Glossary: Pricing
Tiered pricing
Tiered pricing charges a lower unit price as the quantity bought rises, using set ranges such as 1 to 9 units, 10 to 49 units and 50 or more. Each range is a tier with its own price or discount, and it rewards larger orders.
In detail
Tiered pricing shares the saving from bigger orders with the buyer. A seller defines quantity ranges, gives each range a price, and the buyer sees the unit price drop as they add more. It is one of the most common wholesale pricing models because it is easy to read and nudges buyers to add a few more units to reach the next tier.
There are two ways to apply a tier, and the difference matters. In an all-units model, reaching a tier gives every unit in the order that tier's price. In an incremental model, each band is priced on its own, so only the units inside a band get its price. All-units is simpler to explain, and incremental gives a smoother price curve. State which one you use.
Pick tier breaks that match how buyers purchase. Case packs, pallet layers and common reorder sizes make natural breaks. Four or five tiers are usually enough, and each step should still leave you a healthy margin. Show the tiers as a table on the product page so buyers see the next price before they reach it.
Tiered pricing is close to volume pricing and quantity breaks, and many stores use the three terms for the same thing. It differs from a customer price list, which sets prices by who the buyer is rather than by how much they buy. The two combine well: a gold list sets the starting price, and tiers reduce it further as the quantity rises.
Example
Tiers: 1 to 9 units at $10, 10 to 49 at $9, 50 or more at $8. An order of 60 units costs $480 in an all-units model (60 x $8). In an incremental model it costs $538 (9 x $10 + 40 x $9 + 11 x $8).
On Shopify
Shopify's native B2B calls this volume pricing. You can add up to 10 price breaks per product, and a buyer must meet each quantity per variant on its own. Shopify's example lists unit prices of $18.50 at 20 units, $17.75 at 50 and $16 at 100. Once a product has volume pricing its price becomes fixed, so an overall percentage adjustment on the catalog no longer applies. Quantity price breaks are listed on all plans.
Sources: Shopify Help Center: Quantity rules and volume pricing (read October 4, 2026); Shopify Help Center: Shopify B2B features by plan (read October 4, 2026).
In BSS B2B apps
BSS B2B Solution's Volume Pricing module sets tiers by purchase quantity. Tiers apply on top of the Price List or Custom Pricing price rather than on the retail price. In the guide's example, a Price List price of $80 with a 5% tier gives $76.
Setup docs
Related use cases
Learn more
Read the Wholesale pricing hub for guides, use cases and setup docs, or the complete Shopify B2B guide.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between tiered pricing and volume pricing?
In practice the terms overlap. Tiered pricing stresses the ranges (tiers) of quantity. Volume pricing stresses the rule that a larger quantity earns a lower price. Many stores use them for the same feature.
How many price breaks can a Shopify product have?
Up to 10 price breaks per product in Shopify's native volume pricing. Quantities are checked for each variant on its own (Shopify Help Center, read 2026-10-04).
Should tiers apply to every unit or only to the units in each band?
Either works if you state it clearly. Applying the tier price to every unit is simpler and is what most buyers expect. Pricing each band separately gives a smoother curve and a higher total, as in the 60-unit example above.