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Cost of Inventory Calculator from Profits Plus

Go to a trade show, or receive a special order offering from a vendor, as you are trying to decide how to place an order for merchandise:
Order a smaller quantity, but pay a higher price, a shorter time to pay for the merchandise and maybe pay a higher price for the delivery of the merchandise.

Order with the special offering, and you receive a much longer time to pay for the merchandise, perhaps free freight, but you have to purchase a much larger quantity of merchandise.

Which way is more profitable for your business? Previously, you had to perform a lot of calculations or just take a good guess.

We now provide you with a Cost of Inventory calculator.

You enter this information:
How many you sell each month
The cost when ordering in the traditional method and in the special order methods
The cost of freight for each of the two methods
The quantity you order with each method
How long you get before you pay for the item
The cost of money

When using the Cost of Inventory calculator, enter this information, click enter, and you will see the answer for each of the next eight months. You also have the option of seeing this information in a line chart format.As you create the initial calculated gross margin, the cost of the freight is not a component of that calculation. However, as you look at the calculations for the 60 to 240 day time period, we take a different approach. As you would have paid for the freight, and there is an anticipated difference in the freight cost of the two buying scenarios, we allow the freight to be utilized as a component of the gross margin calculation.

(Enter data in the column of cells highlighted in green)

Press this button to load test data -->
1    
2  Selling price of product
3    
4 Cost of the product purchased in traditional manner:  
5  Cost of the product
6  Cost of freight per item
7  Landed cost of the product purchased in traditional manner
8  Number of days to pay invoice in traditional manner
9    
10  Initial gross margin of the product purchased in traditional manner
11    
12 Cost of the product purchased in drop ship or special manner:  
13  Cost of the product
14  Cost of freight per item
15  Landed cost of the product purchased in drop ship or special manner
16  Number of days to pay invoice in drop ship or special manner
17    
18 Initial gross margin of the product purchased in drop ship or special manner
19    
20  Quantity traditionally purchased
21    
22  Quantity ordered for drop ship or special manner
23    
24  Average quantity sold per month
25    
26  Current cost of money borrowed (Annual interest rate)
Detailed Analysis
39  Quantity on shelf 60 days after invoice - traditional
40  60 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased traditional
41  60 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased traditional
42  60 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased traditional
43  60 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased traditional
44  Quantity on shelf 60 days after invoice - drop ship or special manner
45  60 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased drop ship or special manner
46  60 days after invoice, new gross margin for product purchased drop ship or special manner
47  60 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased drop ship or special manner
48  60 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased drop ship or special manner
 
50  Quantity on shelf 90 days after invoice - traditional
51  90 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased traditional
52  90 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased traditional
53  90 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased traditional
54  90 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased traditional
55  Quantity on shelf 90 days after invoice - drop ship or special manner
56  90 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased drop ship or special manner
57  90 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased drop ship or special manner
58  90 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased drop ship or special manner
59  90 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased drop ship or special manner
 
61  Quantity on shelf 120 days after invoice - traditional
62  120 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased traditional
63  120 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased traditional
64  120 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased traditional
65  120 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased traditional
66  Quantity on shelf 120 days after invoice - drop ship or special manner
67  120 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased drop ship or special manner
68  120 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased drop ship or special manner
69  120 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased drop ship or special manner
70  120 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased drop ship or special manner
 
72  Quantity on shelf 150 days after invoice - traditional
73  150 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased traditional
74  150 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased traditional
75  150 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased traditional
76  150 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased traditional
77  Quantity on shelf 150 days after invoice - drop ship or special manner
78  150 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased drop ship or special manner
79  150 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased drop ship or special manner
80  150 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased drop ship or special manner
81  150 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased drop ship or special manner
 
83  Quantity on shelf 180 days after invoice - traditional
84  180 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased traditional
85  180 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased traditional
86  180 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased traditional
87  180 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased traditional
88  Quantity on shelf 180 days after invoice - drop ship or special manner
89  180 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased drop ship or special manner
90  180 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased drop ship or special manner
91  180 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased drop ship or special manner
92  180 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased drop ship or special manner
 
94  Quantity on shelf 210 days after invoice - traditional
95  210 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased traditional
96  210 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased traditional
97  210 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased traditional
98  210 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased traditional
99  Quantity on shelf 210 days after invoice - drop ship or special manner
100  210 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased drop ship or special manner
101  210 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased drop ship or special manner
102  210 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased drop ship or special manner
103  210 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased drop ship or special manner
 
105  Quantity on shelf 240 days after invoice - traditional
106  240 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased traditional
107  240 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased traditional
108  240 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased traditional
109  240 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased traditional
110  Quantity on shelf 240 days after invoice - drop ship or special manner
111  240 days after invoice, cost of product on shelf purchased drop ship or special manner
112  240 days after invoice, new gross margin of product purchased drop ship or special manner
113  240 days after invoice, change in gross margin on product purchased drop ship or special manner
114  240 days after invoice, lost profit on remaining product purchased drop ship or special manner
 

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©1998-2026 Profits Plus Solutions, Inc.
Tom Shay
PO Box 128
Dardanelle, AR 72834
(727)823-7205

MARCH 2026
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Small Business

AdvisoriES


Every time I see the logo for Target stores, I think about small businesses and the need to know which people to target as their customers. Of course, of most importance is the person who has spent any money with your business.

 

I ask businesses if they know how much the average person spends with their business. Most offer a quick response with a dollar amount. That answer is incorrect as they are telling me what the average existing customer is spending. The average person in any community spends no money with that small business.

 

Looking for new customers without any plan of how to do so is just spending money. That is why every small business needs to know how to find and use information. Find ideas in the March Small Business Advisory.

Small Business

NewS

Top Story

Employee retention; is it important? Or is it easier to lose an employee and wait for the next applicant to walk in the door? The Small Business News for March shares some statistics of the expense you incur when you make the change instead of working to retain a current employee.

Article of the Month

It is baseball season and we use the sport as an explanation of the cost of growing your business. In Boston's Fenway Park, left field has a wall that is know as the green monster.

 

And that is what growing your business is - a monster! You can't successfully grow your business without a plan and knowing you will have the cash on hand to pay for the growth.


Book of the Month

Are you selling something or persuading the customer? With your employees are you repeatedly telling that employee or are you persuading them to excel?

 

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Ciaidini is our suggested book for March 2026. Most definitely an appropriate read.

All this plus the Internet Tool for Your Business and a staff incentive idea for your business.
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BOOK US

With over 25 years of frontline experience Tom Shay is America's leading Small Business Management Expert. He's a "Must Have" for your next event.

Small Business

Advisories

Every time I see the logo for Target stores, I think about small businesses and the need to know which people to target as their customers. Of course, of most importance is the person who has spent any money with your business.

 

I ask businesses if they know how much the average person spends with their business. Most offer a quick response with a dollar amount. That answer is incorrect as they are telling me what the average existing customer is spending. The average person in any community spends no money with that small business.

 

Looking for new customers without any plan of how to do so is just spending money. That is why every small business needs to know how to find and use information. Find ideas in the March Small Business Advisory.

Small Business

News

 

Top Story

Employee retention; is it important? Or is it easier to lose an employee and wait for the next applicant to walk in the door? The Small Business News for March shares some statistics of the expense you incur when you make the change instead of working to retain a current employee.


Article of the Month

It is baseball season and we use the sport as an explanation of the cost of growing your business. In Boston's Fenway Park, left field has a wall that is know as the green monster.

 

And that is what growing your business is - a monster! You can't successfully grow your business without a plan and knowing you will have the cash on hand to pay for the growth.


Book of the Month

Are you selling something or persuading the customer? With your employees are you repeatedly telling that employee or are you persuading them to excel?

 

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Ciaidini is our suggested book for March 2026. Most definitely an appropriate read.

 

All this plus the Internet Tool for Your Business and a staff incentive idea for your business.