Keep a cost from each supplier for the same variant
Every cost in Cogsy carries a source. When a variant has a unit cost from more than one source, the costs sit side by side and you choose which one counts.
Updated
Supplier A
In use
Supplier B
On record
Shopify holds only the last box: the current cost, with nothing before it.
The problem with one field
Many products can be bought from two places: a main supplier and a backup, a domestic and an overseas factory, a wholesaler and the manufacturer direct. Shopify’s cost per item holds one number, so the second price lives in a spreadsheet or an email.
Sources, side by side
In Cogsy every cost row has a source. Two rows for the same variant with different sources do not replace each other:
| Applies from | Source | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2026 | Supplier A | $21.40 |
| 1 Jul 2026 | Supplier B | $20.90 |
| 2 Sep 2026 | shopify | $21.40 |
Each source keeps its own history. A new price list from Supplier B adds a row to Supplier B’s line and leaves Supplier A’s alone.
Choosing the source in use
When a variant has a unit cost from more than one source, its page shows a “Source in use” choice. Pick Supplier A and its newest cost is the variant’s unit cost for margins, for the total cost and for the figure written to Shopify.
Leave it unset and the newest row wins, across all sources.
What it is good for
- Comparing quotes. Record a quote with the supplier’s name and see it against the cost in use, on the same page.
- Switching suppliers. Change the source in use on the day you switch. Both histories remain.
- Keeping Shopify’s number separate. A cost someone types into the Shopify admin arrives as the “shopify” source within moments. It is recorded, and it does not override the supplier you chose.
Importing supplier prices
The CSV import has a source column. Upload each supplier’s price list with their name in it and every variant gets a row per supplier.
Questions
- What counts as a source?
- Any name you give it. Cogsy uses "shopify" for costs read from Shopify, "csv" for imports with no source column and "manual" for entries with none. Type a supplier's name and that becomes a source.
- What if I do not choose a source?
- The newest unit cost in effect is used, whichever source it came from.
- Does a new quote change my margin?
- Not if you have chosen a source. The quote is recorded beside the cost in use and the margin stays on the source you picked until you switch.
- Can I blend two suppliers into an average cost?
- No. Cogsy uses one source's cost at a time. It does not track stock by supplier or compute a weighted average.
Related
Feature
Dated cost historyEvery cost has a date it applies from. A change is a new row, never an overwrite.
Feature
CSV import with a previewUpload costs by SKU, with a source and a start date if you have them. You see every change before anything is saved.
Guide
One product, two suppliers, two costs: handling it in ShopifyShopify holds one cost per variant. Four ways to handle a product you buy from more than one supplier at different prices, and what each costs you.
Glossary
Unit costUnit cost is what one unit of a product costs you to buy or make. How to calculate it for bought and made goods, and what belongs in it.