So I've been selling at markets and online for about three years now, mostly small batches of ceramics and some woven stuff. A boutique reached out last month asking if I'd do wholesale for their holiday order. I said yes before really thinking it through. Now I'm staring at spreadsheets trying to figure out pricing, minimums, and how not to lose money on this. Anyone been through this? What did you wish you'd known before your first wholesale order?
Wholesale
My handmade business is moving into wholesale
Pricing is the big one. Don't just take your retail price and halve it. Work backwards from your materials + time, then add your margin. I undercharged on my first wholesale order and basically woorked for free for two weeks.
What's your break-even per unit? If you can't answer that fast, that's step one.
Also minimum order quantities. Set one and stick to it. I let a shop order just six units and it wasn't worth the packing time.
Honestly I don't have a clean break-even number yet—I've been doing rough math. That's probably my first fix. The boutique wants about 40 units total, mixed across three designs. Feels manageable but I'm not sure about the timeline they gave me.
40 units sounds doable until you realize they want them all labeled, tagged, and boxed per their spec. That's where the hours vanish.
Yes, this. Get their packaging requirements in writing before you quote. I spent a whole weekend cutting hang tags I didn't budget for.
Also ask about paymeNt terms. 30 days? 60? Net 60 will eat you alive if you're fronting materials. I now do 50% deposit for first-time wholesale clients, no exceptions.
Deposit is non-negotiable for me too. Learned that the hard way wiith a gallery that "forgot" to pay for three months.
Did they pay eventually??
After I showed up in person, yeah. Not fun.
This thread is making me realize I might have agreed to a lot I didn't pin down. Going to email them tomorrow to confirm packaging, and payment terms in writing. Thanks—genuinely useful, even the slightly scary parts.
One more thing—keep your retail presence separate. I had a shop ask for exclusivity on a design and I almost said yes without thinking. Read the fine print.
And don't forget to account for your own shop's stock. I sold out my whole online inventory filling a wholesale order and lost regular customers for a month. Not worth it.
Everyone's giving solid advice but honestly the "just email them and ask" part is underrated. Most small boutiques are chill and would rather clarify than have a mess later.
Unless it's a big chain. Then get everything in writing and then get it in writing again.