How To Start a Shopify Wholesale Store (Even If You’re Just Used to Dropshipping)

I’ve helped dozens of clients transition from retail dropshipping into wholesale—and let me tell you, it’s a totally different beast.
You’re not chasing random customers anymore.

You’re building relationships with businesses that buy from you again and again.

That means higher order values, more predictable revenue, but also way more backend setup.

Here’s the full breakdown of how I guide clients through launching a Shopify wholesale store—from choosing the right apps to avoiding the traps that tank your margins.

Dropshipping vs. Wholesale on Shopify: Which One’s Built to Scale?

Most dropshippers I work with are spinning their wheels.

They’re constantly tweaking ad creatives, testing TikTok hooks, and juggling 20 suppliers across AliExpress.

Margins are tight. Customer loyalty is basically nonexistent. And support tickets never stop piling up.

Wholesale flips that model.

It’s not about viral products.

It’s about reliable buyers who order in volume—and do it again and again.
The trade-off? You need tighter operations, better systems, and a real B2B structure in place.

Here’s how they stack up:

Pros of Dropshipping:

• Fast to start
• Easy to test products
• Low cost upfront
• Works well with content-first models

Cons of Dropshipping:

• Razor-thin profit margins
• You don’t own the customer
• High support volume
• Very hard to scale without paid ads

Pros of Wholesale:

• Stable income from bulk orders
• Higher LTV per customer
• Fewer customer service issues
• Better margins long-term

Cons of Wholesale:

• More setup time
• Legal and tax requirements (like VAT/tax ID)
• You need a polished backend
• Risk if you hold stock too early

Verdict:

If you’re tired of the churn-and-burn cycle of dropshipping, wholesale is your next move.

But it’s not plug-and-play—you need the right structure from the start.
Think of it like building a real business, not just running product ads.

Step 1: Choose the Right Shopify Plan for Wholesale Features

This is the first thing I ask any client:
What Shopify plan are you on?

Because if you’re on Basic, you’re going to hit limitations quickly—especially with wholesale features like tiered pricing, locked catalogs, or B2B payment terms.

Here’s a full breakdown:

My opinion (from helping dozens of stores):

• Avoid Basic if you’re going wholesale. You’ll spend more on apps trying to patch what Shopify doesn’t offer.
• The Shopify plan is enough for most starter wholesale setups (as long as you’re using the right B2B apps).
• If you’re hitting £20k–£50k/month in B2B revenue, Advanced gives you better control and efficiency.
• Shopify Plus is only worth it if you need full native B2B functionality like Net Terms, company profiles, and multi-user accounts.

Verdict:
You don’t need to jump straight to Plus.
But if you’re serious about wholesale, get off Basic. You’ll be blocked at every turn otherwise.

Step 2: Set Up Wholesale Pricing Without Breaking Your Store

You can’t run a wholesale store like a regular one.
I see a lot of founders try to just slap on a discount code and call it “wholesale pricing.”
That’s a great way to get taken advantage of—or worse, make your margins disappear.

You need to control:

• Who sees the pricing
• How much they pay
• When discounts apply
• What minimums they meet

Here’s the tech stack I typically install for clients:

Implementation steps:

• Tag wholesale customers (e.g. “wholesale-approved”)
• Create pricing tiers (e.g. 10% off for 10+ units, 20% off for 50+)
• Set MOQs to avoid time-wasters
• Restrict catalog visibility so retail buyers can’t see wholesale items

Bonus tip:

Set up collection-specific discounts based on tags.
That way you don’t have to manage 1000 SKUs manually.

Verdict:
Don’t touch the liquid code.
Use apps to manage wholesale logic at scale—especially if you want to onboard multiple B2B buyers.

Step 3: Sourcing Wholesale Products (and Mixing Dropshipping)

You don’t need to choose between wholesale and dropshipping.
A hybrid model works better than most people think.

In fact, I usually start clients with dropshipping suppliers who support bulk pricing or MOQs, before jumping into full wholesale orders.

Dropshipping Platforms with Wholesale Features:

• Spocket – Search filters for US/EU suppliers with bulk order discounts
• Syncee – Lets you filter by MOQ and supplier location
• DSers (AliExpress) – Contact suppliers directly to negotiate wholesale rates
• Modalyst – Curated, branded products with better profit margins

Full-Scale Wholesale Sourcing:

• Faire – Easy to find boutique suppliers in fashion, home, and lifestyle
• Handshake (Shopify’s own) – Direct integration, no third-party hassle
• Abound – Great for beauty, pet, and wellness brands
• Alibaba – Massive volume, but requires factory vetting and import knowledge

How I usually guide this process:

1. Test small with Syncee or Spocket
2. Validate your niche, gather buyer interest
3. Reach out to suppliers directly for bulk pricing
4. Transition to owning some inventory as orders increase

Verdict:
Start lean. Dropshipping with bulk pricing is your best entry point into wholesale.
Scale into full wholesale once you’ve got data and repeat buyers.

Step 4: Build a Wholesale Customer Onboarding Funnel

Wholesale is about relationships—not random signups.

That’s why I build application-based onboarding for every wholesale store I touch.
The goal is to qualify leads, keep retail buyers out, and automate access.

Here’s the funnel I typically build:

1. Wholesale application page
   • Clearly explain benefits (pricing, support, bulk deals)
   • Include eligibility criteria (e.g. VAT ID, business reg)
2. Use a smart form builder
   • Tools like Typeform or Shopify Forms
   • Collect data like:
     • Company name
     • Contact info
     • Estimated monthly order value
     • Business type (reseller, retailer, agency)
3. Automate tagging with apps
   • Approved accounts get auto-tagged “wholesale-approved”
   • Tag triggers access to pricing and product collections
4. Lock down access
   • Use LockSmith or B2B Login/Lock Access
   • Wholesale products/pages become visible only to tagged users
5. Onboard with email
   • Trigger welcome sequences with Klaviyo or Omnisend
   • Include ordering instructions, FAQs, and contact info

Verdict:
Make it feel exclusive.
Gatekeeping your wholesale program actually makes it more valuable to real buyers.

Step 5: Handle Payments, Invoicing, and Net Terms

This is where most new wholesale store owners trip up.
B2B buyers don’t want to checkout like a regular shopper.
They want invoices, Net 30 terms, and the option to pay by bank transfer.

If you don’t offer that, they’ll buy elsewhere.

Common B2B payment requests:

• Net 15 / Net 30 terms
• Purchase Order (PO) approval workflows
• Invoices with VAT and tax compliance
• Bank transfers or offline payments

Tools that help:

• QuickBooks Online – Syncs with Shopify for invoicing and payment tracking
• Sufio – Automates VAT-compliant invoice generation
• B2B & Wholesale Club – Accept PO numbers and manual payment options
• Shopify Plus – Has full support for Net Terms and draft orders

Workarounds if you’re not on Plus:

• Manually create draft orders for wholesale clients
• Send Stripe invoices or use PayPal business requests
• Offer manual payment methods (Bank Transfer, Net Terms via email)

Verdict:
If you want real wholesale buyers, you need to offer real business payment flows.
Invoicing and payment flexibility = trust.

Step 6: Fulfilment, Inventory, and Shipping for Wholesale Orders

Here’s the truth:
Shipping 500 units is not the same as shipping 5.

Wholesale fulfilment needs:

• Different packaging
• Custom shipping rates
• Sometimes even freight solutions

Here’s how I set it up for clients:

1. Shipping apps
   • Use ShipStation or EasyShip for batch label printing
   • Sync with carrier accounts for negotiated rates
2. B2B shipping zones
   • Set up custom zones in Shopify admin
   • Offer flat rate, weight-based, or free over £X thresholds
3. Inventory management
   • Add inventory buffers to avoid overselling
   • Use tools like Stocky, SkuVault, or Shopventory
4. Use a 3PL for larger orders
   • Recommend ShipBob, Deliverr, or 3PL Central
   • Helps with warehousing, packaging, and shipping on your behalf
5. If dropshipping
   • Vet suppliers for bulk order handling
   • Ask about shipping timeframes, packaging limits, and return policies

Verdict:
Wholesale shipping gets complicated fast.
If you want your business to run without constant oversight, automate as much of it as possible early on.

Final Thoughts: Should You Start a Shopify Wholesale Store?

If you’re running a dropshipping blog or brand right now and you’re looking to grow into something more stable, this is it.
Wholesale won’t make you rich overnight.
But it will give you:

• Bigger, more predictable orders
• Stronger business relationships
• Higher LTV (Lifetime Value)
• Less dependency on ads and churn

But only if you set it up the right way.