cost price, n.All

Cost price (n.) tells ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠you nothing about where value comes from, yet presents the false semblance of being a real category of value production.

Cost price (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠what the capitalist takes for the real inner value of his goods — so that his gain seems to come from selling above value, born in the sale rather than in the workshop.

Cost price (n.) abolishes, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠for the capitalist, the line between wages and machinery — £100 is £100 whichever way it is spent — and this sameness is what competition levels profits upon.

Cost price (n.) depends ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠on the paid labour in a thing, value on all its labour paid or unpaid, and price of production on the paid labour plus a share of unpaid labour from elsewhere.

Cost price (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠what the commodity costs the capitalist — which is not what it costs to make; the difference is the worker's unpaid labour, which costs the capitalist nothing.