Running a wholesale operation on a separate platform from your direct-to-consumer channel drains resources. Fragments your data.
You probably know someone dealing with this exact nightmare, watching inventory counts mismatch in real time, and honestly, if you think about it, managing two distinct websites for B2B.
D2C is a massive cost sink. Shopify B2B solves this by letting you run both channels from one single store. As of 2026, the platform has reliably closed the gap between high-end enterprise calls for, and simple user interfaces for wholesale.
TL; DR *Shopify B2B lets you run wholesale and retail from one store, keeping all inventory and data unified.You can create company profiles with specific payment terms like Net 30 and custom bulk pricing catalogs. Setting this up requires a Shopify Plus subscription, which starts at $2,300 USD per month.
Table of Contents
- Prerequisites
- Step 1: Create Company Profiles and Set Payment Terms
- Step 2: Build Custom Catalogs for Specific Buyers
- Step 3: Configure Quantity Breaks for Bulk Pricing
- Step 4: Set Up Tax Exemptions and Vaulted Credit Cards
- Step 5: Connect Your ERP or CRM via High-Speed APIs
- Troubleshooting Common Setup Mistakes
- People Also Ask
- What to Do Next
Key Point
- You need a Shopify Plus subscription to access native B2B features, which starts at around $2,300 USD monthly.
- Running both retail and wholesale from one store eliminates the need to manage two separate websites, saving massive development costs.
- The API rate limits on Plus are 10x higher than standard plans, making high-volume trading stable.
- You can support up to 1,000 inventory locations and unlimited company locations per organization.
Prerequisites
On a slightly different note, before you begin. You need the right tools and access levels. You cannot run native B2B features on a standard Shopify plan. You must upgrade to Shopify Plus.
Which starts at $2,300 USD per month. This is a high barrier to entry for small startups. it's the required foundation for this setup.
You also need administrative access to your Shopify dashboard. Gather your wholesale customer list, their specific tax exemption certificates. Your desired payment terms (like Net 30 or Net 60). Make of that what you will. To wrap it up, make sure your product data is clean.
Migrating old wholesale data from legacy systems can be time-consuming, so start with organized CSV files.
Step 1: Create Company Profiles and Set Payment Terms
To start, open the Shopify admin dashboard, and honestly, and work through to the Clients section, then select Companies. This is where you create company profiles to set specific payment terms like Net 30. Or Net 60 (at least in a lot of practical scenarios) automatically for your wholesale buyers.
Truly simple: blocksep matters. When I first set this up for a client. The sheer simplicity of the company profile system caught me off guard.
Instead of hacking together customer tags and discount codes. You literally make a profile for the business.
You assign buyers to that company. When they log in, they see their precise pricing.
Payment terms automatically applied at checkout. You can set up unlimited company locations per organization.
Which is a lifesaver for businesses with multiple shipping addresses. The expected outcome here is a dedicated portal where customers manage their own accounts and view order history, and let me tell you, you define the rules once, and the system handles the rest.
How does payment terms automation actually work?
Payment terms automation works by attaching billing rules directly to a company profile. When a buyer from that company checks out, the system bypasses the (at least in many practical scenarios) standard credit card form, and displays the assigned Net 30. That's not a small shift. Or Net 60 invoice option instead.
Make of that what you'll. This removes the friction of large orders.
Step 2: Build Custom Catalogs for Specific Buyers
You'll build custom catalogs that show different products. Or prices to concrete business customers based on their company profile.
In short, blocksep matters, and sure enough, that's. Where Shopify B2B really earns its keep. Just something to consider. You don't want every buyer seeing your entire product line, and you certainly don't want them seeing the same prices.
I remember running into a snag. Where a catalog wasn't applying correctly. Actually, let me put that differently. That's the pressing step.
You make the catalog, select the products, apply a percentage, and honestly, or fixed price adjustment, and then tie it to the specific company. The native checkout experience feels like modern retail for the buyer.
The backend logic (and the data generally agrees) is pure wholesale.
Step 3: Configure Quantity Breaks for Bulk Pricing
Work through to the product details page and locate the Quantity breaks section. As it turns out, set up quantity-based pricing to encourage bulk buying by offering tiered discounts based on the volume added to the cart.
Many merchants used to rely on buggy third-party apps to achieve this, and a common frustration in the community was the constant conflict between discount apps and the checkout flow. Now, users on Reddit are happy with the new native Quantity Breaks feature. Worth considering. Because it simply works without breaking the checkout.
You set the thresholds directly on the product variant. If a buyer orders 50 units, they get 10% off...which means read that again if you need to.
If they order 100. The system automatically applies the best tier when they hit the volume need, the expected outcome is higher average order values and fewer abandoned carts due to discount code errors.
Is native quantity pricing enough for most merchants?
In the checkout, native quantity pricing is enough for about 80% of merchants. That's not a small shift, and honestly, because it handles standard tiered discounts directly; however, if you need complex, category-wide volume thresholds, you might still need custom coding.
Step 4: Set Up Tax Exemptions and Vaulted Credit Cards
Go to Settings > Taxes, and work through to (at least based on current observations) the tax exemptions section. From a practical standpoint, apply advanced logic for tax exemptions based on specific customer profiles to make sure wholesale buyers aren't charged retail sales tax.
Most likely shopify B2B lets you flag a company profile as tax exempt. When that buyer logs in and checks out, the tax line drops to zero automatically.
What does that mean in practice? This prevents you from having to issue post-buy refunds for tax overcharges — which is why pair this with vaulted credit cards. Buyers can save their card details securely to their profile.
When they place a large order. From a practical standpoint, they just pick the saved card and pay instantly.
This removes the friction of typing in 16 digits for a $50,000 order... the expected outcome is a compliant. Effortless checkout for business buyers.
Step 5: Connect Your ERP or CRM via High-Speed APIs
Open the Apps section, and manage to the App development area to generate API credentials. Connect your ERP or CRM system using high-speed APIs built (as one might expect) for large volume trading.
You can't scale a wholesale operation manually syncing orders to an ERP, and according to recent coverage. Shopify Plus offers API rate limits that are 10x higher than standard plans. What's critical when you're pushing hundreds of orders a minute is during a peak season, so what's the catch?
In real-world terms. Moving forward. You'll use the Shopify Admin API to pull order data, push inventory updates. In most cases, i've seen custom integrations fail. Because the developer didn't account for the rate limits. With Plus, you get the breathing room needed for high-volume trading.
The expected outcome is a instant sync between your storefront. And your backend fulfillment systems.
Troubleshooting Common Setup Mistakes
Even with a clean setup, you'll hit roadblocks. The thing is, here are the most common issues and how to fix them.
- Buyers see retail prices instead of wholesale prices. This happens when you create a catalog but forget to assign it to the company location. Go back to the Catalogs section, open the specific catalog, and ensure the target company location is linked.
- Shipping rates are wrong for freight orders. Users on Reddit often complain that native shipping scripts are too basic for complex freight. You will likely need a third-party app for advanced shipping rules based on pallets or freight class. Native Shopify shipping works for small parcels but struggles with LTL freight.
- Tax is still charged on tax-exempt orders. Check the customer record. The buyer might be logging in with a personal email not linked to the company profile. Ensure the buyer's account is invited directly from the Company profile page.
- API connection drops during bulk sync. Your developer is likely hitting the rate limit. Even though Plus offers 10x higher limits, poorly coded bulk requests can exhaust them. Implement backoff logic in your integration to retry failed requests.
| Feature | Standard Shopify | Shopify Plus (B2B) |
|---|---|---|
| Company Profiles | Not available | Unlimited per org |
| API Rate Limits | Standard | 10x higher |
| Inventory Locations | Limited | Up to 1,000 |
| Payment Terms | Manual | Automated Net 30/60 |
| Starting Cost | ~$39 USD/mo | $2,300 USD/mo |
People Also Ask
Do I need a separate website for my wholesale channel?
No, you don't need a separate website for your wholesale channel. Shopify B2B allows you to run wholesale and direct-to-consumer retail from one single store. Keeping all inventory and data unified in one admin dashboard.
Can wholesale customers manage their own accounts?
Yes, wholesale customers can manage their own accounts. They can view their order history, add new shipping addresses. And assign buyer roles to other useees in their organization through a dedicated portal.
How much does Shopify B2B cost to run?
On the surface, running native B2B features asks for a Shopify Plus subscription — which starts at $2,300 USD per month. This is a significant investment. But eliminates the cost of maintaining two separate platforms.
Can I set different prices for different wholesale buyers?
Yes, you can set different prices for different buyers, and honestly, you do this by building custom catalogs and assigning them to precise company profiles. Allowing you to show tiered pricing based on buyer relationships.
What to Do Next
You've the plan to scale your wholesale operation. don't let the $2,300 monthly price tag scare you away — the cost of running two separate sites, syncing inventory, and managing fragmented data is almost always higher. That jumped out at me too.
Shopify has well closed the gap between enterprise demands and a breeze interfaces, which means start by auditing your current wholesale customer list.
Clean up your data; then, upgrade to Plus. And begin craft your company profiles.
- Audit your wholesale customer data — Clean up your CSV files and ensure every business has a physical address and contact email.
- Upgrade to Shopify Plus — Contact Shopify sales to initiate the migration from your current platform to unlock native B2B features.
- Create your top 5 company profiles — Start with your largest buyers to test the payment terms and catalog assignment logic.
- Build your first custom catalog — Apply a flat percentage discount to a select group of products and assign it to a test company.
- Test the checkout flow — Log in as the buyer, place a test order, and verify the Net 30 terms and tax exemptions apply correctly.
The barrier to entry is high, but the operational efficiency is truly — which is why get your data organized and make the switch.
🔍 Research Sources
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