How to Sell Wholesale Alongside Retail on Shopify

Who it is for

Retail brands adding trade buyers

Time needed

A day to set up, weeks to sign stockists

What you need

Costs per unit, written terms and a Shopify plan

Wholesale usually starts with an email: a shop owner likes your product and asks for trade prices. Most small brands reply with a PDF price list, take the order by email and send an invoice by hand. That works for three stockists. It falls apart at twenty, when reorders, stock counts and late payments pile up in your inbox.

The better setup is to sell wholesale online through the same Shopify store: trade customers log in, see their own prices and minimums, and order like any shopper, while retail visitors never see any of it. This guide covers how to sell wholesale as a small business, from pricing to the Shopify setup and finding retailers. Shopify features and plan details were checked in the Shopify Help Center on 7 November 2026.

Price wholesale so both channels make money

Start from your full cost per unit, including packaging and the share of shipping you cover. Then work up, not down from your retail price.

Many retailers price at around double what they pay, often called keystone pricing, so ask your first stockists what markup they need. If your wholesale price only works at a markup they can't accept, fix your costs or your retail price before you launch, not after. Check the numbers with the profit margin calculator.

Keep your own retail price the same as the price you suggest to stockists. If you undercut them online, they stop reordering.

Decide your wholesale terms first

Write these down before you build anything in Shopify, because each one becomes a setting.

One store or a separate wholesale store

Shopify lets you run B2B and direct-to-consumer sales in one store or in a separate B2B-only store. For most small brands I recommend one store.

• One store keeps one stock count, one product catalog and one admin. Trade buyers log in and see their catalog prices. This is the simplest way to sell wholesale alongside retail.
• A separate B2B store makes sense when the wholesale range, branding or content is very different, or you want the whole site locked to approved buyers. It means a second plan and keeping stock in step between stores.

What each Shopify plan includes for B2B

Sales staff permissions are on Grow and above, and catalogs assigned straight to one company location need Plus. Plan prices are in my Grow vs Advanced comparison, and the B2B and wholesale cost guide covers what a full setup costs.

Set up wholesale in Shopify, step by step

1. Create a B2B catalog. Go to Markets > Catalogs and click Create catalog. Give it an internal title, such as "Trade", and leave it as Draft while you build.
2. Set trade prices. In Price adjustment, choose Decrease and enter a percentage, such as 50%. Where a product needs a different price, type a fixed price in the Price column. A fixed price overrides the percentage for that product or variant.
3. Choose the products. All products are included by default. Exclude anything you don't sell wholesale, and decide whether to turn on Automatically include new products.
4. Add the catalog to a B2B market. Click Add a market, select your B2B market, then set both the catalog and the market to Active.
5. Add quantity rules and price breaks. Set minimums and case-pack increments per product, and lower prices at higher quantities if you offer volume pricing.
6. Create a company for each buyer. Go to Customers > Companies and click Add company. Add the main contact (they need an email address), shipping and billing addresses, the catalog and the payment terms.
7. Choose how orders arrive. Under Orders submission, pick Submit all orders as drafts for review for new buyers, so you can check each order before you accept it, or Automatically submit orders for trusted ones.
8. Set taxes. Add the buyer's tax ID and choose Collect tax, Don't collect tax or Collect tax unless exemptions apply. For Shopify Tax stores with UK or EU addresses, the field shows as "VAT number" and is validated.
9. Add a trade application form. Install the free Shopify Forms app, go to Apps > Forms, click Create form and add the Company and customer fields. Company name and email are required for Shopify to create the company record automatically.
10. Approve applications. New applicants appear under Customers > Companies on the Ordering not approved tab. They can't order or see trade prices until you click Manage permissions and approve them.
11. Test it as a buyer. Create a test company with your own second email, log in, check prices and minimums, and place an order.

Payment terms without the cash flow pain

Shopify supports net 7, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 day terms, payment due on fulfillment, and a fixed due date on individual draft orders. Set terms per company location under Customers > Companies, or select several companies and click Edit payment terms.

One detail catches people out: Shopify doesn't capture payment automatically when terms expire. Overdue orders are marked Overdue, and you collect manually, for example by charging a saved card. Payment reminders are available on every B2B plan.

My rule for small brands: card payment on the first two orders, then net 30 for buyers who reorder. Deposits on large orders need Plus, so on other plans ask for card payment on big first orders instead.

How to sell wholesale to retailers

The setup only matters once you have buyers. These are the steps I'd follow to find the first ten.

1. Make a line sheet. One PDF with photos, SKUs, wholesale and suggested retail prices, case packs, minimums and lead times.
2. Build a target list. 30 to 50 independent shops whose existing range sits next to yours. Visit their websites and social pages, and note who buys.
3. Send samples to your top ten. A short note, the line sheet and a sample beat a cold email with an attachment.
4. Follow up twice. Once a week after the sample arrives, then once two weeks later. Most first orders come from follow-ups.
5. Make reordering easy. Once a buyer has an account, the quick order list and easy reorders let them reorder in minutes without emailing you.

Trade shows and wholesale marketplaces can add buyers too. Check their commissions and payment terms carefully, because they change the math in the pricing table above.

Protect your retail channel

• Same stock pool. Wholesale orders take from the same inventory as retail. Set aside stock for your own site before peak periods.
• Consistent prices. Ask stockists to keep to your suggested retail price, and keep yours there too.
• Different discounts. Exclude B2B orders from retail promotions, and check how your discount combinations behave when a logged-in trade buyer adds a retail code.
• Separate reports. Track wholesale and retail sales separately so a strong wholesale month doesn't hide a weak retail one.

Common mistakes

• Pricing wholesale from retail downwards. If 50% off retail doesn't cover your costs with a margin, you lose money on every trade order.
• Net terms on day one. Offer terms to buyers who have paid on time before.
• Using a discount code for trade prices. Codes leak, and they don't enforce minimums. Use catalogs and quantity rules.
• Undercutting stockists. A permanent sale on your site tells retailers not to reorder.
• Forgetting tax settings. Set tax collection per company location from the start.
• Not testing as a buyer. Log in as a test company before you invite real ones.

Wholesale launch checklist

1. Costs known. Landed cost per unit, wholesale price and suggested retail price for each product.
2. Terms written. Minimums, case packs, payment terms, delivery and returns.
3. Plan checked. Your plan supports the B2B features you need.
4. Catalog live. Trade catalog active and assigned to an active B2B market.
5. Rules set. Quantity rules and price breaks on each wholesale product.
6. Application form live. Shopify Forms with company fields, and approvals handled from the companies list.
7. Taxes set. Tax IDs and collection settings on each company location.
8. Test order placed. As a logged-in test company, from login to confirmation email.
9. Line sheet sent. To your first ten target retailers, with samples.

Next steps

Work out your wholesale prices this week, then build the catalog and one test company. Once the test order works, send your first samples.

If you'd rather have the B2B setup done for you, with catalogs, company accounts, a trade theme and the order flow built and tested, that's part of my Shopify development work. Store design and development starts from $300, and every project gets a fixed quote after a free review.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. B2B on Shopify, Shopify Help Center
2. B2B features by plan, Shopify Help Center
3. Customizing B2B pricing using catalogs, Shopify Help Center
4. Creating and managing B2B customers using companies, Shopify Help Center
5. Payment terms for B2B, Shopify Help Center
6. Allowing new B2B customers to request access, Shopify Help Center

Related services and work

Written by Ashraf Siddik

I'm a Shopify developer and CRO specialist. I have built and improved Shopify stores since 2018, completed more than 1,000 projects, and hold a 4.96 average rating across 719 client reviews.

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