Marketing plans, profits and costs may constitute confidential business information. Typically, FOIA only applies to documents. Information is not subject to FOIA, and FOIA does not require the agency or organization to create a document. Nor does FOIA require an agency or organization to compile data into a document. Typically, FOIAs allow the agency or organization to charge a fee, much as a physician may charge to photocopy patient records.
Fees vary depending on what information is being sought and who is seeking it.
For instance, a journalist can often get a fee reduction or waiver on the grounds that the information will be used for the public good. A company trying to get information on a competitor will have a much tougher time getting a fee reduction or waiver. So before wildly firing off missives and incurring costs, which can be minimal or, rarely, run to tens of thousands of dollars, fine-tune a request and narrow its scope.