Country-of-Origin Marking: A Small Importer's Guide to 19 CFR Part 134
Every import must name its origin country in English for the end buyer; miss it and CBP issues Form 4647 and a 10% marking duty.
#cost-of-goods-sold
Cost of Goods Sold
Learn how to calculate and track cost of goods sold for inventory valuation
Meal Kit and Perishable Subscription Box Bookkeeping: FEFO Costing, Spoilage, and Deferred Revenue
Cost perishables first-expired-first-out, book spoilage as its own line, and hold prepaid box revenue as deferred until it ships — or per-box margin lies.
COGS vs. Operating Expenses: Where Freight, Packaging, and Delivery Belong
Freight-in and product packaging are COGS; freight-out, shipping boxes and delivery are selling expenses. Misfile them and gross margin can run 10+ points high.
Office Micro-Market Bookkeeping: Shrinkage, Inventory, and Commission Splits
Budget 2–4% shrinkage, split fresh from dry COGS, book the building's 10–15% commission as rent, and tax prepared food apart to see if a micro-market pays.
Sand and Gravel Quarry Bookkeeping: Depletion, Royalties, and the Reclamation Bond That Outlives Your Mine
Sand and gravel pits get 5% percentage depletion under IRS rules — compute cost and percentage methods yearly, claim the larger, and mind the 50%-of-income cap.
Taqueria Bookkeeping: Yield Math, Shrinkage Controls, and Pricing That Keep a Street Taco Profitable
A $2.50 taco lives on pennies: cost it at cooked-protein yield, log salsa-bar waste, and price delivery apps 30% higher to keep a taqueria profitable.
Alligator Farm Bookkeeping: CITES Tags, Split Hide-and-Meat Revenue, and Inventory That Can't Cross State Lines Untagged
Split hide and meat revenue, reconcile every CITES tag to cash, and carry 15-month grow-out costs correctly on Schedule F.
Bonded Premises vs. Tax-Paid Tasting Room: A Craft Distillery's Guide to Booking Federal Excise Tax Correctly
Spirits in bond carry no excise tax; removal to a tasting room triggers $2.70–$13.50 per proof gallon. Book it as inventory cost so your ledger ties to TTB.
Pricing a 3D-Printed Product: Build a Bill of Materials So Your COGS Isn't a Filament Guess
Filament is usually the smallest of six print cost lines. Build a per-SKU bill of materials, then price from true COGS.
Uniform and Linen Rental Bookkeeping: Amortize the Garment Fleet, Price by Route Density
Rental garments are fixed assets, not supplies: amortize them over 6–36 months, cost the plant per pound, and let route density set what the business sells for.
Vintage Clothing Reseller Bookkeeping: Why Your True COGS Is More Than the Thrift-Store Price
A thrift flip's true cost has five layers: price, prep, mileage, fees, shipping. Track them all, deduct only sold inventory, and reconcile 1099-Ks for the IRS.
Juice Bar and Smoothie Shop Bookkeeping: Track Produce Spoilage per Ingredient to Protect Your Margins
A 70% smoothie margin can be 45% after spoilage. Log waste per ingredient, cost recipes on yielded produce, and book abnormal loss outside COGS.