Your wholesale line sheet is the one document a retail buyer opens to decide whether to order from you, and most suppliers lose the sale on the first screen. A buyer scans it in under a minute. If the wholesale price, the minimum order, or the ship window isn't sitting right there, they close the tab and order from a brand that made it easier. This post answers the real questions suppliers ask: what a wholesale line sheet must contain, how it differs from a spec sheet, how to price it, and which fields turn a first order into a standing reorder.
What is a wholesale line sheet?
A wholesale line sheet is the catalog page a retail buyer orders from: a scannable list of your products, each with a photo, style name and number, colorways, wholesale price, suggested retail price (MSRP), minimum order quantity, case pack, and availability or ship window. It exists to answer one question for the buyer, fast: what can I order, at what cost, in what quantity, and when will it arrive?
That is the whole job. A line sheet isn't a brochure and it isn't a lookbook. It's an order form with pictures. Everything a buyer needs to place an order without emailing you first should be on the page, and anything that doesn't help them order is noise.
Buyers treat it that way too. Many store owners only look at your cover page before deciding whether the rest of the document is worth their time, so the top of the line sheet has to sell the line and the terms have to be findable in seconds.
What must a wholesale line sheet include?
Split the required fields into two levels: what every product row needs, and what the document as a whole needs. Miss a field at either level and the buyer has to email you to fill the gap, which is exactly the friction that kills orders.
Per product (every row):
| Field | Why the buyer needs it |
|---|---|
| Product photo (clean, ideally 2+ angles) | Buyers order what they can see; wrong-color guesses become returns |
| Style name + style number / SKU | The reference they type onto the purchase order |
| Colorways / variants | So they order the right SKU, not "the blue one" |
| Size run or dimensions | For apparel, the full size run; for furniture and hard goods, the actual measurements |
| Material / fabric content | Drives their retail description and their margin math |
| Wholesale price | The cost to them, per unit |
| MSRP (suggested retail) | Lets them calculate margin in one glance |
| MOQ + case pack | The minimum they can buy and how it ships (e.g. "case of 12") |
| Availability / ship window | In stock, pre-order, backorder, or discontinued |
Per document (once, usually cover or footer):
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Brand name + logo | Identity and file recognition |
| Season or collection | Which range this is, and how current |
| Order and cancel dates | The window this line sheet is valid for |
| Order minimum (opening vs reorder) | Total minimum to open an account, and to reorder |
| Payment terms | Deposit, net-30, credit card at order |
| Shipping terms + lead time | Who pays freight and how long production takes |
| How to order (contact / link) | The literal next step |
Two omissions do the most damage. Missing a wholesale price or an MOQ stalls the order while the buyer waits for an email reply, and a document without visible terms reads as amateur. Put prices on the line sheet. Don't make buyers request them.
Line sheet vs spec sheet: what's the difference?
These two get confused constantly, and sending the wrong one wastes the buyer's time. The short version: a spec sheet describes one product in depth; a line sheet lists many products with the numbers a buyer needs to order.
| Line sheet | Spec sheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Many products, one document | One product, one document |
| Purpose | Get an order placed | Confirm a single product's exact specs |
| Core content | Photo, SKU, wholesale price, MSRP, MOQ, case pack, availability | Full dimensions, tolerances, materials, certifications, packaging, carton data |
| Who reads it | Buyer / merchandiser deciding what to stock | QA, compliance, and logistics confirming a chosen item |
| When it's used | Front of the sales conversation | After the buyer has picked an item |
They're complementary, not competing. The line sheet gets the buyer to say "I'll take these six styles"; the spec sheet backs up each one when they need exact measurements, carton dimensions, or a compliance cert. If you sell dimension-heavy goods, keep both current, because a buyer who can't confirm that a cabinet fits their fixture will stall the reorder. For the deep version, see spec sheets that win B2B orders.
How do I price a wholesale line sheet?
Every row shows two prices: your wholesale price (what the retailer pays you) and the MSRP (what they sell it for). The gap between them is the retailer's margin, and buyers do that math in their head before they order anything.
The common benchmark is keystone: MSRP is roughly two times wholesale, giving the retailer about a 50% margin. So a product that retails at $60 usually wholesales near $30. You don't have to hit keystone exactly, but if your wholesale price leaves the retailer under about 40% margin, expect resistance, because they have to cover rent, staff, and markdowns out of that gap.
Show both numbers on the line sheet even though the buyer only pays wholesale. Listing the MSRP does two things: it tells the buyer you've thought about their profit, and it discourages them from underpricing your product against other stockists. If you offer volume breaks, put the tiers right in the row (e.g. 12+ at one price, 48+ at a better one) rather than burying them in a terms paragraph.
Keep the line-sheet price and any quote you send a buyer identical. A line sheet that says $30 and an export quotation that says $34 reads as either sloppy or a bait-and-switch, and both cost you the reorder.
What MOQ and case pack should a line sheet show?
MOQ (minimum order quantity) is the smallest quantity a buyer can order at wholesale, and it belongs on the line sheet in plain numbers, not "contact us." Buyers won't guess your minimums; an unstated MOQ is one of the top reasons a line sheet gets set aside.
Set MOQ where the order is worth fulfilling but not so high that a first-time buyer won't test you. For small goods, 25 to 50 units per style is a common starting point. Distinguish two minimums and label both:
- Opening order minimum — the total (often a dollar figure) needed to open a wholesale account.
- Reorder minimum — a lower bar for existing accounts, which itself encourages reorders.
Case pack is how the product physically ships: "case of 12," "6 per pack," "sold each." State it next to the MOQ so a buyer knows a line reading "MOQ 24, case pack 12" means two cases. For furniture and building materials, tie this to how the goods actually palletize or load, because a buyer planning a container cares how many units fit. If that's your world, work out the real numbers first with a return cost calculator so an underpriced MOQ doesn't quietly erase your margin once freight and the odd damaged unit are counted.
What makes a buyer reorder from your line sheet?
Reorders are where wholesale actually pays off, and the line sheet drives them more than most suppliers realize. A retailer reorders when repeating the order takes almost no effort and nothing about the last order burned them. Build for that:
- Stable SKUs and style numbers. If the reference numbers change every season, the buyer has to re-map their whole system. Keep carryover styles on the same number.
- Reorder status and availability. Line sheets that show what's in stock, on pre-order, or discontinued, plus the ship window, let a retailer reorder without a single email.
- Accurate specs and dimensions. A buyer who received a "24-inch" stool that measured 26 inches won't trust the next number. Precise, consistent measurements are what let them reorder confidently and cut the returns that make them reconsider your line.
- A reorder minimum lower than the opening order. Give existing accounts an easier bar than new ones.
- Consistency over time. Refresh the line sheet each season or on a new drop, but keep the format the buyer already learned.
The through-line is trust. Every wrong number on a line sheet, whether it's a stale price, a missing size, or a dimension that didn't match the box, is a reason the buyer double-checks the next order or skips it. Manual data entry alone runs a 1% to 4% error rate per field, so a line sheet you copy-paste by hand and never audit is quietly seeding those mistakes.
How do I make a line sheet?
You don't need design software. A clean spreadsheet or a simple template beats a fancy PDF that hides the numbers. Work in this order:
- List every style you're selling this season with its style number.
- Add one clean photo per style (two angles for anything dimension-heavy).
- Fill the required per-product fields from the table above: colorways, size run or dimensions, material, wholesale, MSRP, MOQ, case pack, availability.
- Add the document-level block once: brand, season, order/cancel dates, minimums, payment and shipping terms, lead time, how to order.
- Group products by collection, category, or delivery date so a buyer navigates fast.
- Proofread every number against your master price list, then have someone else check it.
Here's a per-row template you can copy straight into a spreadsheet:
| Style # | Name | Photo | Colorways | Size / Dimensions | Material | Wholesale | MSRP | MOQ | Case pack | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FN-101 | Oak Bar Stool | link | Natural, Walnut | 26 in seat H, 15 in dia | Solid oak | $48 | $99 | 4 | 2 | In stock, ships 2 wks |
Before you send it, run this pre-send check:
- Every product has a photo, SKU, wholesale price, and MSRP
- MOQ and case pack are on every row, in numbers
- Availability / ship window is shown per product
- Dimensions or size run are accurate and match your spec sheets
- Payment, shipping, and lead-time terms are on the document
- Opening-order and reorder minimums are both stated
- Order and cancel dates are current
- Every price matches your master list and any quote you've sent
- There's a clear, one-step way to place the order
Quick-Reference Summary
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What is a line sheet? | The wholesale catalog page a buyer orders from: photos, SKUs, wholesale price, MSRP, MOQ, case pack, availability |
| What must it include? | Per-product fields + document-level terms; never omit wholesale price or MOQ |
| Line sheet vs spec sheet? | Line sheet = many products to order; spec sheet = one product's full specs |
| How to price it? | Show wholesale and MSRP; keystone ≈ 2× wholesale, keep retailer margin ≥ ~40% |
| What MOQ? | Plain numbers, not "contact us"; ~25–50 units/style is a common start; label opening vs reorder minimum |
| What drives reorders? | Stable SKUs, live availability, accurate specs, lower reorder minimum, consistency |
| How to make one? | Spreadsheet or template; fill required fields; group by category; proof every number |
FAQ
What is a line sheet in wholesale?
A line sheet is the wholesale catalog document a retail buyer uses to place an order. It lists each product with a photo, style number, wholesale price, suggested retail price, minimum order quantity, case pack, and availability, so the buyer can decide what to stock and order it without further back-and-forth.
What's the difference between a line sheet and a spec sheet?
A line sheet lists many products with the commercial terms needed to order them (price, MOQ, availability). A spec sheet covers one product in technical depth (full dimensions, tolerances, materials, certifications, carton data). The line sheet gets the order; the spec sheet confirms a chosen item's exact specs.
What should the MOQ be on a line sheet?
Set the MOQ high enough that an order is worth fulfilling but low enough that a new buyer will test you. Around 25 to 50 units per style is a common starting point for small goods; larger or heavier products vary. State it as a number on the line sheet, and label the opening-order minimum separately from the (lower) reorder minimum.
Do I need to put prices on my line sheet?
Yes. Show both the wholesale price and the MSRP on every product. A missing wholesale price or MOQ stalls the order while the buyer waits for an email reply, and many buyers simply move on to a supplier whose numbers are visible.
How do I get retailers to reorder?
Make repeating the order effortless and give them no reason not to. Keep SKUs stable across seasons, show live availability and ship windows, keep dimensions and specs accurate so the last delivery matched the numbers, and set a reorder minimum lower than the opening order.
Next steps
Build the line sheet in whatever format matches how your buyers actually order:
- Selling through a wholesale marketplace (Faire, JOOR, and similar): build the line sheet inside the platform so pricing, MOQ, and availability stay live and buyers reorder in a click.
- Sending files directly to buyers: a clean spreadsheet or PDF using the per-row template above is enough, as long as every number is current and matches your master price list.
- Selling dimension-heavy goods (furniture, lighting, building materials): pair the line sheet with clear spec diagrams so size and key measurements read at a glance. A dimension and spec annotation tool can generate those callouts from a product photo in minutes, which keeps the numbers on your line sheet and spec sheets consistent and cuts the size-driven returns that make buyers hesitate to reorder.
Pick one, fill in the required fields, and proof every number before it reaches a buyer.