The 2023 Guide for Selling Bulk Clothing to Retailers

ByMartin

Mar 22, 2023

Selling bulk clothing to retailers is much different than selling clothes via a store directly to shoppers. First, you’ll be working with a significant amount of inventory, which also means the ability to make more money and sell more items. It’s a new year and time to expand your clothing business, so let’s talk about tips for selling wholesale bulk clothes to retailers. 

Don’t slack on product pages

The product pages will likely convince retailers, especially (potential) new customers, to buy from you, so they’re something you should take your time with. Not only do your descriptions and information have to be on point, but the pictures do as well. 

Make sure the photos show the garments from different angles. It can be incredibly frustrating when you want to buy clothing, and the picture depicts only the front with no side or back views. Instead, show every angle and close-ups of unique details to let retailers see what they’ll be getting, such as if they want to place a crewneck sweatshirt bulk order from Bella + Canvas.

Include all the facts in the individual descriptions. For example, put a paragraph describing the clothing item and its features, information about its material composition, and measurements and size. As a bonus, include details about how to care for it, such as only being dry-cleaned or not bleached. 

Give discounts on the retail price

One of the significant reasons retailers want to buy wholesale clothing is because it’s much cheaper and more convenient than buying the same individual products at retail prices in smaller quantities. On your website, show the price per piece of clothing and what the discounted cost works out to be if the retailer buys those items through your business. 

Typically, retailers will also expect that the more they order, the bigger the discount they’ll get. So if you offer that option, post that information and the quantities retailers will have to buy to qualify. But, again, be as transparent as possible; business owners want to know what they’re getting for what they’re spending. 

Offer deals and discounts for specific reasons

As a wholesaler, selling clothing requires more than a bargain from its retail price. Consider offering additional deals and discounts for specific reasons, such as the retailer being a new customer, referring other retailers to you, or signing up for your email newsletter. 

Offering extra discounts may be too much, but it could encourage retailers who are on the fence about ordering to buy more inventory or register with your business rather than go with a different wholesale clothing company. 

Offer products on sale

Yes, it’s even more discounts to mention. Retail clothing store owners understandably love saving money, and they’ll actively search out deals if they can get them, including perusing sale sections. 

Think about having a sale section on your wholesale website. You can still offer bulk clothing, but you may have less available of each item. For example, if you have low inventory on a particular pair of jeans and–while still a popular product–they’re no longer trending like they once were, consider lowering their price to get them moving. The inventory won’t sit around taking up space, you’ll make money off them, and retailers will appreciate getting good deals.  

Consider no minimums

Just because you’re a wholesaler who sells bulk clothing doesn’t mean you always have to sell massive quantities in each order. Instead, you should allow retailers to buy smaller amounts if they need or want to. 

One of the significant ways this can be beneficial is that it may help you attract new retail businesses. Rather than the retailer initially feeling hesitant to order hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from you, they may be more willing to spend a smaller amount. In addition, it can allow them to learn more about various aspects of your business and products, such as the quality of the clothing, how fast your products ship, and how your customer service is, just on a smaller scale.

If you believe in your wholesale business and that the customer will have a positive experience and likely place additional orders, offering no minimums would work out in your favor. No minimums could apply to the quantity and the dollar amount. However, if you’re not entirely comfortable with the no minimum premise, consider offering a low minimum dollar amount or clothing quantity. 

Sign up with a wholesale directory

Wholesale directories are chock-full of various businesses in various industries, including fashion. It’s one of the primary ways retailers find wholesalers to consider ordering from. One of the biggest perks of having your clothing business be a part of these directories is that they typically verify the wholesalers, which means retailers may feel more comfortable working with them and confident that they’re unlikely to get scammed. 

Additional information about your business will also usually be included, such as the types of products you sell, where you ship to, where your business is based, and how many years you’ve been there. Have all this information available to provide to the website, and once your business is in the directory, check it out to ensure the listing is correct.

As a wholesale clothing business, there’s one more important thing you want to keep in mind when selling to retailers: it’s a must to constantly and consistently deliver excellent customer service. No one should feel like just an order or account number. Instead, each retailer should feel like their business is essential–because it is–regardless of the size of their clothing store, how much they’re spending, or how big their initial or follow-up orders are. Let them feel they can trust you, that you appreciate that they think enough of your products to order from you and that you value them and their business, especially when there are so many other wholesalers they could order from. It could mean great things for your wholesale clothing company.