Cost of goods sold (COGS): Definition, Formula & Why It Matters

Also called: COGS, Cost basis

Cost of goods sold (COGS) is the direct cost of the items you sold in a period: what you paid for the gear, plus directly attributable costs like repairs, setup, and inbound shipping. It is the foundation of every profit and margin calculation.

Cost of goods sold (COGS) formula

COGS = beginning inventory + purchases − ending inventory

Example

If a guitar cost you $200 and you put $50 into a setup, its COGS is $250.

Why it matters for Reverb sellers

If your COGS is wrong, every downstream number, gross margin, net profit, ROI, is wrong too. Sellers who ignore repair and inbound shipping costs consistently overstate their profits.

How Verbstack helps

Verbstack lets you enter COGS per item so your margins and P&L reflect what your inventory actually cost you.

Track this on every order, automatically.

  • Real fees, margins, and profit on every Reverb sale
  • COGS and inventory tracked for you, no spreadsheet
  • Full history and a live monthly P&L
Get started free

Free forever to get started. No credit card required.

← Back to the glossary

See this number on every order.

Connect your Reverb shop and Verbstack tracks your fees, margins, and profit automatically.

Get started free

Free forever to get started. No credit card required.