Updated October 2, 2026. Shopify changes its admin from time to time, so menu names may differ slightly.
What cost per item is
Cost per item is what you paid for one unit of a product. Shopify keeps one cost per item for each variant and uses it to show your margin. Getting it right is what makes your profit numbers mean anything.
Set it for one product
- In your Shopify admin, go to Products and open the product.
- In the Pricing section, enter the amount in Cost per item. If the product has variants, open each variant and set its cost.
- Shopify shows the margin and profit next to it, based on your price.
- Click Save.
Update many products at once
- Bulk editor: on the Products page, select the products, click Bulk edit, and add the cost per item column if it isn't showing.
- CSV: export your products, fill in the cost column, and import the file. Work from a copy of the export, and check a few products afterwards.
Use the right number
The price on your supplier's invoice isn't the whole cost. Freight, import duty, and broker fees are part of what each unit really cost you. That full figure is called landed cost, and it's the one that makes your margins honest. Our landed cost guide shows how to work it out.
The catch: it doesn't update itself
Shopify's own migration guide says a variant's cost per item stays fixed when you receive a purchase order. If your supplier raises prices, or freight costs more this time, Shopify keeps showing the old number until you change it. Shopify points merchants to third-party apps for weighted-average costing or landed cost.
Keep it current
- Update costs every time you receive an order at a new price.
- Decide on one method, the latest cost or an average, and stick with it. Our FIFO vs. weighted average guide explains the difference.
- Check with your accountant if you're unsure which method to use.
How Posto helps
Posto works out a landed cost per unit for every order you receive, including freight, duty, and fees. If you turn it on, it updates Shopify's cost per item when stock arrives, to either the latest cost or an average with the stock you already have, so your margins stay right without the manual updates.
Sources
Shopify Help Center, Migrating from Stocky to Shopify inventory management, checked October 2, 2026.