Wholesale is one of the most effective ways to scale a handmade business without burning through your own time on marketing and direct sales. But most makers who try it send the same pitch: a blurry PDF, a brief list of products, and a line about being "passionate about their craft." Buyers at boutiques and gift stores see dozens of those each month. Yours needs to be different.
The good news is that writing a compelling wholesale pitch isn't complicated. It's structured. Stockists are busy people with a specific job: filling their shelves with products their customers will love and that won't leave them with unsold stock. Your pitch should make that decision easy for them.
Research the stockist before you write a word
The fastest way to kill a wholesale pitch is sending a generic one. Buyers know immediately when they're reading a mass email. Before you write anything, spend 20 minutes on the stockist's website and social media. Look at the aesthetic of their shop, the price points of what they already carry, and whether they have a bias toward local makers or a particular product category.
If you sell hand-thrown ceramic mugs and the shop already stocks 4 ceramic tableware brands, that's useful to know. You can either position your work as genuinely different, or pick a better-fit stockist to approach first. Don't pitch blind. A specific reference to their shop in the opening line of your email ("I noticed your current gift range leans heavily into linen and timber, and I think my beeswax candles would sit beautifully alongside that palette") signals to the buyer that you've done your homework.
What your pitch email should actually contain
Keep the email itself short. Five to eight sentences. Buyers don't read long emails from unknown senders. The pitch email is an opener, not a sales brochure.
- One sentence on who you are and what you make, with a specific detail (not just "handmade goods").
- One sentence connecting your product to their shop specifically.
- Your wholesale minimum order value and your recommended retail price (RRP) range, so they can assess margin immediately.
- A link to your wholesale lookbook or catalogue, and a link to your website or online shop so they can verify you're established.
- A clear, low-pressure call to action: "I'd love to send you a sample if you'd like to see the pieces in person."
Pricing information is the part most makers leave out, and it's the first thing a buyer wants to know. If you're not clear on how to set pricing that works at wholesale margins, working through how to price handmade products without underselling yourself first is essential. Wholesale typically prices at 50% of RRP, so your production costs need to sit well below that to leave room for your own margin.
Build a lookbook that does the heavy lifting
Your lookbook is where the buyer spends most of their time, so it deserves real attention. It doesn't need to be elaborate. It needs to be clear, well-photographed, and easy to act on.
A two-to-four page PDF works well. The first page should be a brand overview: your name, your location, what makes your work distinct, and a strong hero image. Following pages list your products with individual photography, product names, wholesale price, RRP, available quantities, and lead times. That last detail matters. Stockists plan their buying cycles weeks or months ahead. If you can't fulfil an order within a reasonable window, they need to know upfront.
Photography is where a lot of pitches fall down. If you haven't yet invested time in this, taking better product photos with just your phone is achievable without a studio or a professional photographer. Clean, consistent, well-lit images on a neutral background read as professional. Lifestyle shots in a styled setting can support them, but the core catalogue images need to be clear and accurate.
Minimum order quantities and terms
Every wholesale pitch should state your minimum order quantity (MOQ) and payment terms. These protect your business and help the buyer understand what a working relationship with you looks like.
A common approach for independent makers is a minimum first order of $300–$500 wholesale, with reorders at a lower minimum (say $150). Payment on first orders is typically upfront or 50% deposit, with net-30 terms available for established stockists. Don't be afraid to state these clearly. A buyer who balks at reasonable terms isn't the right stockist for you anyway.
If you haven't yet formalised how you think about MOQs in your business, it's worth reading through how to set minimum order quantities as a handmade seller. Getting this right before you start pitching means you won't find yourself accepting an order that leaves you out of pocket or overrun.
Following up without being a nuisance
Send one follow-up email seven to ten days after your initial pitch if you haven't heard back. Keep it to two sentences. Something like: "I wanted to check whether my email reached you and whether you'd like to see a sample of the work." That's it. A second follow-up after another two weeks is acceptable. Three unanswered emails means move on.
Stockists who are interested respond quickly. Silence after two follow-ups is a no, even if they haven't said so. Accept it, move on, and pitch someone else. The pipeline matters more than any single yes.
A note on timing
Wholesale buyers do most of their purchasing ahead of the major gift seasons: Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day. Pitch at least 8 weeks before the season you're hoping to supply for. A pitch sent in early October for Christmas stock is well-timed. The same pitch sent in late November will almost always miss the buying cycle, regardless of how good your products are.
Boutique stores like EcoSoul Collective in Belgrave tend to stock makers whose values align with their own, so reading a store's ethos carefully before pitching is time well spent. The right stockist relationship, once it starts, can run for years.
What to do after your first stockist says yes
Fulfil the order on time, pack it beautifully, and include a short handwritten note with your contact details and reorder info. These small details matter to boutique buyers. Your pitch gets you in the door. Your fulfilment keeps you there. If the buyer reorders without prompting, you've built something worth protecting.
Track which stockists are reordering, at what frequency, and which products move fastest. That data shapes your next production run and tells you where to focus your next round of pitching.