Shopify’s native B2B wholesale features have matured significantly since their Plus-exclusive launch. As of April 2026, core wholesale functionality is available on all paid plans. The marketing language has caught up to the reality — but most merchants still don’t know exactly where the line is between what standard plans deliver and what requires Plus.
The Shopify B2B wholesale market is $7.9 trillion globally. The businesses running on the wrong setup or the wrong platform tier are leaving efficiency and margin on the table.
Key Takeaways
- Core B2B features (company accounts, 3 catalogs, Net payment terms, volume pricing) are on all paid Shopify plans as of April 2026
- Shopify Plus is required for unlimited catalogs, checkout customization via Functions, and deposit/partial payment terms
- B2B average order values are 3–5x higher than D2C — the operational ROI of a self-service wholesale portal is significant
- Companies with self-service B2B portals see 25% lower cost per order versus manual order processing
Shopify B2B Wholesale Features in 2026: Plan by Plan
The plan-by-plan breakdown matters because the Shopify marketing page tends to feature Plus capabilities prominently. Here’s what you actually get at each tier.
Basic, Grow, Advanced: 3 Catalogs, Company Profiles, Volume Pricing, Payment Terms
Available on all paid Shopify plans (no Plus required):
- Company profiles: accounts for wholesale buyers with multiple contacts and locations
- Custom price lists: up to 3 distinct pricing catalogs (percentage discount, fixed price, or volume-tiered)
- Net payment terms: Net 15, Net 30, Net 60 for approved accounts
- Purchase order references: B2B buyers can include PO numbers on orders
- B2B-specific checkout: logged-in company users see their assigned pricing
For a majority of wholesale operations — businesses with 1–3 distinct wholesale pricing tiers serving a manageable buyer account list — this feature set on a $39–$399/month plan handles the core Shopify B2B wholesale use case.
Shopify Plus: Unlimited Catalogs, Checkout Customization, Deposits, Functions
Shopify Plus ($2,300+/month) adds for B2B wholesale:
- Unlimited catalogs: no 3-catalog ceiling — create distinct pricing for unlimited buyer segments
- Checkout extensibility via Shopify Functions: build custom checkout logic for B2B buyers (custom tax logic, custom payment validation, custom discount application)
- Deposit and partial payment terms: require a deposit percentage at order, collect balance on fulfillment
- Draft orders with B2B pricing integration: create orders on behalf of buyers more fluidly
- Dedicated support and merchant success manager
What a Company Profile Means Practically for Your Buyers
A company profile in Shopify B2B wholesale is an account structure that sits above individual customer accounts. One company can have multiple contacts (buyer accounts) and multiple locations (ship-to addresses).
Sarah runs wholesale distribution for her ceramics brand — her largest wholesale account (a regional restaurant chain) has one company profile, four contacts (corporate buyer, regional manager, two location managers), and 12 ship-to addresses (the restaurant locations). Each contact logs in with their own credentials, but they all place orders under the same pricing catalog and payment terms. All orders roll up to the company-level account for invoice management.
This structure replaces a manual process — spreadsheet tracking of who can buy at what price, followed by manual invoicing — with a self-service portal that handles most of the operation automatically.
Setting Up Shopify Wholesale Pricing Structures
The three pricing mechanisms each suit different B2B wholesale models.
Percentage-Based Discount vs. Fixed Price Per Company
Percentage discount is the simplest: configure a catalog that automatically applies a 25% discount to all products for accounts assigned to it. When retail prices change, wholesale prices adjust automatically. Setup: 5 minutes per catalog.
Fixed pricing sets specific prices for specific products in a catalog: Widget A costs $12 wholesale regardless of retail price changes. Useful when wholesale prices are negotiated independently of retail. Setup: manual entry per product per catalog.
Most SMB wholesale operations start with percentage-based discounts and move toward fixed pricing as their account relationships mature and pricing becomes more individually negotiated.
Volume Tiers: How to Configure Multi-Level Wholesale Pricing
Volume-tiered pricing incentivizes larger orders — the core economic mechanism of B2B wholesale. In Shopify B2B, volume tiers are configured within a price list:
- 1–49 units: 20% off retail
- 50–99 units: 25% off retail
- 100+ units: 30% off retail
This configuration requires that you’re on a plan with price list access and that your catalog is set up correctly. The configuration interface in Shopify admin is straightforward — but it requires planning your tier structure before setup, not during.
Multi-Location Pricing: Different Prices Per Buyer Location
Within a single company profile, different locations can be assigned different pricing catalogs. A national retail chain might have your standard wholesale rate at most locations but a lower rate at their flagship locations where volume is higher.
This is available on standard plans (within the 3-catalog limit). Each catalog is a distinct pricing tier — you can assign the same catalog to multiple accounts or multiple locations.
Net 30 / Net 60 Payment Terms for Shopify B2B Wholesale
Deferred payment terms are the operational norm in B2B wholesale. Here’s how Shopify implements them.
How Deferred Payment Terms Work on Shopify
When a company account has Net 30 terms, their checkout experience changes fundamentally: instead of entering payment information at checkout, they review the order and submit it. Shopify creates the order and marks it “Payment due in 30 days.”
The payment collection workflow is then outside Shopify’s native checkout — you invoice the buyer via email, they pay by bank transfer, check, or ACH, and you mark the order as paid in your admin. Shopify doesn’t automate the payment reminder or collection workflow at this level; those require integration with accounting tools or manual management.
Net 30/60 payment terms reduce B2B cart abandonment by approximately 35% versus requiring credit card payment at checkout. For buyers managing accounts payable processes, deferred terms match their internal procurement workflows.
Purchase Order Management in the Shopify B2B Workflow
B2B buyers use PO numbers to tie Shopify orders to their internal purchase orders. At B2B checkout, buyers enter their PO number in a dedicated field. That PO number appears on all order documents, packing slips, and invoices.
For buyers, this is non-negotiable — without PO number support, they can’t reconcile Shopify orders with their accounting system. It’s one of the features that separates a real B2B platform from a retail store that accepts wholesale orders by email.
Deposit and Partial Payment (Plus Only)
For businesses with custom or made-to-order products — where a deposit at order and final payment at fulfillment is standard practice — this capability requires Plus. The checkout can be configured to collect a specified deposit percentage, with the balance collected separately.
Without Plus, the options are: collect full payment at checkout (disrupts Net term workflow) or collect full payment via invoice after the fact (no deposit protection). For businesses where deposit collection is standard, this is a genuine Plus-required feature.
Shopify Wholesale vs. Dedicated Wholesale Platforms
Shopify is not the only option for running B2B wholesale commerce.
Shopify B2B vs. Faire / Handshake
Faire and Handshake (acquired by Shopify) are dedicated wholesale marketplaces — they bring buyer discovery to wholesale sellers. You list products on the marketplace and buyers find you through the platform’s own traffic and discovery mechanics.
The distinction from Shopify B2B wholesale: Faire/Handshake is a marketplace model (you’re discoverable to new buyers), while Shopify B2B is a self-managed direct portal (your existing buyers log in to place orders). These serve different needs.
Faire charges commission (15–25% on new buyers, 10% on existing) — a significant cost at wholesale margins. Shopify B2B has zero per-transaction platform fees beyond standard payment processing. For businesses with established buyer relationships, Shopify B2B is more economical. For businesses that need buyer acquisition, a marketplace presence may be worth the commission.
Third-Party Wholesale Apps: When They Bridge the Gap
Before April 2026, many merchants used third-party apps (Wholesale Helper, Wholesale Club, B2B Wholesale Solution) to add wholesale functionality to standard Shopify plans. These apps cost $30–$80/month and replicated some Plus-exclusive features.
Post-April 2026, with core B2B features now native to all plans, the need for these apps is reduced. For businesses that need more than 3 catalogs but don’t want to pay for Plus, third-party apps still provide a bridge. For standard wholesale operations, native features cover most use cases.
When Shopify Is the Wrong Wholesale Platform
Shopify B2B wholesale is not the right solution when:
- Your buyers require EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) integration as a standard purchasing method
- Your wholesale operation involves complex configurators or custom manufacturing workflows that need dedicated order management software
- Your buyer base operates on proprietary procurement platforms that require specific integrations not available in Shopify’s app ecosystem
These are edge cases for most SMB wholesale operations. For businesses doing $200,000–$5,000,000/year in wholesale revenue, Shopify B2B on standard plans is typically the right infrastructure.
Blended Store vs. Dedicated Wholesale Store
The practical guide for wholesale-focused businesses on Shopify.
Running Retail and Wholesale From One Shopify Admin
A blended store is operationally efficient: one product database, one inventory system, one analytics dashboard. Wholesale and retail customers interact with the same store — but logged-in wholesale accounts see their pricing and retail visitors see standard prices.
The challenge: your homepage, navigation, and marketing copy are built for one audience or the other — rarely for both. A wholesale buyer landing on a consumer-facing homepage with retail messaging feels off. This isn’t a technical problem; it’s a UX design problem that requires deliberate navigation architecture to handle.
Marcus rebuilt his blended store with a dedicated “Wholesale” navigation item that routed to a collections page with B2B messaging, a “Log in to see your pricing” prompt, and a new account application form. Retail customers see the standard catalog. B2B buyers have a clear entry point. Both audiences served from one admin.
Separate Wholesale Storefront: Costs, Benefits, and Management Overhead
A dedicated wholesale storefront (a second Shopify store) solves the brand separation issue cleanly: wholesale.yourbrand.com is purpose-built for buyers. The tradeoff: you’re paying for two Shopify plans, maintaining two product catalogs, and managing two sets of orders.
The management overhead is real. For most businesses, a well-architected blended store is more efficient. Dedicated stores are appropriate when the buyer experience needs to be fundamentally different from retail — different products, different brand presentation, different navigation, or a checkout that would conflict with your retail setup.
Building a wholesale channel that works like a real B2B portal — not a hacked retail store? See our Shopify B2B development services → or explore our fixed-price Shopify wholesale packages.
Conclusion
Shopify’s April 2026 update removed the primary cost barrier to B2B wholesale. Company accounts, custom pricing, Net terms, and a functional wholesale checkout are no longer Plus-exclusive. For businesses with 1–3 pricing tiers and a manageable buyer list, standard plans cover the core B2B wholesale use case at $39–$399/month.
Plus is required when you need more than 3 catalogs, custom checkout logic, or deposit payment terms. Those are real requirements for some businesses — they’re not requirements for most SMB wholesale operations.
The economics are compelling: Shopify B2B wholesale average order values are 3–5x higher than D2C, and self-service wholesale portals reduce cost per order by approximately 25% compared to manual processing. The infrastructure investment at standard plan pricing is clearly justified.
For a wholesale channel built correctly — right architecture, right pricing structure, right buyer experience — our Shopify wholesale and B2B solutions deliver a full setup on a defined timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have different prices for different wholesale customers on Shopify?
Yes. Each company account is assigned a pricing catalog. You can create up to 3 catalogs on standard plans (unlimited on Plus) with different pricing structures — percentage discounts, fixed prices, or volume tiers. Each catalog can be assigned to multiple company accounts, or you can create distinct catalogs for your different pricing tiers.
Does Shopify support purchase orders for wholesale?
Yes. The B2B checkout includes a PO number field that appears for company account users. The PO number is recorded on the order and appears on all order documentation, packing slips, and invoices. This is available on all paid plans, not just Plus.
Do I need Shopify Plus for wholesale features?
Not for core features. Company profiles, custom price lists (up to 3), Net payment terms, and B2B-specific checkout are available on Basic, Grow, and Advanced as of April 2026. Plus is required for unlimited catalogs, checkout customization via Shopify Functions, and deposit/partial payment configurations.
How do wholesale buyers log in to see their pricing?
Wholesale buyers log in through the standard customer account login on your store. When logged in as a company account contact, Shopify automatically displays their assigned catalog pricing throughout the store — product pages, collections, and checkout. Retail visitors who aren’t logged in as company contacts see your standard retail pricing.
Can I restrict my wholesale store to approved customers only?
Yes, using two methods. A password-protected store (for a dedicated wholesale storefront) restricts access entirely to invited users. For a blended store, B2B pricing is only visible to logged-in company account users — the accounts must be manually created and approved in your admin. New wholesale applicants can submit a “Request an account” form, which you review and approve before granting B2B access.