Shopify B2B Wholesale Setup Guide: Plans, Catalogs, Payment Terms and Launch Steps

Shopify B2B wholesale setup means turning on Shopify's native B2B features: you create your wholesale buyers as companies, give them catalogs with their own prices and quantity rules, set payment terms, and let them order through your online store or through draft orders your sales team creates. As of October 2026, Shopify says B2B is available on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Shopify Plus plans, with the most advanced pricing and payment options reserved for Plus.

This guide covers what each plan includes, the decisions to make before you start, and a step-by-step setup and launch checklist.

Key takeaways

• Native B2B is available on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus (not Starter or Retail), at no extra subscription cost, though B2B orders can carry different variable platform fees.
• Non-Plus plans get up to 3 active B2B catalogs; Plus gets unlimited catalogs plus company-specific catalogs.
• Every B2B buyer must belong to a company and company location, or the order is treated as D2C.
• Shop Pay and other accelerated checkouts, subscriptions and legacy customer accounts don't work with B2B.
• Decide early between a blended store and a separate B2B store.

What Shopify B2B includes by plan

Shopify's Help Center lists most B2B features as available on every B2B-enabled plan: companies, company locations, quantity rules, quantity price breaks, net terms, payment reminders, vaulted cards, ACH (US only), draft-order invoicing, checkout to draft, easy reorders, PO numbers, sales staff permissions, the Trade theme, the quick order list and Shopify Flow automations using B2B objects.

The main differences (as of October 2026):

Two plan notes matter in practice:

• The 3-catalog limit is shared. Shopify notes that assigning three catalogs to one B2B market uses the whole limit; you need to remove or draft an assignment before adding catalogs to another market.
• Non-Plus plans need new Shopify Markets to use B2B catalog features.

Check the current list on Shopify's plan features page before you commit, because B2B availability has expanded over time.

Decisions to make before you configure anything

Blended store or separate B2B store?

Shopify supports both a single store serving D2C and B2B, and a separate B2B-only store.

Shopify notes that in a blended store some features, including abandoned checkouts, pickup in store and gift cards at checkout (which are off by default for B2B and need Shopify Support to turn on), apply to both B2B and D2C customers.

How will you price?

Choose one model and keep it simple:

• Percentage off retail for all wholesale buyers (easiest to maintain).
• Tiered price lists (for example distributor, retailer, small reseller), which fit the 3-catalog limit on non-Plus plans.
• Customer-specific contract pricing, which needs Plus for catalogs assigned directly to companies.
• Volume pricing with quantity price breaks, plus minimums, maximums and order increments (case packs).

How will buyers pay?

Options include card at checkout, vaulted cards, ACH (US), and net terms such as Net 30 or due on fulfillment. Shopify notes that B2B orders without a valid authorization and with due-on-fulfillment terms must be captured manually, so plan who in your team does that.

Who can order?

Most wholesalers vet buyers first. Decide what you need (business registration, tax or resale certificate, trade references) and how approval happens: a simple application form, a manual review, then creating the company in Shopify.

Step-by-step: setting up Shopify B2B

1. Confirm your plan and turn on new customer accounts. Shopify requires customer accounts (not legacy accounts) for B2B.
2. Create companies. For each wholesale buyer, create a company, then one or more company locations (each store, warehouse or branch they ship to). Locations hold shipping addresses, tax settings and payment terms.
3. Add customers to companies. Assign each buyer's staff as customers on the right location, with location-level permissions (location admin or ordering only).
4. Build catalogs. Create catalogs with fixed prices or percentage adjustments, choose which products are included, and set quantity rules (min, max, increments) and quantity price breaks.
5. Assign catalogs. On non-Plus plans, assign catalogs to B2B markets. On Plus, you can also assign them directly to specific companies or locations.
6. Set payment terms and methods. Configure net terms per location, decide which locations must pay by card, and set up payment reminders with Shopify Flow.
7. Configure tax handling. Record tax IDs or exemptions on company locations where relevant. Rules differ by country and state, so confirm with your accountant.
8. Customize the storefront. Use the Trade theme or adapt your theme: show wholesale pricing only to signed-in B2B customers, add the quick order list for fast reordering, and hide retail-only content.
9. Set up sales staff access. If reps manage accounts, give them permissions for their assigned companies and train them on draft orders.
10. Connect your ERP or accounting system if you use one, so orders, terms and invoices stay in sync.
11. Test with a dummy company. Place orders with card, net terms, minimum quantities and a PO number, then check invoices, emails and tax.
12. Invite real buyers in waves. Start with a few trusted accounts, fix friction, then invite the rest.

Ordering workflows your buyers will expect

• Self-serve ordering: buyers sign in, see their catalog and prices, and check out with their terms.
• Quick order list: a table-style form for entering many SKUs and quantities fast.
• Easy reorders from past orders in the customer account.
• Draft orders to invoice: your team builds an order (from email or a phone call) and sends an invoice.
• Checkout to draft: buyers submit an order for your review before it's finalized, useful when you confirm stock or freight first.
• PO numbers captured on orders so they match the buyer's purchasing system.

Remember the limits: Shopify caps orders and draft orders at 500 line items each.

What doesn't work with B2B (plan around it)

Shopify lists these as incompatible with B2B:

• Accelerated checkouts (Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay)
• Local delivery and pickup points at checkout (local delivery and pickup are possible on B2B draft orders)
• Tipping
• Subscriptions
• Legacy customer accounts
• Agentic storefronts
• Some third-party apps, and checkout customizations made in checkout.liquid

If your wholesale model depends on recurring auto-shipments, for example, you'll need a workaround such as scheduled draft orders or an app built for B2B replenishment.

From experience: When setting up wholesale on Shopify Plus stores, the step that takes longest is rarely configuration. It's agreeing internally on price tiers, minimums and who approves new accounts. Settle those rules on paper first, and the Shopify setup becomes a few days of work instead of weeks.

Selling B2B internationally

If you sell wholesale across borders, B2B can work with Shopify Markets. On Advanced and Plus, Shopify supports contextual checkout and storefront experiences by market, and B2B with Markets needs to be activated in Shopify's feature test drive. For currency, duties and localization, see how to sell internationally on Shopify Markets.

Shopify B2B launch checklist

• [ ] Plan confirmed (Basic, Grow, Advanced or Plus) and feature needs checked against Shopify's plan comparison
• [ ] New customer accounts enabled
• [ ] Blended vs separate store decided
• [ ] Price tiers, minimums, case packs and approval rules written down
• [ ] Companies, locations and buyers created; every order tied to a company location
• [ ] Catalogs built and assigned (within the 3-catalog limit on non-Plus)
• [ ] Payment terms, vaulted cards and reminders configured; manual capture process owned by someone
• [ ] Tax exemptions recorded where valid
• [ ] Wholesale prices hidden from retail visitors
• [ ] Quick order list and reorder flow tested on mobile and desktop
• [ ] Abandoned checkout and pickup settings reviewed for blended-store side effects
• [ ] ERP or accounting sync tested
• [ ] Wholesale terms page published (minimums, lead times, returns, payment terms)

After launch: grow the wholesale channel

• Use Shopify Flow to tag high-volume accounts, alert reps to overdue invoices, and remind buyers about reorders.
• Track reorder rate and average days between orders per company; a drop is an early warning.
• Review ecommerce customer retention strategies for ideas that adapt well to wholesale.
• If you're still choosing a platform, compare options in Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce.

Next steps

• Check your plan and list which B2B features you need against Shopify's plan comparison.
• Write your wholesale price, minimum order and approval rules before you touch the admin.
• Create one test company and place three test orders with different payment methods.
• Invite five trusted wholesale buyers, gather feedback for two weeks, then open the program wider.
• If you want help scoping a Shopify Plus B2B build or ERP integration, see Shopify Plus development.

Sources

• Shopify Help Center, Shopify B2B: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b
• Shopify Help Center, Shopify B2B features by plan: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/plan-features
• Shopify Help Center, Requirements and considerations for using B2B: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/considerations
• Shopify Help Center, Markets: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/markets

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