How to Set Up Wholesale on Shopify Without Shopify Plus?

Quick Answer

Yes, it is entirely possible to set up a B2B or wholesale on Shopify without opting for the Shopify Plus plan. Small to mid-sized businesses can save $2,250 or more monthly by using powerful third-party apps like Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B instead of upgrading to Shopify Plus. This affordable alternative delivers advanced B2B features including custom pricing for B2B customers, volume discounts and tiered pricing, wholesale account approvals, net payment terms, advanced B2B shipping, and more—all without coding or Shopify Scripts.

💡 If you want a full breakdown of Shopify wholesale strategies, check out our complete Shopify wholesale guide covering pricing models, B2B workflows, customer tagging, and more.

Business Problem: Shopify Plus costs $2,300+ monthly just for B2B features
Affordable Solution: Third-party apps starting at $25/month
Target Audience: Small to mid-sized businesses on Shopify Basic, Standard, or Advanced plans who want to set up wholesale on Shopify without paying high subscription amounts for Shopify Plus.

Why Small Businesses Don’t Need Shopify Plus for Wholesaling

Shopify Plus is primarily designed for enterprise-scale businesses. Its high monthly cost (starting at $2,300) makes it cost-prohibitive and may not justify the return on investment for most small to medium-sized wholesale businesses.

The Reality: If your store operates on Shopify Basic ($29/month), Shopify Standard ($79/month), or Advanced ($299/month) plans, you can achieve most of the Shopify Plus B2B functionality using specialized apps at a fraction of the cost.

What You Can Accomplish Without Shopify Plus

Using purpose-built Shopify apps, you can replicate and even enhance many Shopify Plus wholesale capabilities, such as:

Feature	Description	Available without Shopify Plus
Wholesale discounts and volume-based pricing	Implement sophisticated tiered pricing structures based on the quantity of order or customer segments.	✅ Yes
Customer-specific pricing rules	Display unique wholesale prices to different B2B customer groups while maintaining retail pricing for regular customers.	✅ Yes
Net payment terms	Offer flexible B2B payment options like Net 30, Net 60, or custom payment terms.	✅ Yes
International wholesale (Integration with Shopify Markets)	Some powerful wholesale apps present on the Shopify App store also integrate with Shopify Markets, which enables stores to do international wholesaling with ease.	✅ Yes
Hidden pricing strategy (login to view price)	Restrict product pricing visibility to approved, logged-in wholesale customers only.	✅ Yes
Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs)	Set volume requirements to ensure wholesale orders meet your business thresholds.	✅ Yes
Wholesale Sign Up & Bulk Order Forms	Implement forms that allow new B2B interested buyers to register with a custom registration form, and bulk order and reorder forms that make it easy for large buyers to place orders easily.	✅ Yes
Automated customer segmentation	Streamline B2B customer management and approval workflows.	✅ Yes
Integration with 3rd party apps from other categories	Seamlessly integrate with apps such as loyalty, page builders, invoicing, personalization, reviews, etc. to make your store unique.	✅ Yes

All these enterprise-level features/capabilities are available through Shopify-approved apps, requiring zero coding knowledge and no Shopify Plus upgrade.

Read Also: If you want to take a look and compare multiple Shopify wholesale apps, take a look at our article on best Shopify wholesale apps for your store in 2025. Compare features, prices and benefits.

Step-by-Step Implementation to Set Up Wholesale on Shopify without Shopify Plus

Step 1: Install & Launch the Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B App (2 min)

A. Go to the Shopify App Store and search for Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B (WPD)
B. Click “Install” → You’re taken to the WPD dashboard
C. Start the quick onboarding flow built into the app

Step 2: Tag Wholesale Customers (5–10 min)

A. Go to Customers > Edit Customer
B. Add a tag like: Wholesaletier1,wholesaletier2, b2b, VIP, etc.
These tags determine which specific pricing rules your customers see

Step 3: Create Discount Rules (15–20 min)

Use the app dashboard to set up:
A. Tiered pricing (e.g., Buy 10+, get 15% off)
B. Customer group pricing (based on tags)
C. Product-specific discounts (by variant or SKU)

Step 4: Set Advanced Wholesale Options (5–10 min)

The Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B app also supports:-
A. Net payment terms (e.g., Net 30, Net 60)
B. Wholesale sign-up forms to onboard B2B customers
C. Advanced shipping rate rules for wholesale customers

Want more control?

> To hide prices/products until login or from specific customers → use Wholesale Lock Manager
> To enable bulk ordering and quick reordering → use WSH Order Form & ReOrder

Real-World Business Scenarios of Wholesale Stores without Shopify Plus

Scenario 1: Sports Equipment Distributor

Challenge: Managing 200+ wholesale customers with different pricing tiers
Solution: Customer tags + tiered pricing structure
Result: 40% increase in wholesale order volume, 80% reduction in manual pricing work

Scenario 2: Apparel Manufacturer

Challenge: Hiding wholesale prices from retail customers and showing specific pricing to specific B2B customers
Solution: Login-gated pricing + customer segmentation
Result: Maintained pricing integrity while decreasing 20% B2B order processing time

Scenario 3: Food & Beverage Supplier

Challenge: Offering Net 30 terms to established accounts
Solution: Draft orders + payment term apps
Result: Improved cash flow management and 25% larger average order values

Check out this real-world case study performed on a Food and Beverage supplier (by Wholesale Helper)

Cost-Benefit Analysis: Apps vs Shopify Plus

Business Metric	Shopify Plus	Third-Party Apps	Savings
Monthly platform cost	$2,300+	$25-$90	$2,200+
Annual savings	–	–	$27,000+
Setup complexity	High	Low	–
Customization options	Native	Extensive	–

Final Summary: Set Up Wholesale on Shopify Without Shopify Plus

You don’t need Shopify Plus to build a powerful wholesale operation.

By using trusted Shopify apps like Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B, Wholesale Lock Manager, and WSH Order Form, you can:

Offer tiered and customer-specific pricing
Enforce MOQs and Net Terms
Approve wholesale accounts with tags and forms
Hide prices from retail buyers
Let wholesale customers order in bulk—fast

All this is possible on Shopify Basic, Standard, or Advanced, saving you $2,200+ per month compared to Shopify Plus.

“The smart way to scale your B2B channel is through the right app stack—not a high subscription tier”.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the cheapest way to add B2B features to my Shopify store?

The most cost-effective approach is using Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B ($24.99/month) on your existing Shopify plan. This delivers core B2B functionality for under $24.99/month total, compared to $2,300+ for Shopify Plus.

Can small businesses sell wholesale on Shopify Basic?

Absolutely. Shopify Basic ($17/month) combined with B2B apps provides all essential wholesale features. You’ll save over $27,000 annually compared to upgrading to Shopify Plus.

Do I need Shopify Scripts for tiered pricing?

No coding required. Apps like Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B provide user-friendly interfaces for creating complex volume discounts, tiered pricing, and customer-specific rules without technical knowledge.

Can I have both retail and wholesale customers in one store?

Yes, this is the most efficient approach. Using customer tags and pricing rules, you can seamlessly serve both audiences from a single Shopify store, reducing operational complexity and costs.

Feature Comparison Matrix

Feature	Shopify Plus	Wholesale Apps on the app Store
Customer-specific pricing	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Hidden pricing	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Volume/MOQ pricing	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Net payment terms	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Customer approval workflow	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Cost effectiveness	❌ $2,300+/month	✅ $25-65/month

Why Shopify + Apps wins: Combines Shopify’s reliability with specialized B2B functionality at a fraction of enterprise costs.

What alternatives exist to Shopify for B2B?

WooCommerce B2B plugins: Requires technical management, hosting costs
Magento Commerce: $22,000+ annually, complex setup
BigCommerce Enterprise: $400+ monthly, limited customization
Custom development: $50,000+ initial investment, ongoing maintenance

Related B2B Resources

This comprehensive guide is brought to you by Wholesale Helper, the leading solution for affordable B2B functionality on Shopify. Trusted by 15,000+ merchants worldwide.