Cost a Shopify bundle from its components
A bundle's cost is the cost of what is in it. Cogsy works that out from the components, updates it when a component's cost changes, and tells you when a part has no cost.
Updated
Candle, Fig
CN-FIG
2 × $4.10 = $8.20
Holder, Brass
HD-BRS
1 × $6.75 = $6.75
Gift set
Unit cost, summed from its parts
$14.95
Packaging and pick and pack are the set's own and are charged once.
How a bundle is costed
For a bundle with no unit cost of its own:
bundle unit cost = sum of (component unit cost × quantity)
A gift set of two candles and one holder:
| Component | SKU | Quantity | Unit cost | Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candle, Fig | CN-FIG | 2 | $4.10 | $8.20 |
| Holder, Brass | HD-BRS | 1 | $6.75 | $6.75 |
| Bundle unit cost | $14.95 |
When the candle’s cost rises to $4.40, the bundle’s unit cost becomes $15.55 without anyone touching the bundle.
Extra costs are the bundle’s own
Only the unit cost is summed from the parts. Every other kind of cost is taken from the bundle itself. A shop-wide $2.85 pick and pack fee is charged once for the set, not three times for its three items, because the set ships as one parcel.
Missing is not zero
If the holder had no unit cost, a simple sum would report $8.20 and a flattering margin. Cogsy gives the bundle no unit cost and shows a warning: “At least one part of this bundle has no unit cost, so the bundle has none either.” It then appears under the missing cost filter with everything else that needs a number.
Where bundles come from
- Shopify. Variants that Shopify marks as requiring components are treated as bundles, and their parts and quantities are read on every sync.
- Your own. Add parts by SKU on any variant’s page. These are kept separately from Shopify’s and are never replaced by a sync.
A variant that is itself part of a bundle cannot have parts of its own, so bundles do not nest.
Writing the bundle’s cost to Shopify
The bundle’s cost can be written to its cost per item in Shopify like any other variant’s, so Shopify’s reports show a cost for the bundle that matches its contents.
Questions
- Which bundles does Cogsy read from Shopify?
- Fixed bundles, where the bundle is a variant made of other variants in set quantities. Their components are read on every sync, so a change to the bundle in Shopify is picked up.
- Can I cost a bundle that Shopify does not know is a bundle?
- Yes. On the variant's page, add its parts by SKU with a quantity each. Parts you add yourself are kept through every sync.
- What if one component has no cost?
- The bundle has no unit cost either, and is flagged as missing. Cogsy does not add up the parts it knows and present that as the total.
- Is packaging charged per component?
- No. Extra costs such as packaging or pick and pack are the bundle's own and are charged once per bundle sold.
- Can I give a bundle its own cost?
- Yes. A unit cost recorded on the bundle itself is used in place of the sum of its parts.
Related
Guide
How to cost a bundle in ShopifyShopify's docs do not say how a bundle's cost is set. How to work out a bundle's cost from its components, test what your reports use, and keep it current.
Glossary
Product bundleA bundle is several products sold together as one item. The types of bundle, how to work out a bundle's cost from its components, and the common mistakes.
Feature
Costs on top of the unit costPackaging, fulfilment or duties per unit, or fees as a percentage of the price, for a variant, a product or the whole shop.
Feature
Missing cost and low-margin flagsA variant with no cost shows as missing, never as zero. Set a margin threshold and everything under it is flagged.