If Faire rejects your application, treat it as a fit and timing call, not a verdict on your product. Fix weak spots (photos, range, pricing), wait a few months to reapply, and meanwhile sell direct: pick 20 nearby stores, walk in with samples and a line sheet, offer a small opening order, and ask for a reorder date.
Below, we cover why marketplaces turn brands down, whether reapplying is worth your time, and a practical plan for landing your first wholesale accounts on your own. Most pages stop at "reapply in 60 to 90 days." This one covers what to do in the meantime.
Why marketplaces turn brands down
A rejection email rarely tells you why. That is frustrating, but it helps to know what a curated marketplace is weighing. The marketplace's own help center says its team looks at the supply and demand of your product category, your location, the type of product, how many SKUs you have, and your existing business, including whether you already sell wholesale, how established the brand is, and your social media presence.
Read that list again and notice how much of it has nothing to do with whether your product is good:
Category balance. If the marketplace already has plenty of brands like yours, a strong new one can still be turned away. That is about their catalog, not your quality.
Location. Where you ship from affects shipping times and costs for their retailers.
SKU count. A range of two or three items is hard for a store to merchandise.
Track record. A brand with no stockists yet is an unknown. This is the one you can change fastest, and you change it by selling direct.
Consultants who help brands apply commonly add the usual suspects: weak or inconsistent product photos, a wholesale price that doesn't leave a store enough margin, and missing basics like case packs, barcodes, or lead times. Those are worth fixing anyway, because every retailer you pitch directly will notice the same things.
Should you reapply?
You can, and some brands get in on a second try. The common advice is to wait 60 to 90 days and only reapply once something real has changed. "Something real" usually means better photos, a fuller range, or, best of all, a handful of stores already carrying you. So the plan is the same either way: go get your first accounts directly. If you reapply later, you are a stronger applicant. If you don't, you have a wholesale business that doesn't depend on anyone's approval.
Ready to sell direct without an application? Ordrly lets any brand list a wholesale catalog and invite retailers, starting at $0/month. Create your free brand account.
How to land your first wholesale accounts without a marketplace
Your first five to ten stockists will almost always come from people and places close to you. That is fine. Small, nearby accounts are where you learn your pricing, your packaging, and your reorder rhythm before you scale.
1. Get your wholesale basics in order
Before you talk to a single buyer, decide these numbers and write them down:
Wholesale price and suggested retail price (MSRP). Start from your full cost per unit, including materials, packaging, labor, and shipping to you. A common starting point is a wholesale price around half of retail, so the store can roughly double it. If that leaves you no margin, the fix may be your costs or the product format, not a smaller markup. The University of Houston's Small Business Development Center guide on getting your product on store shelves recommends calculating every cost first, then setting MSRP from cost, margin, and the market.
Keep retail prices consistent. Don't sell on your own website for less than the MSRP you give stores. Retailers check.
Opening order minimum. Keep it low for new accounts. A few hundred dollars, or one case each of your three best sellers, is easy for a store owner to say yes to.
Case packs and lead time. How many units per pack, and how fast you can ship.
Payment terms. Decide whether first orders are paid up front, and whether you will offer net terms later.
2. Build a line sheet or an online catalog
A line sheet lists each product with a photo, SKU, variants, wholesale price, MSRP, case pack, minimum, and terms. A PDF works for a first walk-in. A live online catalog is better once stores start ordering, because prices and stock stay current and the buyer can order from the same page. We compared both in Online Wholesale Catalog vs. PDF Line Sheet.
3. Make a short list of the right stores
Twenty well-chosen stores beat two hundred random emails. Good first targets:
Shops within driving distance, so you can visit and deliver.
Stores where you already shop and the owner knows your face.
Stores that carry brands next to yours on the shelf, but not your exact product.
Customers of yours who own a shop. Check your order list for business names and addresses.
For an outdoor or sporting goods brand, that might mean the local fly shop, paddle and bike shops, a running store, a climbing gym's retail wall, a park-town gift shop, or a hardware store with a camping aisle. The SBA's guide to market research and competitive analysis is a useful check here: who buys this, where do they shop, and what do they already pay for similar items.
4. Reach out: walk in, then email, then call
Channel | When it works best | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Walk-in | Local stores; your first accounts | Go mid-morning on a weekday, not a busy Saturday. Ask who decides on new products. Leave a sample and a line sheet, and ask when to follow up. |
Stores you can't visit; follow-up after a walk-in | Keep it short: one line on why your product fits their shop, two or three photos, your opening minimum, and a link to your catalog. | |
Phone | Following up on a sample or email | Ask for the buyer by name. Ask one question: "Did it fit what your customers buy?" |
Lead with the store's customers, not your founding story.
5. Make the first order an easy yes
A first order from a new brand is a small bet for the store. Make it smaller:
A low opening minimum, even if your regular minimum is higher later.
A tight starter assortment of your proven sellers, not the full range.
Shelf help, like a small display or a short product card staff can read.
Local delivery, if you can, so you see where your product ends up.
Resist discounting your wholesale price to win the first account. The number you give the first store tends to become the number every store expects. Lower the risk, not the price.
6. Ask for the reorder date before you leave
This is the step most brands skip. When a store places a first order, ask: "When should I check in to see how it's selling?" Put that date on your calendar. Four to six weeks after delivery is a good default. When you check in, ask what sold and which variant, and suggest a specific reorder. Our guide on how to get retailers to reorder goes deeper on timing and follow-up.
7. Follow up like a business, not a pest
Confirm every order in writing with quantities, prices, and a ship date. Ship on the date you promised. Send an invoice with a clear due date. If a store says "not now," ask when to try again and write it down. Polite, reliable follow-up is how a "maybe" turns into an account.
Where Ordrly fits
Ordrly is a wholesale network for brands and independent retailers. There is no application gate for brands: you sign up, list your catalog, and invite the stores you already work with or are pitching. Here is what that looks like in practice:
A live wholesale catalog with variants, wholesale pricing, and minimum order quantities you control, so the link you leave after a walk-in is always current.
Retailer invitations and connection requests, so you decide who can buy wholesale.
Orders, order chat, and fulfillment in one place instead of scattered email threads.
Reorder alerts based on forecasts, so the check-in date you asked for doesn't slip.
Trade finance for eligible brands: AR, credit underwriting, and collections, plus net terms you can choose to offer your retailers. Net terms are offered by you, the brand, not by Ordrly.
A public brand page on the Ordrly marketplace where retailers can browse and request a connection.
See the full feature list on the Ordrly for brands page.
What it costs
Situation | What the brand pays |
|---|---|
Join, list products, invite retailers | $0/month on the Core plan |
An order from a retailer you brought | 1.5% Network Fee on Core |
First order from a retailer Ordrly introduced | 15% acquisition fee, which replaces the Network Fee on that order |
Later orders from that retailer | Your plan's Network Fee only |
Payment processing | Billed separately at cost |
Retailers | Free |
Paid plans lower the Network Fee and don't lock any software: Basic is $99.99/month at 1.25%, Growth is $449.99/month at 0.75%, and Scale is $999.99/month at 0.35%. Plans are monthly, and each paid plan has a 15-day free trial. Details are on the pricing page.
So if you walk into a shop, win them, and invite them to order through Ordrly, a $500 order on Core costs you $7.50 in Network Fee, plus processing. The stores you find are yours.
Put your catalog in front of your first stores this week. Sign up free as a brand, no application required.
FAQ
Why did Faire reject my application?
You usually won't be told. The marketplace says it considers category supply and demand, location, product type, SKU count, and how established your business is. A rejection can simply mean your category is full right now.
Can I reapply after being rejected?
Yes. The common advice is to wait 60 to 90 days and reapply only after something meaningful has changed, such as better photos, a fuller range, or stores that already stock you.
How do I get wholesale customers without a marketplace?
Start local. List 20 stores that fit your product, walk in with a sample and line sheet, offer a small opening order, and ask when to check back. Follow up by email or phone, and ask every new account for a reorder date.
How small should my first opening order minimum be?
Small enough that a store owner can approve it without much thought, often a few hundred dollars or one case of a few best sellers. You can raise minimums once stores are reordering.
Should I offer net terms to my first retailers?
It's your choice. Many small brands ask for payment on first orders and offer net terms to accounts that reorder reliably. On Ordrly, eligible brands can offer net terms to retailers, with AR, underwriting, and collections handled alongside the order.
Where can I get free help with a wholesale plan?
The U.S. Small Business Administration lists free counseling through Small Business Development Centers and other partners on its local assistance page.
Start selling wholesale on your terms
A marketplace "no" doesn't decide whether stores want your product. Store owners do. Get your pricing and line sheet ready, pick your first 20 stores, make the first order easy, and ask for the reorder date every time.
When you're ready to take orders, create your free Ordrly brand account and invite the stores you've been talking to. It's free for them: retailers can sign up at no cost and order from you at your wholesale prices.