--- title: "What Is Wholesale Ecommerce?" url: https://www.uncap.com/glossary/wholesale-ecommerce author: "Denis Dyli" published: 2026-10-14 updated: 2026-10-14 summary: "Wholesale ecommerce is selling goods online to retailers, contractors and other businesses rather than to the general public. The buyer places the order, or the price and terms are negotiated, over the internet, electronic data interchange (EDI) or another online system, such as an extranet or email. Payment may or may not be made online." --- # What Is Wholesale Ecommerce? > Wholesale ecommerce is selling goods online to retailers, contractors and other businesses rather than to the general public. The buyer places the order, or the price and terms are negotiated, over the internet, electronic data interchange (EDI) or another online system, such as an extranet or email. Payment may or may not be made online. **Wholesale ecommerce**: Wholesale ecommerce is selling goods online to retailers, contractors and other businesses rather than to the general public. The buyer places the order, or the price and terms are negotiated, over the internet, electronic data interchange (EDI) or another online system, such as an extranet or email. Payment may or may not be made online. ## How it works Two US Census Bureau definitions frame the term. A wholesaler is a business that sells to retailers, contractors or other types of businesses (including farms), but not to the general public, or at least not in any significant amount. An ecommerce sale is one where the buyer places the order, or the price and terms are negotiated, over [EDI](/glossary/edi), the internet or another online system such as an extranet or email. Read together, the two definitions mean a wholesale sale counts as ecommerce when the order is placed, or the price and terms are negotiated, online. ## Major components of wholesale trade The Census Bureau groups wholesale trade into these major components: - Distributors: wholesalers that buy and own (take title to) products before reselling them to their customers. - Manufacturers' sales branches and offices: establishments that manufacturing, refining or mining companies keep apart from their plants or mines to market their products. Sales branches typically carry inventory; sales offices typically do not. - Agents and brokers: they represent others in negotiating contracts, purchases or sales. They typically earn a commission or fee and do not take possession of, or title to, any goods. - Importers and exporters. ## Wholesale vs. DTC and B2B ecommerce Direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce sells to consumers, the general public that the Census definition of a wholesaler leaves out. On Shopify, the difference shows up in setup: B2B customers are set up as companies, and Shopify lets you personalize their buying experience, such as pricing, products, and payment and shipping methods. Shopify describes B2B as a suite of native features that lets you sell business-to-business, and it points merchants who want to start selling wholesale to those same features. ## Example A candle brand sells on Shopify to consumers at $20 a candle. It opens a wholesale channel on the same store, a blended store, for boutiques and gift shops. - Catalog: stockists who log in see a wholesale catalog at $9 a candle. Consumers keep seeing $20. - Quantity rules: each scent sells in increments of 6 (one case pack), with a minimum of 12. - Order: a boutique orders 4 scents at 12 each: 4 x 12 = 48 candles, and 48 x $9 = $432. - Payment terms: the boutique's company location has Net 30 terms, so it checks out on those terms and pays the $432 within 30 days of placing the order. Later, a second catalog at $8, assigned to a B2B market that groups its larger accounts, brings the brand to 2 active catalogs, inside the limit of 3 on the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans. ## On Shopify Shopify B2B runs on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Shopify Plus plans. Companies, catalogs, net payment terms, quantity rules, quantity price breaks, PO numbers, easy reorders and Shopify Flow automations are on all four plans. Basic, Grow and Advanced can assign up to 3 active catalogs across all B2B markets. Plus adds unlimited catalogs, catalogs assigned directly to companies and company locations, deposits, partial payments and payment requests per fulfillment. Before setup, you choose a store type, and Shopify warns the choice is not easy to change later: - Blended store: one store and admin for B2B and DTC, with shared inventory. Shopify suggests it when you sell similar products to both, share inventory and have the same staff on both. - Dedicated store: a separate Shopify store used only for B2B, with its own admin, theme and inventory. It can be gated so only B2B customers can reach it, and apps and integrations must be set up and paid for again. B2B buyers log in with customer accounts to reach their wholesale information and assigned catalogs. ## How Uncap helps Uncap builds [wholesale on Shopify B2B](/solutions/wholesale), the native B2B layer of the platform you already trust: each buyer logs in to their own catalog, their own negotiated pricing, and their own terms. Uncap Connect syncs it all with your ERP, so pricing, inventory, and orders always agree. ## Related terms - Shopify B2B - B2B portal - Price list - MOQ (minimum order quantity) - Case pack - Net 30 ## Sources - US Census Bureau: Monthly Wholesale Trade Definitions - Shopify Help Center: Shopify B2B features by plan - Shopify Help Center: Choosing a store type for your B2B business ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you use Shopify for wholesale? Yes. Shopify B2B runs on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Shopify Plus plans, in a blended store with your consumer business or in a dedicated B2B store. Plus adds unlimited catalogs, direct catalog assignment, deposits and partial payments. ### Who is a wholesaler in commerce? In the Census Bureau's definition, a business that sells to retailers, contractors or other businesses (including farms), but not to the general public, or at least not in any significant amount. ### What are the four types of wholesalers? The Census Bureau groups wholesale trade into these major components: agents and brokers, distributors, manufacturers' sales branches and offices, and importers and exporters.