Dated Costs and Cost History
Overview
Costs change. A new supplier price, a currency swing or a better deal should change your profit from the day it starts, not rewrite the profit on orders you already sold. In Verbstack every cost of goods has a date it applies from, and each order uses the cost in force on its order date.
Which plans include it
You can enter a listing's cost and set cost defaults on every plan, Free included. Importing costs from a spreadsheet, Apply to Past Orders and Recalculate Cost of Goods are on Pro and Max, and in your 14-day trial.
Cost History on a listing
On Listings, the Cost of Goods column takes a cost right in the table. A listing's first cost applies from the start, and a later one applies from today.
Open any listing from Listings to see its Cost History. Each row shows the cost, the date it starts and where it came from: entered by a teammate, imported from a file, added through the API or taken from a purchase order. The Cost of Goods tile at the top shows the cost in force today.
Each cost carries one of these badges:
- In Force: the cost that applies today.
- Scheduled: a cost that starts on a future date. It changes nothing until then.
- Replaced: a cost a later entry on the same date replaced. Select Show Replaced Costs to see them.
Add a cost
- Open the listing and select Add Cost.
- Set In Force From: Today, From the Start, or a date you choose.
- Enter the Cost of Goods and an optional Note.
- Select Save Cost.
A listing's first cost starts From the Start, so it covers every order. After that, a new cost starts Today unless you choose another date. Orders on and after its date use it, unless a later cost applies.
A past date does not move past orders
Orders that already have a Cost of Goods keep it when you add a cost with a past date. To move them to the new cost, use Recalculate Cost of Goods, described below.
Import costs with an Effective Date
To set many costs at once, go to Settings > Imports and choose Cost of Goods Sold. The import takes three columns:
| Column | Required | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Listing ID or Title | Yes | The listing the cost belongs to |
| Cost of Goods Amount ($) | Yes | The cost |
| Effective Date | No | The date each cost starts |
When a row has no Effective Date, a listing with no cost gets the cost from the start, and a listing that already has a cost gets the new cost from today. Dates such as 2026-07-01, 07/01/2026 and July 1, 2026 are all read. Importing the same cost again changes nothing.
To undo an import, open it in Settings > Imports and select Roll Back.
Cost defaults by product, brand, category and account
Under Settings > P&L Defaults, Cost of Goods Defaults fills in a cost for listings that have none. A cost entered on the listing always comes first. After that, Verbstack looks for a rule in this order:
- Product Defaults
- Brand Defaults
- Category Defaults, for the exact category and then its top-level category
- Global Default
A rule can be a flat amount or a percent. A percent applies to the sale price for sold orders and to the list price for unsold listings. Each rule applies from its own date, so a rule can be In Force, Scheduled, or past. Select Show Past Rules to see the ones that ended.
A cost that comes from a default rule is an estimate. Profit marks it with a dot, and its hover says which rule it came from.
Who can change defaults
Only an admin can change P&L Defaults, because they drive every profit figure. Editors and admins can add a cost on a listing and import costs.
Apply to Past Orders
When you save a cost rule dated today or earlier, orders that already have a Cost of Goods keep it. Orders with no cost yet take the new rules right away.
If the new rule would change any earlier orders, Apply to Past Orders? appears at the top of Cost of Goods Defaults. It counts the orders whose cost would change.
- Select Apply to Past Orders.
- Check Orders That Change and the Cost of Goods, Before and After.
- Select Recalculate to update those orders. Each order takes the cost in force on its order date.
Select Not Now to leave past orders as they are.
Recalculate Cost of Goods
You can also update orders yourself. On Profit > Cards, select orders and choose Recalculate Cost of Goods, or open one order and use Recalculate Cost of Goods from its menu. Gross Profit, Contribution Margin and Net Profit change with it, and each change is recorded on its order.