Just recently I was lucky enough to get my first serious wholesale inquiry.
My first response was ‘yay!!’.
My second response was ‘huh?’ The retailer had asked me for my wholesale linesheet…. and I had no idea what that was. I figured, by the name, that it was a document showing my different ‘lines’/items… but I had no idea what else I should have on there.
After a bit of research, I figured it out – and I thought I’d share it all here today for people who might be in the same boat as I was!
The Basics
- Business Name/Logo
- Your name
- E-mail, phone and addresss
- A short statement about your business – what makes it special
Wholesale Policies
Order Minimum – There should be two numbers here. The minimum amount a retailer must buy from you the first time they order (e.g. $200), and a subsequent minimum amount they must order each time after that (e.g. $100).
Payment – Outline your payment options and policies here. Do you accept cheques? Paypal? Direct Debit? Credit Cards? Will you expect full payment before you begin work on/send the order, or just a deposit?
Shipping Cost and Times – How long will it take you to ship your items to the retailer once they have ordered? How long will the actual shipping take from where you are to where they are?
Valid Until – Make sure you put an end date on the validity of your prices!! Something may happen and you may want to put them up in future – don’t cut that possibility off by not stating it here.
Returns – Do you take returns for damaged/incorrect goods? How long after receiving your goods does your customer have to return these goods? Do you refund shipping costs, too?
Here is my first page (I worked hard to fit all this onto one page) for you to have a look at as an example – it’s in pdf format. I have removed my real phone number and address for privacy reasons.
Items
Each Item should have the following:
- A clean, crisp, professional looking photograph
- An Item Number
- An Item Name
- A wholesale price (and some say a RRP – I leave that up to the buyer)
- Size and – if necessary – short description. For example, my romantic range can be made with three different colour of pearls – so I state this in my linesheet.
Below is the first page of my items – my Urban Eco Earrings Line – for you to look at as an example. I have removed my wholesale prices, as I prefer not to make them public. To help you out, though – most advice I have read states that your wholesale price should be around 50%-60% of your retail price. Remember: when you sell online – somewhere like Etsy, for example – you should be charging your retail price. That way, once you start selling to boutiques and stores, you won’t be undercutting their prices for your work, and you’ll be able to charge wholesale without completely obliterating your profit margin.
Order Sheet
I didn’t read about this anywhere, but I thought it was a good idea. While I send my linesheet to prospective buyers as a pdf, I send them a Word Document which is a writable order form. That way, they can just fill it in on the computer and send it back to me. I don’t have a fax, so this is the only way for them to send their order back. It makes sure I get all the info I need, and it helps them to not have to think about how to organise all the info they need to give me.
Here’s a pdf of my order sheet – Epheriell Linesheet Page 7
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That’s it! Now, this is my very first linesheet – and no doubt I’ll work at it and refine it with time. But I hope my first attempt helps you figure out what you need on your linesheet – good luck!
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Congrats on the wholesale inquiry Jess – and thanks for sharing this information on linesheets.
Great idea with the word-doc for an order sheet – not something I had considered before, but will put on my to-do list!
Cheers,
Tasha
.-= Tasha Chawner´s last blog ..Friday Fab Find =-.
No worries, Tasha!!
Wow Jess Congrats, it’s so exciting, good luck.
Thanks heaps for all the info too.
Jennifer
.-= Jennifer Gifford´s last blog ..Embroidered Cotton Sewing Kits =-.
Thanks for all the advice Jess! And congratulations on your wholesale order. 🙂
.-= Deb (Two Cheeky Monkeys)´s last blog ..My Northern Territory Holiday – Amazing Scenery =-.
Jen, Deb – thanks!! 😀
.-= Jess´s last blog ..Handmade Accoutre – Business =-.
Hey Jess,
Thanks for the awesome info you provided. I will be working on it this week 😛 Does it really have to be 7 pages long LOL
Thanks again.
~Angharad (Bees & Me)
.-= Angharad (bees & Me)´s last blog ..4 Pure Beeswax Tea lights 6Hr Extended Burn Time =-.
Hehee.. well, it all depends on how many products you have, I guess! Good luck, Angharad!
.-= Jess´s last blog ..Handmade Accoutre – Business =-.
This is fabulous, thank you so much for putting it together and being so generous with the information!
.-= Melanie (Kimono Reincarnate)´s last blog ..Ring Packaging =-.
You’re welcome, Melanie! Hope it helps!!
Congratulations on the wholesale query!!
I also must say you are so incredibly generous to share all your business related tips with the world … you’re not only the maker of beautiful jewellery, but selfless in all things as well! 🙂
Thanks Tracey 😀 I wouldn’t say selfless in all things… at least, I don’t think my husband would! – 😀
.-= Jess´s last blog ..Handmade Accoutre – Business =-.
Thank for this. This was so helpful in creating my African art and African inspired jewelry wholesale literature.
Super helpful! And just when I was about to tear my hair out too!!
Great information! To the point, simple and clear. Thanks a lot!
I just wanted to let you know how incredibly helpful this post is. I’ve been consulting it when creating my own wholesale documents, and it’s been invaluable. Thank you for sharing so generously!
Thank you, Jess.
This is such helpful information. Be well.
Very helpful — thanks so much!
Great information! Question: Do you simply email or mail your sheets to potential shops or wait until they inquire from you?
Excellent advice! I just started my own line and I really appreciate this helpful information! Thank you 🙂
Hey thank you for this, it was really helpful! Just a note.. you have RRP as meaning “wholesale price” but it stands for Recommended Retail Price, which is entirely different. 🙂
This is great and super helpful! Thank you! :))