Independent research · Source-linked guidance
Home / Posting controls / COGS boundary
Practical guide

Cost-of-goods posting is not a complete inventory valuation

Last materially reviewed 2026-09-30

Quick answerA cost workflow depends on supplied inputs; it does not prove inventory quantities, valuation or completeness.
What to know

Separate the decisions

A settlement review connects selling activity with payment records. Cost of goods sold introduces another data source and another set of accounting decisions. Do not assume a sales connector knows the correct landed cost, stock movement or treatment of every return merely because it knows a SKU.

What to know

Understand the documented feature

Link My Books describes using entered product costs for a separate COGS output, with an analytics-only option. That is a workflow capability, not an independent valuation of inventory. Confirm the cost data and intended posting behavior before enabling it.

What to know

Review the inputs

Prepare a private list of cost source, currency, effective date, responsible owner and treatment of missing SKUs. Ask how returns, bundles and changing costs are handled in the actual setup. A fictional SKU with an entered cost of 8 does not establish that 8 is the complete or correct accounting cost.

What to know

Keep the boundary visible

Our site does not calculate inventory valuation or recommend stock-control software. If the real problem is stock accuracy, purchasing or landed-cost policy, solve that with the relevant inventory and accounting workflow. Within settlement review, identify any separate cost entry so it is not mistaken for a duplicate sales posting or part of the cash payout.

Continue when useful

Next: Mapping review

A mapping change needs an owner, scope and historical-effect check before it touches the books.

Open Mapping review →
Keep exploring

Related guides

Mapping reviewA mapping change needs an owner, scope and historical-effect check before it touches the books.Amazon recordsKeep settlement, held-balance and accounting-output evidence connected without treating every balance as a payout.

Sources used for this page

These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.

  1. COGS feature — Merchant documentation · help.linkmybooks.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-30
  2. COGS limitations — Merchant documentation · help.linkmybooks.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-30