How to create a wholesale price list buyers can actually use

A wholesale price list looks like the simplest document in your business: products and prices. Yet a confusing one costs you every week, in emails asking whether a price is per case or per unit, in orders below your minimum, and in customers ordering from a version you replaced months ago. This guide walks through building a wholesale price list step by step, from setting the numbers to sharing it so buyers always see the current version.

Before you start: get the numbers right

A price list is only as good as the prices on it. Before formatting anything, make sure each wholesale price covers your full cost per unit (materials, labor, packaging, and a share of overheads) and leaves the margin you need. If you are unsure, read how to price products for wholesale and run your numbers through the wholesale price calculator.

Also decide whether you are publishing one price for everyone or different prices for different customer types (retailers, distributors, foodservice). Each customer type should get its own list.

Step 1: Decide who the list is for

A price list for independent retailers looks different from one for a national distributor or a restaurant group. Write down:

• Who reads it: a store owner, a purchasing manager, a chef?
• How they order: by email, phone, online, through a sales rep?
• How often: once a season, weekly, daily?

A buyer who orders weekly needs a short list sorted the way they reorder. A buyer who orders twice a year needs more context: photos, descriptions and terms.

Step 2: Choose your columns

Keep only columns that help the buyer order correctly.

Step 3: Organize by category

Group items under category headings in the order buyers think about your range, with bestsellers first in each category. A café ordering from a bakery thinks "bread, pastries, cakes"; a hardware store thinks "fasteners, hand tools, power tools". Alphabetical order across the whole list is almost never right.

Step 4: Set units, pack sizes and minimums

Units are where most confusion comes from. State the unit next to every price, and make pack sizes explicit:

• Sold individually: "each", with a minimum if needed ("min. 6").
• Sold in packs: price per pack and units per pack ("$54.00 per case of 6").
• Sold by weight or volume: price per kg, lb or liter, plus the format ("per lb, 10 lb case").

If buyers must order in multiples of a case pack, say so in the unit or the minimum column.

Step 5: Add tier or volume pricing (if you use it)

Volume pricing rewards bigger orders, but too many tiers make a list unreadable. Two or three tiers are plenty.

If the same percentage applies to every item, write the rule once in your terms ("10+ cases: 5% off; 25+ cases: 10% off") instead of adding columns.

Step 6: Write your terms

Terms belong on the price list itself, not in a separate email. A typical terms block:

• Prices effective from 1 January 2027, in USD, excluding tax and delivery
• Opening order minimum $250; reorders $100
• Payment: Net 30 for approved accounts; card or bank transfer for first orders
• Orders by 2 pm ship next business day
• Free delivery over $500 within our delivery area
• Damaged or incorrect items must be reported within 48 hours

Our glossary of wholesale terms explains each of these and typical values by industry.

Step 7: Format for scanning

• Put your logo, contact details and the effective date at the top
• Use a readable font size (at least 9–10 pt in print)
• Align prices to the right so decimals line up
• Use light row separators or zebra stripes for long tables
• Keep codes in a monospace font so they are easy to read aloud
• Repeat the column headings at the top of each page
• Add page numbers ("Page 2 of 6") so printed lists stay in order

Step 8: Share it and keep it current

Most price lists go out as PDFs, which is fine until prices change. Every buyer then holds an outdated file, and some will order from it. Two habits fix this:

1. Date every version and say "supersedes all previous price lists".
2. Share a link instead of a file where you can. An online price list updates for everyone when you change a price, and buyers can still download a PDF.

With CatalogKite you build the price list once, export a dated PDF when you need one, and publish the same list as a link buyers can browse and order from on a phone.

Example: a small coffee roaster

A roaster selling to cafés and shops might structure its list like this:

Cafés read the first section; shops read the second. Terms at the bottom cover roast days, order cutoffs and delivery. One list, two audiences, no confusion. See the coffee price list template for a ready-made version.

Wholesale price list checklist

• Prices checked against full cost and target margin
• One list per customer type (retail, distributor, foodservice)
• Logo, contact details and effective date at the top
• Item code on every line
• Unit and pack size next to every price
• Category headings in buyer order
• Minimums and case multiples stated
• Volume tiers simple and stated once
• Terms block: payment, delivery, cutoffs, tax
• Page numbers and repeated headers
• Shared as a dated PDF or a live link

Discontinued and out-of-stock items

Remove discontinued products from the next version of your list rather than leaving them with a strikethrough; buyers skim and will still order them. For items that are temporarily out of stock, keep them on the list with a short note such as "back in March" so buyers can plan, and mark items with limited quantities. If you share the list as a live link, update availability as it changes; if you only send PDFs, say in your covering email which items have changed since the last version.

Common mistakes

• Exporting straight from accounting software. Internal codes and abbreviations confuse buyers.
• "Price on request" for common items. Buyers move on to a supplier who publishes prices.
• Mixing retail and wholesale prices on one list without labels.
• No effective date, so nobody knows which version is current.
• Burying the minimum order in small print at the end.

A good price list answers every question a buyer would otherwise email you about. Build it once, keep it current, and it quietly takes orders for you.