How to Create Your Own GTBuy Spreadsheet from Scratch

Templates are built for the average user.

Your business is not average.

Maybe you sell sneakers in five sizes and need a matrix view.

Maybe you dropship electronics and need a platform fee column.

Maybe you buy from twelve suppliers in three currencies and need exchange rate tracking.

A custom GTBuy spreadsheet gives you exactly what you need and nothing you do not.

The upfront time investment is about 45 minutes.

After that, you have a tool that scales with your business, adapts to new categories, and reflects your personal buying logic.

Plus, understanding how it works means you can fix it when something breaks — instead of staring at a template formula you do not understand.

Start with a blank Google Sheet.

In row 1, list every piece of information you currently track or wish you tracked.

Do not worry about order yet — just brain-dump.

Common essentials include Date, Supplier, Product, SKU, Qty, Unit Cost, Shipping, Total Cost, Target Price, Est.

Profit, Actual Price, Final Profit, and Notes.

Then add business-specific columns.

Selling clothing? Add Size, Color, and Fit.

Buying electronics? Add Condition, Warranty, and Serial Number.

Dropshipping? Add Platform, Listing Date, and Days to Sell.

Cross-border? Add Currency, Exchange Rate, and Import Duty.

Group related columns together.

Put cost columns next to each other.

Put sales columns together.

This makes scanning and formula-writing much easier.

Freeze row 1 and apply bold formatting.

A spreadsheet without formulas is just a fancy table.

The most important formula is Total Cost.

In your Total Cost column, multiply Quantity by Unit Cost, then add the Shipping cost.

For example, if column E is Quantity, F is Unit Cost, and G is Shipping, your formula is =E2*F2+G2.

Copy this down for every row.

Next, Estimated Profit.

Subtract Total Cost from Target Resale Price multiplied by Quantity.

If H is Total Cost and I is Target Price, use =I2*E2-H2.

For Final Profit, swap Target Price with Actual Sale Price.

Use IFERROR around every formula so broken rows do not crash your sheet.

Apply conditional formatting to profit columns: green above 30%, yellow 15-30%, red below 15%.

This gives you instant visual feedback on every deal before you commit.

Raw rows are overwhelming.

Build a Summary tab that answers your biggest questions at a glance.

Use COUNTIF to show total orders this month.

Use SUMIF to show total spend per supplier.

Use AVERAGEIF to show your typical margin by category.

Build a small chart showing monthly profit trends.

For automation, link a Google Form to your sheet so you can log orders from your phone.

Set up email notifications using Google Apps Script when inventory drops below a threshold.

Create a pivot table that shows which suppliers deliver fastest and which categories earn most.

These features transform a simple tracker into a command center for your business.