BOGO margin audit checklist and change log

Last updated: 2026-07-31

Written and reviewed by Seller Profit Guard Editorial Team.

A complete BOGO audit records dated platform mechanics, products, quantities, reward value, regular-price basis, retained outcomes, full costs, fees, reward inventory, contribution and utilization thresholds, nine confirmations, source versions, owner, reviewer, exceptions, tests, release evidence, stop trigger, and rollback identifier.

BOGO audit record separating paid units, reward units, collected revenue, fulfilled cost, target headroom, and decision — This original diagram explains a reviewable Buy X Get Y history with synthetic aggregates.

Record literal offer mechanics

Store the qualifying condition, paid units, reward units, reward value, products, limits, combinations, channel, market, and dates. In the BOGO audit record, record the value, unit, denominator, source version, evidence date, maturity state, owner, reviewer, and uncertainty. Recalculate from a clean aggregate or synthetic packet before formatting any rate, amount, boundary, or decision.

Attach first-party platform evidence. Topic 1 keeps one supported case, one defective case, the correction step, and the reason the conclusion belongs to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history rather than a platform promise, demand forecast, or universal promotion rule.

Record scope and denominators

Store placed orders, retained rate, order grain, currency, period, product set, and outcome maturity. In the BOGO audit record, record the value, unit, denominator, source version, evidence date, maturity state, owner, reviewer, and uncertainty. Recalculate from a clean aggregate or synthetic packet before formatting any rate, amount, boundary, or decision.

Exclude personal identifiers. Topic 2 keeps one supported case, one defective case, the correction step, and the reason the conclusion belongs to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history rather than a platform promise, demand forecast, or universal promotion rule.

Record price and costs

Version unit price, product cost, packaging, fulfillment, shipping, fee bases, adverse loss, and setup. In the BOGO audit record, record the value, unit, denominator, source version, evidence date, maturity state, owner, reviewer, and uncertainty. Recalculate from a clean aggregate or synthetic packet before formatting any rate, amount, boundary, or decision.

Name provisional values. Topic 3 keeps one supported case, one defective case, the correction step, and the reason the conclusion belongs to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history rather than a platform promise, demand forecast, or universal promotion rule.

Record formulas and outputs

Store regular value, collected merchandise, effective discount, fulfilled units, revenue, costs, contribution, margin, headroom, and boundary. In the BOGO audit record, record the value, unit, denominator, source version, evidence date, maturity state, owner, reviewer, and uncertainty. Recalculate from a clean aggregate or synthetic packet before formatting any rate, amount, boundary, or decision.

Retain full calculation precision. Topic 4 keeps one supported case, one defective case, the correction step, and the reason the conclusion belongs to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history rather than a platform promise, demand forecast, or universal promotion rule.

BOGO audit record: record formulas and outputs — This original diagram makes a reviewable Buy X Get Y history reviewable.

Record fixtures

Keep Ready, below-target Review, invalid Block, changed-cost, free-reward, and partial-reward cases. In the BOGO audit record, record the value, unit, denominator, source version, evidence date, maturity state, owner, reviewer, and uncertainty. Recalculate from a clean aggregate or synthetic packet before formatting any rate, amount, boundary, or decision.

Happy-path coverage is insufficient. Topic 5 keeps one supported case, one defective case, the correction step, and the reason the conclusion belongs to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history rather than a platform promise, demand forecast, or universal promotion rule.

Record release evidence

List syntax, typecheck, tests, build, content, similarity, SEO, links, browser, mobile, privacy, live, and restore checks. In the BOGO audit record, record the value, unit, denominator, source version, evidence date, maturity state, owner, reviewer, and uncertainty. Recalculate from a clean aggregate or synthetic packet before formatting any rate, amount, boundary, or decision.

Name evidence paths and reviewers. Topic 6 keeps one supported case, one defective case, the correction step, and the reason the conclusion belongs to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history rather than a platform promise, demand forecast, or universal promotion rule.

Record changes and rollback

Preserve prior value, new value, reason, date, observation window, stop threshold, and restore identifier. In the BOGO audit record, record the value, unit, denominator, source version, evidence date, maturity state, owner, reviewer, and uncertainty. Recalculate from a clean aggregate or synthetic packet before formatting any rate, amount, boundary, or decision.

Never erase an unfavorable result. Topic 7 keeps one supported case, one defective case, the correction step, and the reason the conclusion belongs to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history rather than a platform promise, demand forecast, or universal promotion rule.

Record confirmations and dates

Store source-review, offer-start, and offer-end dates plus all nine yes-or-block evidence confirmations. In the BOGO audit record, record the value, unit, denominator, source version, evidence date, maturity state, owner, reviewer, and uncertainty. Recalculate from a clean aggregate or synthetic packet before formatting any rate, amount, boundary, or decision.

Missing evidence must not be silently treated as a valid zero. Topic 8 keeps one supported case, one defective case, the correction step, and the reason the conclusion belongs to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history rather than a platform promise, demand forecast, or universal promotion rule.

Privacy and access control: bogo margin audit checklist and change log

Use aggregates, synthetic fixtures, redacted pointers, access limits, retention rules, and deletion rules. Control 1 names the authority, owner, review frequency, exception code, threshold, expiry, correction trigger, and prior restorable offer packet.

Exclude buyer, order, payment, coupon, credential, token, and OAuth data. Apply the control specifically to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history; distinguish official platform behavior, seller configuration, seller records, calculator formulas, estimates, and scenario assumptions.

Offer-mechanics control: bogo margin audit checklist and change log

Keep platform-defined Buy X Get Y behavior, seller configuration, and calculation assumptions in separate evidence columns. Control 2 names the authority, owner, review frequency, exception code, threshold, expiry, correction trigger, and prior restorable offer packet.

A tool result cannot prove that a marketplace supports the offer. Apply the control specifically to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history; distinguish official platform behavior, seller configuration, seller records, calculator formulas, estimates, and scenario assumptions.

BOGO audit record: offer-mechanics control: bogo margin audit checklist and change log — This original diagram makes a reviewable Buy X Get Y history reviewable.

Release and restoration control: bogo margin audit checklist and change log

Require calculation, content, similarity, SEO, image, browser, mobile, privacy, live, and rollback evidence. Control 3 names the authority, owner, review frequency, exception code, threshold, expiry, correction trigger, and prior restorable offer packet.

Restore on formula, route, source, privacy, accessibility, or health regression. Apply the control specifically to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history; distinguish official platform behavior, seller configuration, seller records, calculator formulas, estimates, and scenario assumptions.

Quantity and denominator control: bogo margin audit checklist and change log

Reconcile paid units, reward units, placed orders, retained orders, and fulfilled units before calculating. Control 4 names the authority, owner, review frequency, exception code, threshold, expiry, correction trigger, and prior restorable offer packet.

Every rate and cost must name its denominator. Apply the control specifically to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history; distinguish official platform behavior, seller configuration, seller records, calculator formulas, estimates, and scenario assumptions.

Reward-inventory control: bogo margin audit checklist and change log

Keep required reward units, available units, committed units, reserve floor, maximum utilization, replenishment, and fulfillment capacity visible. Control 5 names the authority, owner, review frequency, exception code, threshold, expiry, correction trigger, and prior restorable offer packet.

A scenario result never reserves inventory. Apply the control specifically to a reviewable Buy X Get Y history; distinguish official platform behavior, seller configuration, seller records, calculator formulas, estimates, and scenario assumptions.

Record literal offer mechanics: BOGO scenario drill

Recreate “Record literal offer mechanics” from the synthetic 1 + 1 free and 2 + 1 half-off fixtures. Store the qualifying condition, paid units, reward units, reward value, products, limits, combinations, channel, market, and dates. Change one supported input, preserve the original packet, show the collected-revenue and fulfilled-cost bridge, and attach the expected Block, Review, or Ready state to the BOGO audit record.

Attach first-party platform evidence. Drill 1 includes a supported offer, below-target case, invalid case, corrected case, product-cost change, parcel-cost change, and reward-discount change. Explain what moved, what remained fixed, which threshold changed, and what evidence permits the next step.

Record scope and denominators: BOGO scenario drill

Recreate “Record scope and denominators” from the synthetic 1 + 1 free and 2 + 1 half-off fixtures. Store placed orders, retained rate, order grain, currency, period, product set, and outcome maturity. Change one supported input, preserve the original packet, show the collected-revenue and fulfilled-cost bridge, and attach the expected Block, Review, or Ready state to the BOGO audit record.

Exclude personal identifiers. Drill 2 includes a supported offer, below-target case, invalid case, corrected case, product-cost change, parcel-cost change, and reward-discount change. Explain what moved, what remained fixed, which threshold changed, and what evidence permits the next step.

Record price and costs: BOGO scenario drill

Recreate “Record price and costs” from the synthetic 1 + 1 free and 2 + 1 half-off fixtures. Version unit price, product cost, packaging, fulfillment, shipping, fee bases, adverse loss, and setup. Change one supported input, preserve the original packet, show the collected-revenue and fulfilled-cost bridge, and attach the expected Block, Review, or Ready state to the BOGO audit record.

Name provisional values. Drill 3 includes a supported offer, below-target case, invalid case, corrected case, product-cost change, parcel-cost change, and reward-discount change. Explain what moved, what remained fixed, which threshold changed, and what evidence permits the next step.

BOGO audit record: record price and costs: bogo scenario drill — This original diagram makes a reviewable Buy X Get Y history reviewable.

Record formulas and outputs: BOGO scenario drill

Recreate “Record formulas and outputs” from the synthetic 1 + 1 free and 2 + 1 half-off fixtures. Store regular value, collected merchandise, effective discount, fulfilled units, revenue, costs, contribution, margin, headroom, and boundary. Change one supported input, preserve the original packet, show the collected-revenue and fulfilled-cost bridge, and attach the expected Block, Review, or Ready state to the BOGO audit record.

Retain full calculation precision. Drill 4 includes a supported offer, below-target case, invalid case, corrected case, product-cost change, parcel-cost change, and reward-discount change. Explain what moved, what remained fixed, which threshold changed, and what evidence permits the next step.

Record fixtures: BOGO scenario drill

Recreate “Record fixtures” from the synthetic 1 + 1 free and 2 + 1 half-off fixtures. Keep Ready, below-target Review, invalid Block, changed-cost, free-reward, and partial-reward cases. Change one supported input, preserve the original packet, show the collected-revenue and fulfilled-cost bridge, and attach the expected Block, Review, or Ready state to the BOGO audit record.

Happy-path coverage is insufficient. Drill 5 includes a supported offer, below-target case, invalid case, corrected case, product-cost change, parcel-cost change, and reward-discount change. Explain what moved, what remained fixed, which threshold changed, and what evidence permits the next step.

Record release evidence: BOGO scenario drill

Recreate “Record release evidence” from the synthetic 1 + 1 free and 2 + 1 half-off fixtures. List syntax, typecheck, tests, build, content, similarity, SEO, links, browser, mobile, privacy, live, and restore checks. Change one supported input, preserve the original packet, show the collected-revenue and fulfilled-cost bridge, and attach the expected Block, Review, or Ready state to the BOGO audit record.

Name evidence paths and reviewers. Drill 6 includes a supported offer, below-target case, invalid case, corrected case, product-cost change, parcel-cost change, and reward-discount change. Explain what moved, what remained fixed, which threshold changed, and what evidence permits the next step.

Record changes and rollback: BOGO scenario drill

Recreate “Record changes and rollback” from the synthetic 1 + 1 free and 2 + 1 half-off fixtures. Preserve prior value, new value, reason, date, observation window, stop threshold, and restore identifier. Change one supported input, preserve the original packet, show the collected-revenue and fulfilled-cost bridge, and attach the expected Block, Review, or Ready state to the BOGO audit record.

Never erase an unfavorable result. Drill 7 includes a supported offer, below-target case, invalid case, corrected case, product-cost change, parcel-cost change, and reward-discount change. Explain what moved, what remained fixed, which threshold changed, and what evidence permits the next step.

Record confirmations and dates: BOGO scenario drill

Recreate “Record confirmations and dates” from the synthetic 1 + 1 free and 2 + 1 half-off fixtures. Store source-review, offer-start, and offer-end dates plus all nine yes-or-block evidence confirmations. Change one supported input, preserve the original packet, show the collected-revenue and fulfilled-cost bridge, and attach the expected Block, Review, or Ready state to the BOGO audit record.

Missing evidence must not be silently treated as a valid zero. Drill 8 includes a supported offer, below-target case, invalid case, corrected case, product-cost change, parcel-cost change, and reward-discount change. Explain what moved, what remained fixed, which threshold changed, and what evidence permits the next step.

What a reviewable Buy X Get Y history can and cannot prove

It can prove that entered aggregate assumptions follow the declared dated offer mechanics, distinct paid and reward quantities, order grain, regular-price basis, retained outcomes, fulfilled costs, fee bases, adverse loss, setup cost, reward inventory, thresholds, confirmations, formula version, and evidence scope.

It cannot prove platform eligibility, checkout behavior, lawful price display, live inventory reservation, demand, redemption, conversion, product mix, buyer behavior, incrementality, accounting profit, liquidity, tax treatment, or future campaign results.

Block, review, release, and restore the BOGO audit record

Block non-finite numbers, duplicate scenarios, invalid dates, missing confirmations, private exposure, missing mechanics, incompatible periods, stale scope, or declared conflicts. Review a valid scenario below target or above its reward-inventory threshold. Ready means both structures preserve the declared contribution and inventory controls.

Release only a reversible public model with synthetic defaults, first-party sources, original diagrams, accessible labels, self-canonical, Article and Breadcrumb schema, contextual links, strict 404 behavior, correction policy, and rollback evidence.

Sources and further reading

Seller Profit Guard methodology: Evidence versions, formulas, privacy, correction, release, and rollback.
Seller Profit Guard data privacy: Local-first boundaries for buyer, order, promotion, payment, credential, and raw-record data.
Shopify Help: Buy X get Y discounts: Official qualifying quantity, reward quantity, discounted value, cart-addition, inventory, channel, uses, combination, and timing rules. Reviewed July 31, 2026.
Shopify Help: Combining discounts: Official application order, best-discount selection, plan-specific same-item rules, and Buy X Get Y combination limits. Reviewed July 31, 2026.
Etsy Help: Set up sales and discounts: Official sales, promo-code, discounted-bundle, highest-discount, and non-stacking context. Reviewed July 31, 2026.
FTC: Unfair or Deceptive Fees FAQ: United States guidance says a BOGO-adjusted total price follows only after the transaction meets promotion requirements. Reviewed July 31, 2026.

Related Seller Profit Guard tools

BOGO Margin Calculator: Compare two literal Buy X Get Y structures.
Maximum Discount Calculator: Solve a single-order discount boundary.
Bundle Margin Calculator: Model one fixed bundle price separately.
Seasonal Promotion Margin Calculator: Stress a dated campaign across volume, mix, ads, and capacity.
Coupon Stack Risk Checker: Review combination mechanics before calculating the offer.
Methodology: Review evidence, formulas, privacy, correction, release, and rollback.
Data Privacy: Protect buyer, order, promotion, payment, credential, and raw-record data.
BOGO Margin Formula, Inputs, and Assumptions: Build a Buy X Get Y contribution formula from paid and reward units, reward discount, retained outcomes, costs, fees, and target headroom.
BOGO Margin Example: Buy One Get One Free: Follow a 100-order synthetic buy-one-get-one-free offer through retained revenue, two-unit cost, fees, setup, contribution, and target headroom.
BOGO Margin for Buy Two Get One 50% Off: Model a materially different buy-two-get-one-half-off offer with three fulfilled units, higher collected merchandise, cost, fees, and target headroom.
BOGO Margin Mistakes That Hide Reward Cost: Correct paid-unit, reward-unit, discount-base, product-cost, postage, return, fee, denominator, platform, and false-precision errors.
Reliable Data Sources for BOGO Margin: Map offer mechanics, quantities, prices, costs, shipping, fees, mature outcomes, setup expense, currency, period, and target to reliable evidence.
BOGO Contribution Thresholds and Safe Reward Discounts: Separate break-even, target-safe, and stress thresholds for reward discount, contribution per retained order, and target headroom.
BOGO Comparison: 1 + 1 Free vs 2 + 1 Half Off: Compare buy-one-get-one-free with buy-two-get-one-half-off at equal placed-order volume and expose revenue, fulfilled units, costs, and limits.
A Weekly BOGO Margin Review Routine: Operate a repeatable BOGO review across configuration, price, cost, postage, retained outcomes, fees, contribution, thresholds, and rollback.
How to Interpret BOGO Margin Without False Precision: Interpret effective discount, collected revenue, contribution, per-order economics, target headroom, reward boundary, and uncertainty responsibly.

Next step: Open Seller Profit Guard.

This is operational planning help, not tax, accounting, legal, financial, or platform-policy advice. Review the Terms and disclaimer, and verify current platform rules and fee assumptions before changing prices.