Sell-through is the share of received stock that sold in a period — units sold divided by units received. It tells you how fast a product moves and whether to reorder or mark down.
The example
140 sold of 200 received.
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Item | Value |
| 2 | Units sold | 140 |
| 3 | Units received | 200 → 70% |
The formula
The formula:
How it works
How it works:
- Divide units sold by units received (or starting inventory) for the period.
- Format as a percentage — a high rate means a fast seller, a low rate flags slow stock.
- Compare to a target (often ~70–80% over a season) to trigger reorders or markdowns.
- The remaining stock is
1 - sell_throughof what came in.
Sell-through guides markdowns: if a style is well below target sell-through partway through its season, it’s a candidate for a markdown to clear before it ties up cash and space. Conversely, a high early sell-through signals a reorder — the metric drives both decisions.
Try it: interactive demo
Units sold and received.
Variations
Units remaining
What is left:
Weekly rate
Per week:
vs target
Flag slow stock:
Pitfalls & errors
Pick the base. Sold ÷ received, or sold ÷ (beginning + received) — be consistent across products.
Time window matters. Sell-through is meaningless without a period; compare like windows.
Received can’t be zero. No receipts gives #DIV/0!.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate sell-through rate in Excel?
What's a good sell-through rate?
How is sell-through used?
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