selling wholesale

[Robyn08]

Hi,

I've started selling my soaps and lotion bars wholesale. So far, I've used a minimum order requirement of $50. However, I want to add other items like my lip balms and face cream. The face cream price is considerable higher than everything else (wholesale would be 7.50), so they would reach the $50 minimum very quickly. Should I set a different minimum for the face cream? Do any other wholesalers sell higher price items that way? For reference, my soaps wholesale at $2.50, lotion bars $3, and lip balms would be $1. I just don't want someone ordering a bunch of soaps, and then one or two face creams at the wholesale price.

Thanks!

Robyn

 

[Stakie]

You could always set a minimum price per item. The min. for soap orders is 50. So you must get $50 of just soaps. If they only want one or two face creams they must pay retail. However if they want wholesale they must spend another 50? Something like that. So on and so forth?

 

[Robyn08]

Yeah, I guess I could do that. I was worried it would seem weird, but I don't think there's really any other way. Thanks!

Sent from my VS870 4G using Soap Making mobile app

 

[sistrum]

Instead of a dollar amount base you could use an item number base. Like, minimum order for lotion is two dozen, or what ever works for you. A lot of whole sellers do it this way.

 

[Robyn08]

Thanks! I guess I was wondering what most people do.

Sent from my VS870 4G using Soap Making mobile app

 

[savonierre]

Whatever works for you is fine..

 

[manwithbeers]

Typically as a manufacturer you would have a set unit size. The minimum purchase on an existing account to buy wholesale would be one unit. You could have a opening account minimum of several units and that is up to you but reorders are most convenient this way and it prevents retailers from bugging you with special volume requests.

A typical unit for lets say soap, might be 16 bars, which is what fits into a certain size box that you have a supply of as a unit box. If it were bottles of lotion you might have a box that holds a dozen bottles and that is a unit. A retailer can buy items you manufacture by the unit and may order several different units or products, which would all go into yet another box for shipping purposes.

In my wholesale business we use a lightweight corrugated box as a unit box and a 200lb corrugated box as a shipping box. This is typical in industry and retailers like it as it helps to keep inventory organized especially where shelf space in the store front is limited and the excess can be kept in the unit packaging in the back. We inventory units of product which makes filling orders simple and fast. Everything is also barcoded for inventory control but that only becomes helpful when you have a large number of products.

Find a system that is simple. It will be less work.

Cheers,