Price or cost?

[dthomsen8]

Price or cost? Or the plurals, prices or costs? What is the difference?

To me, the numbers I see in the paper or the web with a $ sign (or other currency symbol) offering to sell me items or a services are prices.

If I have a business selling items or services, the prices I pay for the items or services are my costs, and what I ask for the items or services are my prices.

The difference, my prices less my costs, are my profits, or maybe my losses.

What annoyed me enough to post a new thread here is the use of the word "costs" for what are, to me, just prices.

Dictionary definitions did not help me in making this distinction, so I am placing it before this forum for comment.