Wholesale Embroidery Pricing: How to Set Rates for Business and Reseller Orders

By the creator who built EMBquote

Short answer: wholesale embroidery pricing is the rate card you offer other businesses that buy from you in volume or resell your work. It is not the wholesale cost you pay for blanks. Set it as a separate, written rate card with clear quantity breaks, minimums and what is included, and put those terms on the quote before the buyer approves it.

What "wholesale embroidery pricing" actually means

When a shop talks about wholesale embroidery pricing, it usually means the prices it gives to trade buyers: promotional product distributors, uniform companies, other decorators and businesses that order in volume. These buyers often resell the finished goods or order again and again, so they expect a rate that is different from what a one-off retail customer pays.

It is not the price you pay SanMar or S&S for the blank

"Wholesale" also describes what you pay a supplier for a garment. That is your cost, not your price. How you mark up blanks is a separate topic, covered in how to price embroidery jobs and quoting from live SanMar and S&S pricing. This post is about the price you charge a wholesale buyer.

Wholesale rates vs your retail or custom chart

Your retail chart is built for one-off customers who order small runs and need more help. A wholesale buyer usually sends artwork ready to go, orders in larger quantities and comes back. That can justify a different rate, but only if the order really costs you less to produce and sell. Build the wholesale card from your own costs: machine time, thread, backing, labor, setup and the handling around each order. Start from your embroidery price chart and adjust it, rather than inventing a second set of numbers from scratch.

Wholesale vs contract work on customer-supplied garments

These two get mixed up. Wholesale pricing can include the garment: you buy the blanks, decorate them and sell the finished piece to a trade buyer. Contract embroidery means the buyer sends you their own garments and you charge for decoration and handling only. If the buyer supplies the goods, use the contract approach instead; our guide to pricing contract embroidery on customer-supplied garments covers that fee recipe.

What belongs on a wholesale embroidery quote

Decoration rate, quantity breaks and order minimums

State the decoration rate by stitch-count band and quantity, the quantity at which each break starts, and the minimum order you will accept at wholesale rates. If the order falls under the minimum, say which rate applies instead.

When the garment is included, and when it is not

Say plainly whether the price includes the garment. If it does, show the garment and the decoration so the buyer can see what changes when they switch styles or colors. If it does not, the job is contract work and should be quoted that way.

Setup, digitizing and extra locations

List digitizing or setup charges, whether they are waived on reorders of the same design, and what a second or third location costs. Unstated extras are where wholesale margins disappear.

Don't copy a "standard" wholesale discount

There is no single correct wholesale discount. A fixed percentage taken off your retail chart can turn a profitable order into a loss on short runs or dense designs. If you want a simple rule, test it against your costs first. For example, a shop might try a set percentage off retail only above a certain quantity and keep its normal rate below it; treat that as an example to adapt, not a benchmark.

Write the terms on the quote, not only in a conversation

Trade buyers approve what they see. Put the rate, breaks, minimums, what is included, setup charges, deposit and payment timing on the quote itself, and keep the wording the same for every wholesale account. Our post on embroidery deposits and payment terms covers the payment side. Sales tax and resale certificates are a separate question: this is not legal or tax advice, so check how resale buyers should be handled with your accountant.

A quick checklist

• A written wholesale rate card, separate from retail.
• Quantity breaks and a minimum order stated in plain numbers.
• Garment included or not, said on every quote.
• Setup, digitizing and extra locations listed.
• Any discount rule tested against your own costs.
• Terms printed on the quote before approval.

Where EMBquote fits

EMBquote Pro is free for 14 days (credit card required up front), then $149/month early-bird ($299/month regular). See pricing or the EMBquote FAQ. You can also try the embroidery pricing calculator or our pricing spreadsheet guide. Questions: hello@embquote.com.

FAQ

What is wholesale embroidery pricing?

It is the rate card a shop offers trade buyers, such as distributors, resellers and businesses that order in volume. It is different from the wholesale cost the shop pays for blank garments.

Should wholesale embroidery cost less than retail?

Often, but only where the order really costs less to produce and sell, such as larger runs with ready-to-sew artwork. Build the rate from your own costs instead of taking a fixed percentage off retail.

Is wholesale the same as contract embroidery on customer-supplied garments?

No. Wholesale pricing can include the garment. Contract embroidery means the buyer supplies the garments and you charge for decoration and handling only.

How do I set quantity breaks on a wholesale rate card?

Start from your price chart, choose the quantities where your cost per piece really drops, set a minimum order for wholesale rates, and print the breaks on every quote.