What Is Shopify Wholesale and B2B Pricing
Wholesale and B2B (business-to-business) selling on Shopify means selling to other businesses — retailers who stock your products, companies buying for employee use, institutional buyers, or any non-consumer business buyer — at different prices than your retail customers. B2B buyers typically expect: volume pricing (more units = lower price per unit), net payment terms (Net 30, Net 60 — pay after delivery), minimum order quantities, tax exemption handling, and account-specific pricing rather than public pricing.
Shopify has evolved its B2B capabilities significantly. This guide covers the full spectrum — from Shopify’s native wholesale features to app-based solutions — and helps you choose the right approach for your business model.
Shopify’s Native B2B Features
Shopify’s B2B on Shopify (available on Shopify Plus) is the most robust native solution:
- Company profiles — create company accounts for B2B customers with multiple contacts, shipping addresses, and payment methods per company
- Price lists — assign percentage or fixed wholesale prices to specific companies or customer groups
- Payment terms — set Net 30, Net 60, Net 90 or other terms per company, enabling invoice-based payment
- Minimum order quantities — enforce MOQs at the product level for B2B orders
- Draft orders — create manual orders for B2B customers with custom pricing (available on all plans)
Shopify Plus is required for the full B2B feature set. Stores on standard Shopify plans can simulate wholesale functionality using customer tags and pricing apps.
Wholesale Approach 1: Customer Tag-Based Pricing (All Plans)
The most common wholesale approach for non-Plus stores: create a customer tag (e.g., “wholesale,” “reseller,” “B2B-tier1”) and apply it to approved wholesale accounts. Then use a pricing app that reads this tag and shows tagged customers your wholesale prices instead of retail prices.
Apps that enable this: Wholesale Pricing Now, Wholesale Helper, and Bold Custom Pricing all work by displaying different prices to customers with specific tags. The flow: a business applies for a wholesale account → you approve them and apply the “wholesale” tag → they see wholesale prices on their next login. A clear application process (wholesale application form on your website) keeps the approval gated from retail buyers.
Wholesale Approach 2: Separate Wholesale Store (Shopify Plus)
Shopify Plus allows expansion stores — you can run a completely separate wholesale Shopify store on a subdomain (wholesale.yourstore.com) with wholesale-specific products, pricing, and terms. This clean separation means retail customers never see wholesale pricing and wholesale customers get a dedicated experience.
The Shopify Plus B2B expansion store syncs inventory with your retail store (using Shopify’s inventory management across locations), so you’re not managing two separate systems. This is the cleanest solution for stores with significant B2B volume where the two audiences have very different product ranges or experiences.
Wholesale Approach 3: Password-Protected Wholesale Collections
A lower-tech approach: create a password-protected collection or page visible only to wholesale buyers. Use Shopify’s customer accounts (with account-required collections) or an app like Locksmith to restrict access to wholesale-only content — separate product listings with wholesale pricing, order forms, and terms documents.
Limitation: this requires maintaining parallel product listings (retail and wholesale), which creates catalog management overhead. Works for stores with small wholesale catalogs; becomes unwieldy for large product ranges.
Step 1: Define Your Wholesale Program Structure
Before implementing anything technical, define your wholesale program:
- Pricing tiers — standard wholesale (typically 40-50% off retail), preferred partner (additional 5-10% for high-volume accounts), distributor (50-60% off for those who resell to their own retail accounts)
- Minimum order quantities — minimum per order ($200, $500?), minimum per SKU (6 units, 12 units?), case pack requirements
- Payment terms — Net 30 for established accounts, prepaid for new accounts, credit card on file option
- Eligibility requirements — resale certificate required? Brick-and-mortar store requirement? Business license verification?
- Geographic restrictions — exclusive territory agreements that prevent online wholesale from conflicting with existing retail distribution
Step 2: Build a Wholesale Application Process
Wholesale accounts should require approval — you don’t want retail buyers gaming the system to access lower prices. Build an application form (using a Shopify contact form or a form app like Typeform or JotForm embedded in a page) that collects:
- Business name and contact information
- Business type (retailer, restaurant, corporate buyer, etc.)
- Website or physical location
- Resale certificate or tax ID number (US requirement for tax-exempt wholesale)
- Estimated annual purchase volume
After approval, apply the appropriate wholesale customer tag to their account. Confirm approval via email with instructions on accessing wholesale pricing on your store.
Step 3: Set Up Wholesale Pricing
For Shopify Plus (B2B on Shopify):
- Go to Customers → Companies → Create company
- Add company contacts, addresses, and payment terms
- Create a price list (Settings → B2B → Price lists) — either a percentage off retail or fixed wholesale prices per product
- Assign the price list to the company
- When the company contact logs in, they see their assigned wholesale prices
For standard Shopify plans (tag-based):
- Install a wholesale pricing app (Wholesale Pricing Now, Wholesale Helper)
- Configure wholesale discount percentage or fixed prices per product/collection
- Set which customer tag(s) trigger wholesale pricing
- Apply tags to approved wholesale accounts
Step 4: Configure Minimum Order Quantities
Most wholesale programs require minimum order quantities — both to ensure order economics work and to signal that wholesale is for business buyers making meaningful orders. Implement MOQs via:
- Shopify Plus B2B: MOQ settings available natively per product in price lists
- Wholesale apps: most wholesale-focused apps include MOQ configuration
- Cart validation: custom checkout validation that blocks checkout if cart doesn’t meet minimum (requires cart validation scripting or Plus checkout customization)
- Note-based approach: state MOQ requirements clearly in product descriptions and on the wholesale page, relying on account relationship to enforce (less reliable but zero-tech)
Step 5: Handle B2B Payment Terms
Net 30/60/90 payment terms (buy now, pay later by invoice) are the default expectation of many B2B buyers. Implementing payment terms on Shopify:
- Shopify Plus B2B: native net payment terms per company — company places order, no immediate payment, invoice generated, payment due by term date
- Draft orders: create draft orders for B2B customers manually, send the invoice, mark paid when payment arrives
- Third-party B2B payment apps: Apruve, Resolve, or Behalf enable trade credit and net terms for non-Plus stores
For new B2B accounts, require prepayment or credit card on file until credit history is established. Net terms are a business relationship feature — earn them with order history before extending significant credit.
Step 6: Set Up B2B Tax Exemption
Business buyers who resell your products are tax-exempt (in the US, with a valid resale certificate). To handle this on Shopify:
- In the customer profile, enable “Tax exempt” toggle after collecting and verifying their resale certificate
- Tax-exempt status applies to all orders from that customer account going forward
- Keep copies of resale certificates for your tax records — typically need renewal every 1-3 years depending on state
- For international B2B: VAT registration numbers and B2B tax rules vary by country; consult an international tax advisor for your specific markets
Step 7: Create a Wholesale Ordering Experience
B2B buyers typically order in larger quantities and need efficient bulk ordering tools:
- Quick order forms: an app like Fast Simon, Wholesale Gorilla, or Bold Wholesale enables customers to see all products/variants on one page and enter quantities directly — much faster than navigating collection pages for bulk orders
- Reorder functionality: B2B accounts reorder the same products repeatedly; “Reorder” functionality from order history dramatically speeds up repeat purchasing
- Saved carts or draft orders: for complex B2B orders built over multiple sessions, cart persistence or saved draft orders prevent buyers from losing progress
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Shopify Plus for B2B wholesale?
No — standard Shopify plans can support wholesale via tag-based pricing apps (Wholesale Pricing Now, Wholesale Helper, Bold Custom Pricing). These apps read customer tags and show tagged customers wholesale prices. You won’t have Shopify Plus’s native company profiles, payment terms, and B2B storefront features, but functional wholesale pricing is achievable on all plans. Shopify Plus B2B is worth it when you have significant B2B volume and need native payment terms, complex company structures, or a dedicated B2B storefront.
How do I prevent retail customers from accessing wholesale prices?
Wholesale pricing is gated behind customer account login — retail visitors and guests see retail prices. Tag-based pricing only activates for logged-in accounts with the wholesale tag. Your wholesale application approval process gates who gets the tag. This isn’t 100% foolproof (someone could create a fake business application), but it stops casual price-shopping effectively.
What’s a typical wholesale discount percentage?
Industry standard wholesale is typically 40-50% off MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price). This allows retailers to maintain their own margin (keystone markup — doubling the wholesale cost) while you maintain acceptable margins. For high-volume accounts or distributors, 50-60% off MSRP is common. Calculate your wholesale floor based on your COGS: ensure you’re making acceptable contribution margin at every wholesale tier.
Can I set different prices for different wholesale customers?
Yes. With Shopify Plus B2B, different companies can have different assigned price lists (Tier 1: 40% off, Tier 2: 50% off for higher-volume accounts). With tag-based apps, create multiple customer tags (wholesale-tier1, wholesale-tier2) and configure different discount percentages for each tag. This enables volume-based tiering without manual pricing overrides per account.
How do I handle wholesale orders for customers in different countries?
International B2B adds currency, tax (VAT), and shipping complexity. For key international markets, set up market-specific pricing via Shopify Markets. For international B2B tax (EU VAT, etc.), collect VAT registration numbers and configure appropriate tax treatment per customer account. Consider whether you’re selling ex-works (buyer handles import duties) or landed (you handle duties) — this significantly affects wholesale pricing and margins for international accounts.
Final Thoughts
Adding a wholesale and B2B channel to your Shopify store creates a second revenue stream that complements direct-to-consumer sales while extending your brand’s reach through retailers and business buyers. Start with the tier appropriate for your volume — tag-based pricing for early-stage wholesale, Shopify Plus B2B as you scale — and build the account management processes that make working with you easy and attractive for business buyers.
For more on Shopify revenue strategy, explore our guides on bundle strategies for AOV, multi-currency for global buyers, and tax configuration for complex sales.
