• Written By Jyoti Saxena
  • Last Modified 30-01-2023

Buy and Sell: Definitions, Explanation and Examples

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Buy and Sell: Have you have heard the name of the websites named Amazon, Flipkart, OLX, GoDaddy, etc. What do they deal with??? They deal with the buying and selling of daily needs like groceries, furniture, fruits, vegetables etc.,

The world of arithmetic is the world of practical maths. In our day-to-day life, we purchase various items of daily usage like grocery items, fruits and vegetables. In purchasing these items, we act as buyers, whereas the shopkeeper behaves as a seller in the whole transaction. There are many instances where we buy or sell goods. Now, to understand the whole concept of buy and sell, let us dive into this article.

Definition of Buy and Sell

We all go to shopping malls, markets, grocery shops and other shops to buy clothing, furniture, vegetables, grocery objects, etc. All of these objects have some maximum price mentioned on them. Often we tend to bargain for the things we purchase. Sometimes we get objects at the bargained price while the shopkeeper is often not in the mood to negotiate, and we have to buy the object at a price mentioned on the thing. 

Here, we are known as the buyer, and the shopkeeper is known as the seller. Taking a commodity in exchange for cash is known as buying, and giving away something in place of the money is known as selling.

In simple terms, buying is acquiring an object in exchange for money, whereas selling is acquiring money to abandon the ownership of any entity.

Difference Between Buy and Sell

In general, buying and selling are two terms that are often used relatively. Buying and selling are the two sides of the same coin; when one sells something, someone else is buying it. Hence, the terms buying and selling go hand in hand.

The main difference between buying and selling is that buying is acquiring an object in exchange for money. In contrast, selling is receiving cash in exchange for relinquishing all claims of ownership from an object. 

For example, Madhurima sold her car to Priya. Here, Madhurima gives Priya her vehicle and takes money from Priya. On the other hand, Priya gave cash and accepts the vehicle from Madhurima. Thus, the car now belongs to Priya, as she has paid money for it, i.e., Priya brought the car from Madhurima. And, hence, Priya is the buyer here, and Madhurima is the seller.

What is Cost Price and Selling Price?

To understand the concept of buying and selling, we should first learn and understand some basic terms involved in a transaction.

Cost Price

The cost price of an article is the price at which the article is initially purchased, or the product is manufactured. It is abbreviated as CP.

In the above example of Madhurima selling the car to Priya, the amount for which Madhurima initially brought the car is the vehicle’s cost price. If I am manufacturing a car, then the cost involved in the car’s production is the cost price.

Selling Price

The selling price for an article is the price at which the article is sold. It is abbreviated as SP. In the same above example of Madhurima selling the car to Priya, the amount Priya gave to Madhurima to get the car is the selling price of the car. 

If I am manufacturing a car, the on-road price for that car, including the taxes and all that the buyer must remit, is the car’s selling price.

Profit or Gain

Profit

If the selling price of an article is more than the cost price, then there is gain or profit in the transaction. If SP>CP, then there is a profit or gain.

Thus, the formula to find the profit is, Profit =SPCP.

In the same example of Madhurima selling the car to Priya, if Madhurima gets an amount from Priya that is higher than what she spent buying the car initially, then the transaction is in profit. Let us consider another example.

Suppose Jyoti bought an apple at Math input error and sold it at Math input error. Jyoti is buying the apple at Math input error
So, the cost price, Math input error

And she is selling the apple at Math input error.
So, the selling price Math input error

Now, we can see that SP>CP. Therefore, it is profit and the amount of profit Math input error

Hence, the profit obtained in selling the apple is Math input error.

Loss

When the selling price is less than the cost price, then there is a loss in the transaction. If SP<CP, then there is a loss.

Loss =CPSP

For example, consider a man buying an article at Math input error and selling it at Math input error.

Now, the cost price Math input error and the selling price Math input error 

Here CP>SP.

Therefore, it is a loss. Amount of loss Math input error

How to Calculate Profit and Loss?

We use profit and loss formulas to compute the profit or loss that has been achieved by selling an article. Profit and loss as a percentage are usually measures to illustrate how much profit or loss a trader incurred from any deal.

  1. When the selling price of any article sold is greater than the cost price (the price at which the article was initially bought), gain or profit is made.
  2. When the selling price of any article sold is lesser than the cost price (the price at which the article was initially bought), the loss is made.

Some important formulas related to profit and loss are given below.

  1. Profit percentage (P%)=(ProfitCostPrice)×100
  2. Loss percentage (L%)=(LossCostPrice)×100
  3. Selling price={(100+P%100)}×CP (when SP>CP)
  4. Selling price ={(100L%100)}×CP (when SP<CP)
  5. Cost price ={(100100+p%)}×SP (when SP>CP)
  6. Cost price ={(100100L%)}×SP (when SP<CP)

Solved Examples – Buy and Sell

Q.1. A shopkeeper brought a chair for Math input error and sold it for Math input error. Find his gain or profit.
Ans:
The cost price of the chair is Math input error and the selling price of the chair is Math input error
Since, SP>CP, the transaction is profit.
We know that, Profit =SPCP
Profit or gain Math input error
Hence, the profit he earned on selling the chair is Math input error

Q.2. The cost price of an item is Math input error. If the shopkeeper sells it at a loss of 10, find the price at which it is sold?
Ans:
Here, Math input error and loss =10
Loss =10 of Math input error
Therefore, loss Math input error
SP=CP -Loss
Math input error
Math input error
Thus, the item is sold for Math input error

Q.3. The cost price of an item is Math input error. If it is sold at 15 profit, find its selling price.
Ans:
Here, Math input error
Profit =15 of Math input error
Now, SP=CP+Profit
Math input error
Thus, the item is sold for Math input error

Q.4. Preethu bought a cycle for Math input error and sold it for Math input error. Find the profit made by Preethu.
Ans:
Here, cost price Math input error and selling price Math input error
Here, SP>CP
Therefore, profit =SPCP
Math input error
Math input error
Hence, Preethu made a profit of Math input error

Q.6. Manu and Gaurav each brought a house in a gated community. The cost of each house was Math input error. After a while, they both sold their houses. Manu got Math input error, and Gaurav got Math input error for his house. Who made a better deal?
Ans:
Cost price of the house for both Math input error
The selling price of Manu’s house is Math input error
Therefore, the profit made by Manu in selling his house is =SPCP
Math input error
Math input error
Now, the selling price of Gaurav’s house is Math input error
Therefore, the profit made by Gaurav in selling his house is =SPCP
Math input error
Math input error
Thus, it is clear from the above that Gaurav’s profit is more than Manu’s profit. Hence, Gaurav made a better deal.

Summary

In this article, we learned about the concept of buy and sell. We knew the other terminologies associated with the idea of buy and sell, like, selling price, cost price, profit, loss, profit per cent and loss per cent. In addition to this, we also learned the formulas to find the selling price and cost price. We mastered the concept by taking some examples and then solving them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Buy and Sell

Q.1. What is buy and sell?
Ans:
Taking a commodity in exchange for cash is known as buying, and giving away something in place of the cash is known as selling.

Q.2. What is the definition of selling price in maths?
Ans:
The selling price for an article is the price at which the article is sold. It is abbreviated as SP.

Q.3. How to calculate profit?
Ans:
If the selling price of an article is more than the cost price, then there is gain or profit in the transaction. If SP>CP, then there is a profit or gain.
Thus, the formula to find the profit is, 
Profit =SPCP

Q.4. What is the CP formula?
Ans:
The formula for cost price is as follows.
1. Cost price ={(100100+p%)}×SP(whenSP>CP)
2. Cost price ={(100100L%)}×SP(whenSP<CP)

Q.5. What is the formula of Cost Price And Selling Price?
Ans:
The amount paid to buy a product or the price at which a product is made is known as cost price.
Costprice=SellingpriceProfit (with profit)
Costprice=Sellingprice+Loss
The price at which a product is sold is known as the selling price.
Sellingprice=Costprice+Profit
Sellingprice=CostpriceLoss

We hope this detailed article on the concept of buy and sell helped you in your studies. If you have any doubts, queries or suggestions regarding this article, feel to ask us in the comment section and we will be more than happy to assist you. Happy learning!

Practice Buy & Sell Questions with Hints & Solutions