Cost confidence: confirmed, estimated and missing
Every cost on a sale is tagged confirmed, estimated or missing. See what each tag means, how it affects your profit figures and how to firm costs up.
ProfitClerk tags every cost on a sale Confirmed, Estimated or Missing, so you can see at a glance how much of your profit rests on real figures. Confirmed costs come from eBay or your own records; estimated costs are assumed; missing costs are not known yet, so the profit is overstated.
What each tag means, cost by cost
| Cost | Confirmed | Estimated | Missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item cost | From your inventory records, or set by you | More sold than your recorded stock; the extra units use the average cost | No item cost recorded |
| eBay fees | From eBay's finance data | — | Waiting for eBay's finance data |
| Label | From eBay Labels, entered by you, imported, or a bulk share you checked | Assumed equal to the postage charged, or an automatic share of eBay Labels bought in bulk | — |
| Packaging | Entered by you | — | — |
Packaging only gets a tag when you entered an amount.
One tag per order
Each order also has an overall tag: the weakest of its costs.
- Any Missing cost makes the order Missing.
- Otherwise any Estimated cost makes it Estimated.
- Only when every cost is confirmed is the order Confirmed.
Where you see the tags
On an order
The order's page shows the overall tag next to its status, and a tag on each line of Your costs and on Total eBay fees in the finance breakdown. On the website, hover over a tag to see why, for example "Assumed equal to the postage charged". See the order page explained.
In the Orders list
Each row has a tag under its profit. Hover over it to see every cost's level, such as "Item cost: Confirmed · eBay fees: Confirmed · Label: Estimated".
Use the Confidence filter to show only Confirmed, Estimated or Missing orders, or No item cost.
In the app's Sales list, a sale that is not fully confirmed shows an estimated or missing tag, and a sale without an item cost shows no item cost.
On Overview
The Cost confidence card looks at one calendar month (the month your chosen period ends in) and tells you how much of that month's profit rests on estimated or missing costs, for example "18% of March 2026's profit rests on estimated or missing costs".
Under the bar, each level shows its profit and number of orders; click one to open those orders. The notes below it say what is behind the uncertainty:
- label cost assumed from postage on some orders;
- item cost estimated on orders that sold more than recorded stock;
- eBay fees not in yet;
- no item cost on some orders.
In the app, the same check is on Home in the How sure are these costs? panel.
How to turn costs into Confirmed
| Tag | What to do |
|---|---|
| Item cost Missing | Add the item to your stock under the same SKU as the listing for future sales, and set the cost on past sales with Add cost. See sales with no item cost. |
| Item cost Estimated | You sold more than your recorded stock. Set the right cost on the order with Edit under the cost column, and restock the item so future sales have stock to draw from. |
| eBay fees Missing | Usually nothing: the fees arrive with the next syncs. If they do not, open the order and press Refresh finance entries. See when figures become final. |
| Label Estimated | Buy labels through eBay, type the real cost under Label and packaging on the order, or import your label costs. For bulk eBay Labels, check the shares under Shipping. |
Why it matters
A sale with a missing item cost or missing fees looks more profitable than it is. That is why sales without an item cost are left out of margin figures, and why the Orders page shows a banner when some order lines have no item cost. The CSV export also has a Cost Confidence column for each order.
Questions people ask
Why is my label cost marked Estimated?
No real label cost is known yet, so ProfitClerk assumes it equals the postage the buyer paid. Buy the label on eBay, type the real cost on the order or import your label costs to make it Confirmed.
Why are eBay fees Missing on a new sale?
eBay's finance data for the sale has not arrived yet. It usually follows within minutes to hours; until then the fees count as nothing and the profit is overstated.
Does an Estimated or Missing tag mean the profit is wrong?
Not necessarily, but it is less certain. Estimated costs are reasonable guesses; Missing costs are left out entirely, so the profit on those sales is too high.
How is one order's overall tag decided?
It is the weakest of its costs. One missing cost makes the whole order Missing; otherwise one estimated cost makes it Estimated.
Are sales with a missing item cost left out of my margin?
Yes. Their profit would make the margin look better than it is, so margin figures only use sales that have an item cost.
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