If you’re like me, managing inventory and calculating the cost of goods sold (COGS) used to be a time-consuming, frustrating task. As a small business owner selling physical products online, I knew how important it was to track my inventory accurately—especially for tax reporting and understanding profitability. But every time I sat down with spreadsheets, I found myself drowning in formulas, outdated templates, and conflicting inventory methods.
Sound familiar?
That’s exactly why I built a COGS Calculator Excel tool that finally makes sense—for real businesses, real products, and real inventory. Whether you’re selling handmade jewelry, electronics, or cosmetics, this tool helps you stay on top of your FIFO or LIFO inventory method—without the stress.
Why Calculating COGS Matters (and Why Excel Wasn’t Enough—Until Now)
If you run a business that buys and sells physical goods, you’ve probably faced this problem:
- You buy inventory at different prices and dates.
- You sell items over time.
- You need to calculate how much each sale cost you, not just what it sold for.
The problem? Excel isn’t naturally built to handle complex inventory layers—especially when it comes to FIFO (First In, First Out) or LIFO (Last In, First Out) accounting.
Sure, you can build an elaborate web of formulas. I tried that. But once I had 100+ sales and dozens of purchase batches, the file slowed to a crawl and broke. That’s when I knew it was time to build something smarter.
Meet the COGS Calculator Excel Tool – Powered by VBA
This isn’t just a spreadsheet. It’s a fully interactive, macro-enabled Excel tool designed to:
✅ Track inventory purchases and sales
✅ Automatically assign COGS based on FIFO or LIFO
✅ Calculate unit costs and total value per sale
✅ Handle real-world data sizes (100+ sales lines, no slowdown)
✅ Give you a clear dashboard of inventory usage and product cost
You can toggle between FIFO and LIFO with a dropdown menu. Press one button, and the VBA script sorts your purchase history, matches it to each sale, and calculates the cost of goods sold. Instantly.
Real-World Example: From Chaos to Clarity
Before this tool, I’d have to sort all my purchase data by hand and use VLOOKUPs to find the matching price. When I switched to LIFO for tax reasons, I had to rebuild the formulas again.
Now?
I just upload my latest purchases and sales into the template, choose LIFO, and click Run. Within seconds, my sales sheet updates with the correct unit costs and total COGS per order.
Even better—I can reset everything with a single click and start over if needed.
Who Is This For?
- Etsy, Amazon, or Shopify sellers
- Small businesses that manage their own inventory
- Accountants helping clients with inventory valuation
- Excel lovers looking to automate a tough process
If you’ve been struggling with manual inventory tracking or need a faster way to stay compliant and profitable, this Excel-based COGS Calculator is your new best friend.
What’s Included?
- 📊 Purchases and Sales Sheets – Enter your data with ease
- ⚙️ FIFO/LIFO Toggle – Select your accounting method
- 📌 Used and Left Columns – See inventory movement
- 📋 Dashboard – High-level overview of your data
- 🔁 Reset Button – Wipe sample data and start fresh
- 📂 .xlsm File – Requires Excel macros to function
- 🧪 Preloaded with sample data anyone can relate to (think: coffee beans, t-shirts, etc.)
Download the COGS Calculator Excel Today
Stop wasting hours calculating COGS manually. This Excel tool does the work for you—quickly, accurately, and in a way that actually fits your business.
Let Excel—and this powerful VBA script—handle the complexity for you.
💡 Tip: Don’t forget to enable macros when opening the file!
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or managing multiple SKUs, knowing your cost of goods sold is non-negotiable. The COGS Calculator Excel tool gives you full control without the headache—and that’s priceless.