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Understanding COGS Error Notifications in the ProfitTree Dashboard

This article explains the COGS-related error icons and filters you may see inside Products Reports, Listing Reports, and COGS Management, and how to fix each issue to maintain accurate profit tracking.

Updated this week

Why you’re seeing COGS errors

ProfitTree calculates your profit by subtracting your product costs (COGS) from your sales.

If ProfitTree doesn’t know the cost of an item — or can’t correctly match that cost to an order — you’ll see COGS error notifications.

These warnings help you identify products that need attention so your profit numbers stay accurate.

Where to Fix All COGS Errors

Even though COGS warnings may appear in:

  • Products Reports

  • Listing Reports

All fixes happen in one place:

COGS Management

This is where you can:

  • Enter new COGS

  • Edit incorrect COGS

  • Fix SKU conflicts

  • Update COGS history

If you see an error icon anywhere in ProfitTree, go to COGS Management to resolve it.

Where COGS errors appear

You may notice COGS warnings while reviewing your reports:

Products Reports

This view shows your SKUs and product-level profit data.

Listing Report

This view shows your Etsy listings and how each one is performing.

In both reports, COGS errors appear directly in the COGS column, usually as warning icons next to the cost.

COGS Error Types and What They Mean

1. Missing COGS (Red Triangle Icon)

Where it appears

You’ll see a red warning triangle in the COGS column inside:

  • Products Reports

  • Listing Report

Why it happens

This means the product has recorded sales, but no cost has been entered yet. ProfitTree cannot calculate profit accurately until COGS is added.

How to fix it

  1. Go to COGS Management

  2. Search for the product or SKU

  3. Enter the correct cost

  4. Click Update

2. Missing COGS Count

Where it appears

Inside COGS Management, you may see a number beside “Missing COGS.”

Why it happens

That number represents how many sold units are missing cost data.

Until COGS is filled in, those orders will not have accurate profit calculations.

How to fix it

Enter the correct COGS for the product so ProfitTree can apply it to your previous sales.

3. COGS Issues Filter

Where it appears

In COGS Management, you can enable the COGS Issues filter.

Why it helps

This filter shows only the products that:

  • have sales

  • are missing costs or have cost-related errors

What to do

Use this filter as your “to-do list” when cleaning up missing COGS.

4. Multiple COGS Conflict (SKU Cost Conflict)

Where it appears

You may see a conflict warning when the same SKU is associated with multiple listings but has different cost values.

Why it happens

ProfitTree expects the same SKU to represent the same product.

If the same SKU appears in more than one listing but has different entered costs, ProfitTree won’t know which cost is correct.

How to fix it

  1. Open the SKU inside COGS Management

  2. Review the cost values that were entered

  3. Update them so the SKU has one consistent cost

  4. Save the corrected COGS

5. Without SKU Error (Missing SKU)

Where it appears

You may see a “Without SKU” warning for certain products.

Why it happens

ProfitTree relies on SKUs to match orders to the correct product cost.

If a product sold but did not have a SKU assigned, ProfitTree cannot accurately apply COGS.

How to fix it

  1. Add a SKU to the product inside Etsy

  2. Wait for ProfitTree to sync the change

  3. Return to COGS Management and enter the correct cost

6. Blue Info Warning When Editing COGS

Where it appears

When updating costs, you may see a blue message saying ProfitTree couldn’t match COGS to every order.

Why it happens

This can occur when:

  • the same SKU has been used across multiple listings

  • some older orders don’t match the updated SKU history

  • fulfillment costs differ depending on the source

What to do

In most cases, you should:

  • confirm the SKU is consistent

  • ensure the correct cost is entered

  • review your COGS history if the SKU has changed over time

Final Tip: Keep Profit Accurate

If you want ProfitTree’s profit calculations to be reliable, start by fixing all red triangle products first.

COGS Management is the best place to resolve every cost issue quickly.

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