How to go about wholesaling

[Former_Member]

Does anyone here sell wholesale from their etsy shop?
How do you go about it?
Do you have wholesale listings or do you suggest custom orders for wholesale?
Do you have an outright wholesale price on a minimum or above order, or a sliding scale of percentage off if they order more?

I am interested in going down that avenue and am curious as to what others do.

[Former_Member]

Anyone?

[TillyandPuffin]

I don't advertise wholesale but several customers have asked, and I offer them half my retail price if they spend at least $200 plus shipping.
This year I'm going to state that wholesale orders have to be in by October, because people leave it till the last minute and it's just too busy after October!
I might think about a sliding scale for different quantities too.

[Former_Member]

I sell my soap dishes at wholesale prices.

I generally have listings for the following

1 dish - full retail
2 dishes - full retail
3 dishes - full retail
10 dishes - 5% discount off full retail
20 dishes - 15% discount off full retail
50 dishes - 45% discount off full retail

I set them up this way on Etsy as this is the way that I've been selling them outside of Etsy for the past 8 years now.

[Former_Member]

Thanks PuffinPatchwork and Crochetgal. Both different approaches but both good ideas.

I still have a bit of work to do before I am ready to wholesale but I prefer to be prepared and cover as many bases as possible. If anyone else has any experience to share it would be greatly appreciated.

[PrairiePrimitives]

CG, do you sell your lot of 50 soap dishes to anyone who wants to buy a large quantity? Or do you request their sellers permit/sales tax number before they can buy at that level?

I ask because one of my most popular wholesale items is my stuffed hearts made from antique quilt. For wholesale, I require a minimum order of 12 hearts (and also a dollar minimum too, usually around $100). While I wouldn't want to make, say, 33 hearts and "sit on them" till they sold as a lot, I suppose I could offer them as a "made to order" item. The "problem" is that I wouldn't be surprised if 2 or 3 friends got together and went in on an order together ... when they SHOULD be buying retail if they're not planning to resell them. How could I stop that from happening?

[LovgrenandDaughter]

@Kiteepee we tried some wholesale for both shops and other Etsians ie we make the brush holder they could supply the knot or a large order for an outside museum.

We had mixed results. A couple used them and two closed their shops. Which actually was good for our shave brushes. Now we are really into the niche market and are expanding that way in the spring.

The museum needed gifts for their volunteers and it went great but they're not repeated buyers.

I approached the other shops with a "how would you like to collaborate?" convo. The museum found us. It's worth a try :)

[Former_Member]

@Tana, I don't post my wholesale pricing structure anywhere. That way they don't know until they ask if you do special pricing. I've had people for birthday parties expect me to drop my prices to 50% off just because they think they're special. I just give them that I'll give them 10% (my bulk rate to customers), and if they don't want the product, then that's fine with me. Because honestly they aren't my target audience. I'm a business, I'm here to make money if I gave everyone who asked a discount then I would have burned out and quit a long time ago.
But there are always going to be those people out there who try to get something for less, who always search for a coupon code, etc.

[PotteryLodge]

I don't advertise wholesale, however I still receive wholesale requests every month. I can't fulfill each request as I am the only maker of my ceramics and they are very time consuming to make. What I do is ask for a tax permit, ask for a detailed list of what they are interested in(this is usually how I can determine if/when I can do business with them), tell them my wholesale guidelines (min. order of $200..etc, estimated date I will have their order shipped...) My wholesale prices are 50% off of my retail prices. If all works I send them an invoice : ).

I have a separate book where I keep each wholesale account. I usually take on 1 wholesale account every 2 months. If a store wants to hold a spot in line I require 1/2 deposit. I also include plenty of business cards with each wholesale order.

If you haven't received any wholesale requests and are interested in doing so, I would recommend looking at local boutiques, especially pet shops. Perhaps put together a portfolio of your wholesale guidelines and pictures of your designs, take samples of fabric and at least 1 completed teepee to show with you.

Also in my opinion I would be advertising your teepees for both cats and dogs. I know my chihuahuas would love to nap in one : )

[Former_Member]

Thanks everyone. I hadn't even thought of tax permits, although I am not sure how that works in Australia.

And thanks for that feedback Casi. I wasn't sure if little doggies would like them but I will definitely give that some thought too.

[TinyTiptoesBoutique]

Thank you so much for all the great information here! I have done a few large/wholesale orders, and I typically require that they spend at least $200, and then I give them a discount, but I really haven't firmed up my wholesale guidelines like I need to.

[BeachFleaMarket]

"Wholesale" used to mean vendors who sold their items only in bulk to be sold by others. Are you pricing your items at your bare minimum or are you marking them up to match a retail brick and mortor store?
I bet you are already selling at the "wholesale" price and you shouldn't try to give a huge discount for large orders unless large orders are easier/cheaper to produce.

[Former_Member]

Now that is a very good point Anne. Thankyou.

[Former_Member]

I've not done any wholesale myself but, right from the start, I have been pricing my products so I could make a profit on wholesale. Some would be more profitable than others though, otherwise I would price myself way too high.

This article is quite old now but really quite useful:

http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/2006/01/wholesale_retai.html

[Former_Member]

I don't advertise wholesale but I do have wholesale pricing that I offer for 20 or more items. I have had some customers inquire about wholesale pricing for as few as 7 items but I refuse to sell for that pricing for so few items.

I have a catalog of my ruffle flower hair pins and barrettes with a wholesale list pricing in them. Like Casi, I let them know when I can have the order shipped out to them and we go from there.

[Former_Member]

I always get messages from all over the world for wholesales, since all the items in my shop are limited in terms of their design I ask people to send me the links... Once I get the links, regardless of time, I sit down and do some math - since my findings were not bought for a fixed price, it takes a little much time. However, what really makes me sick about wholesales is that people generally tend to think that I will sell my products for couple of bucks. Therefore in most of the cases, I cannot deal with the potential buyer, actually I only sold once in a wholesale.

Would I be stop advertising it on my profile? NEVER! It's better to have some chance than nothing. But it's really hard if you're selling vintage items.

[EarthborneArt]

I make a modest living selling wholesale. Only one of my accounts found me on Etsy and they're somewhat local.

I'm fortunate in that I live very close to Yosemite. So I went over there one day and found out who the buyer was for their gift shops. I emailed her with a link to my shop, so she could have a look. Next thing I know I was meeting her in person to show her my work. That was 3 years ago. My pottery is now for sale in 3 other National parks along with a couple of other accounts.

My advice would be to make sure you're charging enough. It's a lot of work. You not only have to make the item, you have to count, pack and ship it. Although, I will say it's less work than selling on Etsy and you get return customers.

[Former_Member]

This is all very good advice and food for thought. I am also thinking about offering some of my handmade jewelry to the wholesale market. I believe the catalog/portfolio mentioned by Casi of Pottery Lodge is a great idea as it will give the potential wholesale market buyer a firsthand look at what you/I have to offer.

Visiting local boutiques is a good move and one I made last year. Unfortunately at the time I was not as prepared as I should have been with a portfolio of my work, but for me it was more of a fact finding mission to see what boutiques would be my best opportunity and I found a few in my area that I am interested in working with.

I have not yet pursued this wholesale avenue with those boutiques but it is one thing I am setting as a goal this year. I wish everyone luck in your wholesale pursuits as well!

May we all meet our goals for success in 2014!