such as $1.20 of packaging.
- Percent of price: a share of the variant’s price, such as 2.9% for payment processing.
Three levels, most specific first
You can set any kind at three levels:
- Variant: this one variant only.
- Product: every variant of the product that has no amount of its own.
- Shop: every variant that has none at the other two levels.
So a shop-wide pick and pack fee of $2.85 covers the catalog, and the one oversized product that costs $4.50 to pack carries its own figure.
The breakdown for one variant
| Cost | Set for | Source | Amount | In Shopify’s cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit cost | Variant | Supplier A | $21.40 | Yes |
| Packaging | Variant | Manual | $1.20 | Yes |
| Pick and pack | Whole shop | Manual | $2.85 | No |
| Payment processing | Whole shop, 2.9% of $68.00 | Manual | $1.97 | No |
| Total cost | $27.42 | $22.60 |
At a price of $68.00 the margin on the total cost is 59.7%. On the unit cost alone it would read 68.5%, which is the figure most stores are looking at.
Which costs Shopify sees
Shopify has one cost field per variant, and its profit reports use that number. For each kind you decide whether it is part of the figure written to Shopify. In the example, unit cost and packaging are, so Shopify receives $22.60, while Cogsy shows the full $27.42.
A common split is to send Shopify the costs your accountant treats as cost of goods (purchase price, inbound freight, duties) and keep selling costs (fulfilment, payment fees) in Cogsy only. The cost types section goes through each one.
Dated like everything else
Extra costs go in the same dated history as unit costs. When your 3PL raises its pick fee in January, add the new amount from 1 January and the old one remains on record.
Questions
- How many kinds of cost can I add?
- As many as you need. Unit cost exists for every shop. You name the rest yourself, for example Packaging, Inbound freight, Pick and pack or Payment processing.
- Can a cost be a percentage?
- Yes. A kind is charged either as an amount per unit or as a percent of the variant's price. A 2.9% payment fee on a $68.00 variant counts as $1.97.
- Do I have to enter packaging on every variant?
- No. Set a shop default for a kind and it applies to every variant that has no amount of its own. A cost set on a product applies to all its variants that have none. The most specific level wins.
- Are these costs sent to Shopify?
- Only the kinds you mark as part of Shopify's cost. The unit cost is always included. The rest stay in Cogsy beside it.
Related
Cost types
Cost typesThe costs merchants add on top of the unit cost, one by one.
Feature
Write the right cost to ShopifyMark which costs are part of Shopify's cost per item. Cogsy writes that one number back and keeps the rest beside it.
Glossary
Landed costLanded cost is what a product costs by the time it reaches your warehouse: purchase price, freight, insurance, duties and handling. Formula and worked example.
Guide
Landed cost in Shopify after StockyStocky ended on 31 August 2026 and Shopify purchase orders do not change cost per item. How to keep a landed cost per unit in Shopify now, by hand or with an app.