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Sell through rate tells you how much of the stock you had has actually left the building. It is one of the quickest ways to see which styles earn their space and which ones need a decision. This page covers the formula, a worked example and what to do with the result.
Sell through rate explained
Sell through rate is the percentage of available stock that has sold in a given period. A high rate means most of what you had is gone. A low rate means stock is sitting. On its own it does not say whether that is good, because that depends on how long the product has been on sale.
The sell through rate formula
Sell through rate (%) = units sold / units available x 100
Units available means the stock you started the period with plus anything received during it. Use the same period for both numbers, for example a single week, a month or the season to date.
A companion figure helps you read it:
Weeks of cover = units still in stock / average units sold per week
Weeks of cover turns stock into time. It answers how long the current stock lasts at the current pace.
Worked example (invented numbers)
These figures are made up to show the arithmetic. They are not market data. Two styles, six weeks into the season:
| Style A | Style B | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening stock | 140 | 100 |
| Received | 60 | 50 |
| Units available | 200 | 150 |
| Units sold | 120 | 45 |
| Units left | 80 | 105 |
Style A: sell through = 120 / 200 = 60%. Average sales are 120 / 6 = 20 units per week, so weeks of cover = 80 / 20 = 4 weeks.
Style B: sell through = 45 / 150 = 30%. Average sales are 45 / 6 = 7.5 units per week, so weeks of cover = 105 / 7.5 = 14 weeks.
Same season, same week, very different pictures. Style A may run out before the season ends and is a candidate for a reorder if the supplier can deliver in time. Style B has far more stock than the pace supports and needs a plan, such as repositioning, bundling or a planned price action.
How to read the result
- High rate and low cover: demand is strong. Check whether a reorder can still arrive while it matters, and whether a sell-out hides more demand than the number shows.
- Low rate and high cover: the style is slower than planned. Look at price, placement and sizing before assuming the product itself is weak.
- Mixed by size: a style at 50% overall can hide a sold-out core size next to untouched outer sizes. Check the rate by size.
- Time matters: 30% after two weeks and 30% after ten weeks are different situations. Always read sell through together with weeks in stock.
Step by step
- Pick a period and use it for every style.
- Add opening stock and receipts to get units available.
- Count units sold, net of returns if you track them.
- Divide sold by available and multiply by 100.
- Calculate weeks of cover from the current pace.
- Sort styles from highest to lowest and decide on action for each end of the list.
- Repeat on a fixed rhythm, weekly in season for most teams.
Common mistakes
- Dividing by opening stock only. Late receipts then push the rate above what is possible.
- Mixing periods. Compare styles over the same window.
- Ignoring returns. Gross sales overstate what customers kept.
- Reading one number alone. Pair sell through with cover and with weeks in stock.
Run it in a spreadsheet
The Sell-Through Tracker in the Buying & Wholesale Kit calculates sell through %, weeks of cover, a season-end projection and an action flag for up to 50 styles. It comes with labelled example data that you replace with your own figures. It is a planning aid and does not decide for you.
The Kit is a paid product and also includes an Open-to-Buy Planner, a Size-Curve Planner, a Wholesale Line Sheet with margin calculator and a Tech Pack template. The formulas above work in any spreadsheet for free, and the tracker saves you the setup.
See the Buying & Wholesale Kit
Frequently asked questions
What is sell through rate?
Sell through rate is the share of the stock you had available that has been sold in a period. It is units sold divided by units available, shown as a percentage.
What is a good sell through rate?
There is no single answer. It depends on the category, the season length and how far into the season you are. Compare styles with each other and with your own past seasons.
Should I use units or value?
Either works if you stay consistent. Units are simpler and avoid distortion from price changes, so most buyers start there.
Are the numbers in the example real?
No. They are invented to show the arithmetic and are not market data.
