A wholesale enquiry from a shop looks harmless: "Do you sell wholesale? Please send your price list." Small brands often reply with one line and an email address, then wait. If you are wondering how to respond to wholesale inquiries, do the opposite: give the buyer what they need to decide, and ask only what you cannot move forward without.
This guide covers one situation: a physical or online shop wants to buy your goods for resale. Quoting services by scope is a different job, covered in our guide to replying to a sales enquiry. Here you settle the first message, the qualifying questions, what belongs in chat versus an application, and who owns the contact afterwards.
What the first reply has to include
A shop buyer compares suppliers on the same questions: what margin do I make, how much must I buy, when do I get the stock and how do I pay. Answer all four and the shop can cost a trial order without another round of questions. Answer one, and the buyer has to ask again while another brand may already have replied in full.
- Confirm who is writing.In one sentence, name the shop and the town if given, plus the category they asked about.
- Attach your line sheet.A file with product codes, wholesale prices, recommended retail prices and case pack sizes.
- State the minimum order.An amount or unit count for the first order and, if different, for reorders.
- Give lead time and shipping.How many working days from confirmation to dispatch, and who pays carriage above which threshold.
- Describe payment terms.For example, prepayment on the first order and bank transfer with a due date after that. This is information, not a checkout.
- Ask one question, name the step.Ask for the shop website and say what you will do once you have it.
Do not send the buyer to another email address before you have given them anything. Every redirect is one more step for someone who may be asking other brands in parallel. If full terms need a signed agreement, say so, but share the line sheet numbers now.
What to share now and what can wait
Share up front whatever lets the buyer cost an order. Hold back what depends on the specific shop or on your check of the partner. The table below describes a fictional ceramics brand and is a starting point, not a contract template.
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Term | In the first reply | After qualifying the shop |
|---|---|---|
| Prices | Wholesale price list and recommended retail price | Volume discount, if you offer one |
| Minimum order | Threshold for first orders and reorders | Exception for a shop with several locations |
| Lead time | Working days to dispatch for stock items | Date for a made-to-order batch |
| Payment | Prepayment or transfer due date as the rule | Longer terms after several orders paid on time |
| Exclusivity and territory | A note that you agree it separately | A written agreement with that specific shop |
If you already have a stockist in the same area, say honestly that you will check the territory before confirming. The same goes for the recommended retail price: if you run your own online shop, the buyer wants to know you will not undercut them.
Directive 2011/7/EU (Article 3(5)) caps contractual payment periods between businesses at 60 calendar days, unless the parties expressly agree otherwise and the term is not grossly unfair to the creditor. Member States had to transpose it by 16 March 2013. EUR-Lex, Directive 2011/7/EU. The directive does not say what term is reasonable for a first order, and national law may be stricter, so check the rules where you and the shop are based. This is not legal advice.
Questions that qualify a retailer
Qualifying in wholesale is simpler than in services: you ask about a shop, not a project. Two questions are enough: what is the shop called and where does it sell. Check the rest yourself on its website or profile.
- The shop exists and is active: a current website, profile or store address.
- It sells your category or a related one, in a similar price range.
- It is not in an area where you promised someone exclusivity.
- It buys for resale, not for its own use at wholesale prices.
- It has given the company details you will invoice.
Do not open by asking about expected turnover or how many customers the shop has. Such questions feel like an interrogation and rarely change your decision on a first order. The general rule that a question must change what you do with the enquiry is explained in our guide to qualifying leads on your website.
What to collect in chat and what in a wholesale application
Chat is good for the first contact and a poor place for invoice details. In the pre-chat form, a name, email, company name and a department choice such as "Wholesale" are enough. The enquiry reaches the right person, and the buyer skips a long form before knowing your terms. How to choose these fields is covered in our guide to pre-chat form questions.
The wholesale application comes only after the first reply, once the shop knows the numbers and wants to order. Use it to collect full company details, the VAT or tax number, delivery address, ordering contact and website. Send it by email or as a form link, but not to someone who has only asked for a price list. That way you only vet shops that actually want to buy.
A first-reply template for a fictional brand
The template below is for a fictional brand of everyday ceramics. Replace the figures in square brackets with your own; they are not a pricing or margin recommendation. The message fits on one screen and ends with a single question.
Hi [name], thanks for getting in touch from [shop name] in [town]. Yes, we sell our mugs and bowls wholesale. Our line sheet with net wholesale prices and recommended retail prices is attached. The key terms: first orders from [amount] net, reorders from [amount], packed in cases of [number] per design. We dispatch within [number] working days of confirmation, with free carriage from [amount]. First orders are prepaid; after that we invoice with [number]-day terms. Could you send a link to your shop website or profile? Once I have checked the territory, I will reply by [day] with an order form.
On Instagram, split the same content into two messages: the terms and the question first, then a link to the line sheet, since Instagram Direct will not carry a PDF. Our guide to customer service response templates shows how to keep the variable parts from sounding robotic. If the buyer goes quiet, our piece on Instagram DM sales follow-ups covers reminders.
Who owns the contact after the first reply
Wholesale enquiries usually get lost in the queue, not in the wording. The shop message lands between return requests and parcel questions, handled by someone who does not know the wholesale terms. Name one person who owns wholesale and a stand-in for holidays. The general rules for departments and case owners are collected in our guide to assigning customer requests.
In Meetlead customer support, visitors can pick a public department in the pre-chat form, and the conversation is routed to that team. Instagram Direct and Messenger messages arrive in the same inbox, so a profile enquiry does not sit on one phone. A "wholesale" tag lets you filter every shop in the inbox, and the company name from the form stays in the contact details. A team macro with variables inserts the reply skeleton and, once sent, can add a tag and assign the conversation; the operator attaches the PDF line sheet to the website chat message.
After the first order the contact changes. The shop asks about deliveries, damaged goods and new designs. Our guide to B2B contact covers running that relationship over a long cycle without losing what was agreed.
Questions about wholesale enquiries
Should you send the wholesale price list to anyone who asks? For most small brands, yes; hiding it only drags the conversation out. If you worry about comparisons with retail prices, include the recommended retail price and how it applies. Made-to-order products are the exception, since the price depends on the batch.
What if a shop cannot meet your minimum order? State the threshold plainly and explain why, and offer a smaller starter set if you have one. Do not lower the threshold in the first reply just to keep the conversation alive. Note what the shop needed for next time.
