How high is my sell-through rate?
Enter the units you sold and the units you received in a period to see the sell-through rate. Or enter the units sold and the units still in stock at the end, the way Shopify's sell-through report counts it.
- Sell-through rate
- 80%
Selling 400 of 500 units available is a sell-through rate of 80%.
- Units available
- 500
- Units left
- 100
Sell-through rate: 80%. Selling 400 of 500 units available is a sell-through rate of 80%.
The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use
How to calculate
Computes the sell-through rate, the percent of the stock on hand in a period that sold, from units sold and units received or units left at the end.
Example with the default inputs (You know Units received, Units sold 400, Units received 500): Selling 400 of 500 units available is a sell-through rate of 80%.
Method: Sell-through rate = units sold ÷ units available × 100, where units available = units on hand at the start + units received, or units sold + units left at the end.
- Units sold, received and left are for the same products and the same period.
- Returns, damaged units and transfers are left out, or already netted from the counts you enter.
- Arithmetic is exact on the typed decimals; the rate shows to 2 decimals, halves up.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- You know Units received, Units sold 400, Units received 500 gives Sell-through rate 80%, Units available 500, Units left 100.Source: Shopify Help Center, "Inventory reports", Products by sell-through rate (total quantity sold ÷ (total quantity sold + total quantity still in inventory at the last date of the period); the denominator is the stock on hand, including restocks received). https://help.shopify.com/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/report-types/inventory-reports
- You know Units left at the end, Units sold 120, Units left at the end 80 gives Sell-through rate 60%, Units available 200.Source: Shopify Help Center, "Inventory reports", Products by sell-through rate (total quantity sold ÷ (total quantity sold + total quantity still in inventory at the last date of the period); the denominator is the stock on hand, including restocks received). https://help.shopify.com/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/report-types/inventory-reports
- You know Units received, Units on hand at the start 100, Units received 400, Units sold 350 gives Sell-through rate 70%, Units available 500, Units left 150.Source: Shopify Help Center, "Inventory reports", Products by sell-through rate (total quantity sold ÷ (total quantity sold + total quantity still in inventory at the last date of the period); the denominator is the stock on hand, including restocks received). https://help.shopify.com/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/report-types/inventory-reports
- You know Units received, Units sold 2, Units received 3 gives Sell-through rate 66.67%, Units left 1.
How it works
- Sell-through rate = units sold ÷ units available × 100
The units available come from one of two counts:
- From the units received: units available = units on hand at the start + units received. Units left = units available − units sold.
- From the units left at the end: units available = units sold + units left at the end.
Rules:
- Every count is 0 or more and at most 1 trillion. Units on hand at the start may be left empty (0).
- Units available of 0 give no answer: "There are no units available: enter the units you had."
- From the units received, units sold above the units available give no answer: "The units sold are more than the units available: check the numbers."
- A rate that is not 0 but too small to show as a number gives no answer: "The sell-through rate is too small to show as a number." So do units left that are not 0 but too small to show: "The units left are too small to show as a number."
- When more than one rule is broken, the first message in this list shows.
- The arithmetic is exact on the decimals you type. The rate shows to 2 decimals, with halves rounded up (away from 0).
- Units left shows only when you enter the units received.
Assumptions
- The counts are for the same products and the same period.
- Returns, damaged units and transfers are left out, or already netted from the counts you enter.
Worked examples by hand
400 of 500 units received sold. Sell-through rate = 400 ÷ 500 × 100 = 80%. Units left = 500 − 400 = 100.
From the units left at the end. Sold 120, 80 left: units available = 120 + 80 = 200, and 120 ÷ 200 × 100 = 60%.
With stock at the start. 100 on hand, 400 received, 350 sold: 350 ÷ (100 + 400) × 100 = 70%. Units left = 150.
2 of 3 units sold. 2 ÷ 3 × 100 = 66.666…, shown as 66.67%.
Other questions people ask
What is the sell-through rate?
The sell-through rate is the percent of the stock you had in a period that sold. It tells a retailer or brand how fast a product moves compared with what was ordered or delivered.
How do I calculate sell-through?
Divide the units sold by the units available and multiply by 100. If you received 500 units and sold 400, the sell-through rate is 400 ÷ 500 × 100 = 80%. Add any units already in stock at the start to the units available.
How do I calculate sell-through from the units left at the end?
Add the units sold and the units left to get the units available, then divide the units sold by that sum. Selling 120 with 80 left is 120 ÷ (120 + 80) × 100 = 60%. This is how Shopify's sell-through report counts it.
What is a good sell-through rate?
It depends on the product and the length of the period: a rate over a season is higher than a rate over a week. Compare a product with its own past periods and with similar products over the same length of time. A low rate can mean too much stock or a price that is too high.
How is sell-through different from inventory turnover?
Sell-through is a percent of the stock on hand that sold in one period. Inventory turnover counts how many times the average inventory was sold and replaced in a period, usually from the cost of goods sold.
Can the sell-through rate be more than 100%?
No. You cannot sell more than you had, so the units sold are at most the units available. The calculator gives no answer when the units sold are more than the units on hand and received.