Glossary: Basics
Wholesale
Wholesale is the sale of goods in bulk to businesses, such as retailers or other resellers, rather than to individual shoppers. Wholesale prices are lower than retail prices, and orders usually carry a minimum quantity.
In detail
In a wholesale sale, the buyer is a business that plans to resell the goods or use them in its own work. The seller gives a lower unit price in return for volume, repeat orders and less selling effort per unit. A brand, manufacturer or distributor usually sits on the selling side, and a shop, salon, restaurant or other reseller on the buying side.
Wholesale differs from retail in more than price. Buyers order in larger quantities, often in cases or by the pallet. They expect an account, a price that matches their agreement, invoice payment terms such as Net 30, and a repeat-order route. Sellers usually screen buyers with a short application and a tax ID, and many show wholesale prices only after approval.
The price gap between wholesale and retail is the retailer's margin. A common starting point is keystone pricing, where retail is twice the wholesale price, but real markups vary by industry. Sellers also publish a minimum order quantity or minimum order value, and some add case packs so that buyers purchase in sensible units.
Wholesale can run beside a direct-to-consumer shop. Many brands sell the same products to shoppers at retail price and to approved businesses at wholesale price from one online store, using customer accounts or tags to decide who sees which price.
Example
A candle costs a brand $7 to make. It sells at $15 wholesale to a gift shop, which sells it at $30. The brand earns an $8 margin per candle (about 53% of the wholesale price) and the shop earns a $15 margin (50% of the retail price).
On Shopify
Shopify's B2B Help Center says you can use one store for both B2B and direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales, or create a separate B2B-only store. Business customers are set up as companies in the Shopify admin.
Source: Shopify Help Center: Shopify B2B (read October 4, 2026).
In BSS B2B apps
BSS B2B Solution is built for selling wholesale on a Shopify store. It offers custom pricing by customer tag, customer or company location, quantity breaks, order limits, and a wholesale registration form with approval. Some modules need a paid plan, see the pricing page.
Learn more
Read the Wholesale pricing hub for guides, use cases and setup docs, or the complete Shopify B2B guide.