A busy stall does not tell you whether your stock and sales receipts match. Start with one product and one selling price, then check both counts before reviewing costs.
A fictional worked example
You bring 40 items, sell 25 at $5 each, record two damaged items and count 12 left. Expected closing stock is 40 − 25 − 2 = 13. Actual minus expected is −1 item. Investigate the difference rather than assuming its cause.
Expected sales receipts are 25 × $5 = $125. You manually count $70 cash and $50 card sales receipts, excluding sales tax: $120 actual receipts, a −$5 difference. Check recorded discounts, refunds and counting mistakes; a difference does not prove theft.
Contribution is not net profit
Suppose unit cost is $1.50. Sold and damaged stock costs (25 + 2) × $1.50 = $40.50. Add $3 card fees and $30 combined event/travel costs. Estimated event contribution is $120 − $40.50 − $3 − $30 = $46.50 before overhead and tax.
This example does not deduct the purchase cost of unsold stock as an event expense. That does not mean unsold stock was free or that this is a complete accounting report. All figures are invented for explanation, not price recommendations or actual earnings.
Want a worksheet for this narrow check?
Market Event Desk is a $7 one-time digital download with an offline HTML browser worksheet and start guide. One product and one selling price per worksheet; enter your own figures manually. It shows stock and receipt variances and estimated contribution. Desktop recommended.
It is not a full POS or inventory system and does not process payments, sync inventory or store data in the cloud. Export your JSON backup before closing the tab. No accounting or tax advice.