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Sell-through rate is the percentage of the units a store received that it sold to shoppers within a set period. It is units sold divided by units received, times 100, so selling 70 of 200 units in four weeks is a 35% sell-through.
Sell-through rate measures how quickly stock sells: the share of received units sold to customers over a period such as a week, a month or a season. A high rate means a style is selling at the pace the buyer planned, or faster.
Divide the units sold in the period by the units received, then multiply by 100. Some retailers divide by beginning inventory instead, so check which version a buyer uses before you compare numbers.
There is no single good rate: it depends on the category, the price point, the season and how many weeks the stock has been on the floor. Compare a style with similar styles over the same number of weeks, not with a universal benchmark.
A boutique receives 200 units of a knit top and sells 70 in the first four weeks, a 35% sell-through. A dress from the same delivery sells 48 of its 60 units, an 80% sell-through, and becomes a reorder candidate.
Buyers use sell-through to decide what to reorder, what to mark down and how much to buy from a brand next season. Brands that ask stockists for sell-through by style and size can plan production and reorders from real demand.
Strong full-price sell-through also gives a brand a concrete case to bring to the next market appointment, and it is the starting point for the buyer's open-to-buy.
Comparing different periods
A 40% sell-through after two weeks and after ten weeks mean very different things. Always state the period.
Mixing up the denominator
Units received and beginning inventory give different rates for the same sales. Use one method consistently.
Ignoring markdowns
High sell-through driven by deep discounts can hide a style that didn't sell at full price. Track full-price sell-through separately.
ModaFlow's analytics show your top styles by units ordered and your reorder rate, and buyers can reorder a past order from your buyer portal when a style sells through.
To work out a stockist's sell-through from their sales report, use the free sell-through calculator.
Updated October 6, 2026
Open-to-buy (OTB) is the amount a retailer still has available to spend on new stock for a period, after allowing for planned sales, markdowns, the stock it already holds and the orders it has already placed.
Assortment planning is the process of deciding which styles, colors, sizes and quantities a store or brand will carry in a season, within a budget.
A size curve is the share of a style's units given to each size, based on how that style or category sells.
In wholesale, a retailer buys stock from a brand upfront and owns it; in consignment, the brand still owns the stock in the store and is paid only when an item sells.
ModaFlow.ai is wholesale software for fashion brands: line sheets, shoppable lookbooks, a buyer portal and order management, with prices, minimums, packs and order dates kept together. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial.