Eight things: SKU and barcode, wholesale price, RRP, carton quantity, carton dimensions and weight, shelf life, MOQ, and lead time. A list with only the first two on it is asking you to guess at your own margin.
Most wholesale price lists are a product name and a number. That's enough to compare two suppliers on price and nothing else, which is the least useful comparison you can make.
Here's what a buyer actually needs, and what it means when it isn't there.
The eight columns
1. SKU and barcode. You need the barcode before the stock arrives, not after, or the first sale is a manual keying job. A supplier without barcodes is a supplier whose products can't be scanned.
2. Wholesale price, ex GST. Stated clearly which way. Half the confusion in wholesale is prices quoted inconsistently.
3. RRP. Not to obey, but to know. It tells you the margin the supplier thinks you should make and whether their own direct pricing will undercut you.
4. Carton quantity. Units per carton per SKU. This decides whether you can order the depth you actually want or are forced into 48 of something.
5. Carton dimensions and weight. Determines freight. A light bulky product costs more to ship than its unit price suggests, and you can't work out landed cost without this.
6. Shelf life. And, separately, what date code you'll receive. Twelve months' shelf life isn't twelve months if you get stock with four left.
7. MOQ — opening and reorder. Both numbers. They frequently differ and the second one is the one you'll live with.
8. Lead time. Standard, and peak. December is the number that matters in gift and tourism.
The things that should be on the page but usually aren't
- Case pack versus inner pack. Some products ship in cartons of 72 made up of inners of 12. If you can break inners, say so.
- Whether the price is held, and until when. A list with no validity date is a list that can change after you've built your retail pricing on it.
- Payment terms. Prepay, 30 days, or something else.
- Freight — included, charged, or free over a threshold.
- The claim basis, for anything regulated.
Reading between the columns
A price list tells you about the supplier as well as the products.
No RRP usually means either they don't have a pricing policy, or they don't want you comparing it to what they sell direct for. Worth asking which.
No carton dimensions means nobody has ever asked, which means they haven't sold much to anyone calculating landed cost.
One MOQ figure means the reorder minimum is either the same, or they'd rather discuss it later. Ask now.
No shelf life on a product with a date is a gap you'll notice when short-dated stock arrives.
A price list as a PDF of a photograph — it happens — tells you the whole operation is informal.
What to do with it once you have it
Don't compare wholesale prices between suppliers. Build one line per SKU:
``` landed cost = (wholesale + freight share) ÷ units margin $ = your realistic shelf price − landed cost earn rate = margin $ × expected monthly units ÷ facings ```
That last figure is the only one that decides what goes on your shelf. Two suppliers with identical wholesale prices can produce very different earn rates once carton size and freight are in.
What to ask for if it's missing
One email, and a supplier worth dealing with answers it the same day:
> Could you send: carton quantity and dimensions per SKU, shelf life and typical date code received, reorder MOQ, standard and December lead times, and whether the price list is held until a set date?
If that email is difficult for them, the account will be too.
OGA's wholesale pack includes all eight columns per line, plus claim basis, and states opening and reorder minimums separately.
Frequently asked
What should a wholesale price list include? SKU and barcode, wholesale price with GST treatment stated, RRP, carton quantity, carton dimensions and weight, shelf life, both opening and reorder MOQs, and lead times including peak season.
Why do I need carton dimensions? Because freight is a real part of landed cost and it's driven by volume and weight, not unit price. Without dimensions you can't work out what the stock actually costs you.
Should a price list show RRP? Yes. It shows the margin the supplier expects you to make and lets you check whether their own direct pricing will undercut your shelf price.
What if the supplier only gives one MOQ? Ask for the other. Suppliers commonly discount an opening order and apply different economics to reorders, and the reorder figure is the one you'll live with.
How should I compare two suppliers? Not on wholesale price. Work out landed cost per unit, margin dollars at a realistic shelf price, and expected monthly units per facing. That comparison often reverses the one the price list suggests.
OGA's wholesale pack lists price, RRP, carton quantity and dimensions, shelf life, minimums and lead times per line. Make an enquiry.
