Stockists can change your business. Here is how to approach retailers, build a line sheet, and win your first wholesale orders.
Stockists can change your business. One good store order beats a hundred single sales.
Most founders find wholesale intimidating. They don't know who to approach, what to send, or what to charge.
I built Incy Interiors into a $50M brand, sold in 9 countries. Stockists carried us into rooms we could never have reached alone. Here is how to start.
Know what wholesale actually means
Wholesale is selling your product to a shop, so the shop can sell it on.
You sell to them at a lower price. They mark it up and sell to their customers. That is the deal.
This only works if your pricing was built for it from the start. A retailer usually pays about half your retail price. Your numbers have to survive that.
If they don't, fix your pricing before you pitch a single store.
Start with the right stores, not every store
Do not blast every shop in the country.
Pick ten stores that already sell to your customer. Same vibe, same price point, same kind of buyer. A perfect-fit boutique beats a giant chain that doesn't get you.
Walk in as a customer first. Look at what they stock. Notice the gaps. Then you can pitch something that fits, not something they already have.
Quality of fit beats quantity of emails.
Build a simple line sheet
A line sheet is the one document every buyer expects.
Keep it clean. It should show your products, clear photos, wholesale prices, retail prices, minimum order, and how to reach you.
A buyer should understand your range in thirty seconds. Confused buyers don't order. Clarity does the selling.
You don't need anything fancy. You need it clear.
Make the first approach easy to say yes to
Buyers are busy. Respect their time.
Keep your first message short. Say who you are, who buys your product, and why it suits their store. Attach the line sheet. Offer to send a sample.
Lower the risk for a first order. A small opening order is easier to approve than a big one. Get on the shelf, then grow.
One yes opens the door to the next.
Treat your first stockists like gold
The first few stores are your proof.
Deliver on time. Pack it beautifully. Make them look good to their customers. Reorders are where the real money lives.
Ask how it's selling. Offer to help with a display or a social post. A stockist who feels supported keeps buying.
A happy store becomes your best salesperson.
Your next step
Pick ten dream stores this week. Visit them, online or in person. Build a simple line sheet with wholesale and retail pricing.
Then send one short, warm email with a sample offer. Start small and deliver well.
Wholesale is not magic. It is the right stores, a clear offer, and follow-through.
If you want help building a product business that's actually ready for stockists, that is what The Product Path is for. Come find us when you're ready to scale.
Kristy Withers
Product business strategist & sourcing specialist
Ready to go further?
Let's build your product business.