Who this is for

Teams that buy products with add-on component costs — scoops, labels, inserts, special packaging — where the supplier charges extra for certain items and you want that cost reflected in your inventory value without touching every shipment by hand.

The problem this solves

A common bottleneck: domestic POs include items that carry an added component cost (for example, a scoop and label added to each jar). Without a rule, someone has to remember to add that cost manually to each shipment. That is slow and easy to miss, and missed costs mean understated landed costs and overstated margins.

Two ways to handle per-item component costs

Option 1 — Build it into the unit cost (best for true per-unit costs)

If the component cost is a fixed amount per unit (e.g. $0.60 per jar for the scoop and label), use a cost rule of type "Adjust unit cost" with a Fixed Per Unit effect:

  1. Create a cost rule with type Adjust unit cost for the vendor.
  2. Scope it to the products that carry the component (by product, category, or tag — e.g. a "scoop-and-label" tag).
  3. Add a Fixed Per Unit effect of $0.60.

Every time those products are added to a PO for that vendor, the unit price automatically includes the extra $0.60. The cost scales with quantity, flows into landed cost at receiving, and no one has to add anything manually. The trade-off: it is baked into the item's unit price rather than shown as a separate fee line.

Option 2 — A separate extra cost line (best for lump-sum charges)

If the charge is a flat amount or a percentage of order value (e.g. a $150 labeling setup fee whenever labeled products are on the order), use a cost rule of type "Add extra cost line":

  1. Create the rule with a Fixed amount or Percentage cost basis.
  2. Filter it to the relevant products so the charge only applies when they are on the order — and is only spread across those items at receiving.
  3. Turn on Auto-apply on save so it appears on every matching PO without manual work.

Important: an extra-cost rule with a Fixed amount basis produces one charge for the order (a pool), not an amount multiplied by units. A "Fixed amount $0.60" extra-cost rule adds $0.60 total to the PO — not $0.60 per unit. If you want a per-unit charge shown as its own extra-cost line, choose the Fixed per unit cost basis (amount × quantity of matching lines); to build it into the item's unit price instead, use Option 1.

Choosing between them

Your situationUse
Cost is per unit ($0.60 per jar)Adjust unit cost — Fixed Per Unit
Cost is per order ($150 setup fee)Add extra cost line — Fixed amount
Cost scales with order value (3% packaging surcharge)Add extra cost line — Percentage
Cost varies each time and can't be predictedEnter it manually in the Extra Costs section of the PO; it carries to the shipment automatically
  • "Can I add a per-unit cost for scoops/labels automatically?"
  • "How do I stop adding component costs to every domestic shipment by hand?"
  • "Should a component charge be an extra cost or part of the unit price?"