How to Sell Wholesale with Shopify: A Complete B2B Setup Guide (2026)

• Shopify expanded foundational B2B features to Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans in April 2026, removing the historical requirement for Shopify Plus to sell wholesale.
• Merchants can now operate as Blended (DTC and B2B on one site) or Dedicated (separate B2B URL/storefront) with native company accounts and multi-user logins.
• B2B catalogs allow precise control over product visibility and custom pricing, though non-Plus plans are limited to three active catalogs across all markets.
• Native support includes Net 30/60 payment terms and minimum order quantity (MOQ) enforcement, streamlining the buyer journey for volume-based transactions.
• Automate the vetting process using Shopify Flow and integrate CRM data via sync capabilities to build scalable, relationship-driven wholesale operations.

Why Switch to Native B2B Commerce in 2026?

The landscape for wholesale commerce changed fundamentally in April 2026 when Shopify removed the barrier to entry for non-enterprise merchants by expanding foundational B2B features to all paid plans ^[1]. This update allows merchants on Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans to run dual-channel businesses—selling both direct-to-consumer (DTC) and wholesale (B2B)—natively within the same admin interface without relying on expensive third-party applications ^[1]. For store owners looking to expand beyond DTC, this shift democratizes access to sophisticated wholesale tools that were previously exclusive to Shopify Plus users, enabling smoother inventory management and unified reporting across channels.

What Are the Core Features of Shopify's Native B2B Channel?

The primary mechanism for managing wholesale relationships is the Company Account, which aggregates individual buyers under a single business entity rather than treating them as isolated contacts [2]. This structure supports multi-user logins per company, allowing designated roles such as admin or viewer to access the storefront, while also facilitating data synchronization with external Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems like Salesforce or HubSpot [2]. Furthermore, the platform introduces B2B Catalogs, a feature that lets merchants control exactly which products and variants are visible to specific customer groups, ensuring competitive pricing strategies remain protected from retail shoppers [2]. Crucially, merchants on Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans must note that they are limited to maintaining only three active B2B catalogs across all markets, a constraint that requires careful segmentation planning compared to the higher capacity available on Shopify Plus [2].

How Do Custom Price Lists and Volume Pricing Work?

To support negotiated pricing models, native B2B setups enable Custom Price Lists where merchants assign specific prices to company accounts independent of public retail prices [2]. This capability extends to Volume Pricing, allowing the creation of tiered quantity breaks directly within the catalog settings so that larger orders automatically trigger lower unit costs [2]. While this eliminates the need for manual quote generation for standard items, it creates a UI challenge where bulk discounts may not be immediately obvious to the buyer unless theme adjustments or Liquid code modifications are implemented to display these tiered rates explicitly on the product page [2].

How Should You Configure MOQs and Payment Terms?

Operational efficiency in wholesale relies heavily on controlling order parameters, starting with Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs). Shopify natively supports enforcing minimum purchase quantities per SKU through B2B Catalog settings, allowing merchants to set strict unit counts for each item [3]. However, a critical nuance exists: while native catalogs handle unit-based limits effectively, setting monetary thresholds (such as a $500 minimum cart value) currently requires the use of Shopify Functions or Checkout Validation extensions [3]. Similarly, payment flexibility is enhanced through native support for Net Terms, meaning approved company accounts can defer payments until Net 30 or Net 60 dates while still accepting immediate credit card charges if needed [3].

Can You Automate the Approval Workflow?

To prevent unauthorized access to wholesale pricing, merchants should utilize Shopify Flow, the platform’s native automation tool, to automate the vetting process when new companies request registration [4]. By setting up rules that filter requests based on criteria such as tax ID verification or geographic location, stores can ensure that only qualified partners gain access to the B2B catalog before it goes live.

Which Architecture Model Suits Your Business: Blended or Dedicated?

When launching a wholesale channel, merchants must decide between a Blended architecture, which operates DTC and B2B sales on a single site, or a Dedicated model, which utilizes a separate B2B URL or storefront ^[1]. Blended setups offer operational simplicity by sharing a single inventory pool and backend, making them ideal for merchants with straightforward product lines ^[1]. Conversely, Dedicated architectures provide complete separation of brand experience, which may be necessary if wholesale clients require specialized navigation or if the retail brand wishes to avoid price transparency issues among end consumers ^[1]. Inventory allocation strategies become more complex in Blended models, requiring clear reservation logic to prevent wholesale orders from depleting stock intended for time-sensitive retail campaigns ^[1].

What Is the Key Takeaway for Implementing Wholesale Today?

The integration of native B2B features across all Shopify plans marks a significant milestone in platform maturity, offering a cost-effective pathway for merchants to capture high-value wholesale revenue ^[1]. Success requires balancing the strategic advantages of customized pricing and deferred payments with the technical constraints of catalog limits and checkout validations [2]. By leveraging native tools like Company Accounts, Shopify Flow, and B2B Catalogs, store teams can build robust, scalable wholesale operations that seamlessly complement their existing DTC infrastructure [4].