How to Start Selling Wholesale for Small Businesses: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started

Learn how to start selling wholesale for small businesses. This is everything you need to know to get started.

Wholesale means you can scale your product business and reach more customers, without packing endless individual orders.

This beginner-friendly guide breaks down what wholesale actually is, how it works for small creative businesses, and what you need in place before pitching to retailers. Aka your new stockists!

What Is Wholesale?

Wholesale is the practice of selling your products in larger quantities at a lower price to retailers, who then sell those products to customers at a profit.

Instead of fulfilling one order at a time, wholesale lets you sell in bulk – meaning more revenue per transaction, consistent repeat orders, and greater brand exposure.

Wholesale vs Sale or Return (SOR)

It’s important to understand the difference between wholesale and sale or return (SOR).

• With wholesale, the retailer pays upfront for the stock, regardless of whether it sells.
• With SOR, the retailer only pays you when the product sells – and may return unsold stock.

If you’re building a sustainable business model, wholesale typically offers more reliable cash flow and control over your pricing.

I personally recommend wholesaling over SOR to my retail mentoring clients.

Who Can You Wholesale To?

You can wholesale your products to:

• Independent boutiques and gift shops
• Larger retailers or national chains
• Online retailers
• Brick-and-mortar stores

The key is to research which stores are the right fit for your brand and products, and approach them professionally.

Again, my advice is to start selling into smaller independents first. The large retailers often have more complicated wholesale processes to follow. So it is best to get your wholesale process up and ready and tested before you approach the big guys.

Is Your Product Ready for Wholesale?

Before you start pitching to shops, make sure your products and packaging meet wholesale standards:

• High-quality products that are fit for purpose
• All legal testing completed (especially for cosmetics, candles, toys, etc.)
• Packaging includes mandatory warnings or labels, where required
• Robust packaging to withstand handling and shelf storage
• Barcodes (especially for selling to larger retailers)
• Clear point of difference and strong USPs
• Complements the store’s existing range, without duplicating it
• Strong shelf appeal — your product should look great in a retail setting

How to Start Selling Wholesale: What Retailers Expect

Building relationships and professionalism is key when selling wholesale. Here’s what retailers are looking for, and what you need to be ready for:

Delivery & Fulfilment

• Deliver on time or early, never late
• Add buffer time to your lead times = under-promise and over-deliver (always)
• Communicate clearly about timelines and delays if needed

Product Quality

• Always quality check your stock before delivery
• Ensure consistency across all units
• Secure packaging for safe delivery and shelf-ready display

Retailer Relationships

• Be polite, professional, and easy to work with
• Follow up regularly, don’t be afraid to ask how sales are going
• Share new product releases, collaboration ideas or marketing opportunities
• Understand that larger retailers have stricter requirements (barcoding, delivery schedules, packing formats, etc.)

Starting wholesale might feel intimidating at first as its a new strategy to implement that you may not know much about. But with the right preparation, it can become one of the most sustainable and scalable revenue streams in your product business.

Focus on creating a professional wholesale experience from your pitch to your packaging, and you’ll be setting yourself up for consistent sales and stronger brand visibility.

Come back on the 1st July for the next wholesale blog post about pricing, the wholesale documents you need and approaching buyers!

Book a Wholesale Strategy Session

What to learn how to start selling wholesale?

I can give you a helping hand to ensure you have set up a scalable wholesale approach that attracts the right buyers!

Book a one-off Strategy Session now to get personalised advice, honest feedback, and action points to implement immediately so you know exactly how to set up your wholesale strategy and grow your sales.

Would you like a free call to discuss what you need help with and how I can help? Book your free discovery call now.

Pin for later: