None of this is optional once a store is genuinely interested. Missing two or three of these is the usual reason a promising conversation goes quiet.
✓Line sheet with wholesale AND retail on itOne page per style: photo, SKU, colours, size run, wholesale price, suggested retail. A buyer who has to ask for your prices usually doesn't.
✓UPC/GTIN barcodes on every SKUMost independents want them, and anyone with a POS system requires them. You buy them from GS1 — it takes days, not hours, so start before you need them.
✓Written payment termsNet 30 is the default expectation. Decide now whether you'll offer it, ask for a deposit, or take card on delivery — and whether you can survive 30 days of float.
✓A stated order minimumPer order and per style. Without one you'll get asked for three units of one size and lose money saying yes.
✓Delivery window you can actually hitBuyers order against a ship window, not a date. Give a range and hold it — a missed window is the fastest way to lose a door permanently.
✓Returns and damages policy in writingWhat happens if a unit arrives faulty. One line is enough, but it has to exist before it's needed.
✓Enough inventory to fill a reorderIf a door sells through in three weeks and you can't restock for twelve, you've trained them to stop carrying you.
✓Packing that survives the tripPolybags, care labels attached, cartons that arrive intact. Buyers notice, and it's the cheapest signal of competence you can send.
✓Photography a buyer can useFlat lays or clean product shots on white. Stores put these in their own newsletters and site — bad images cost you placement.
✓A resale certificate on fileYou'll need to collect theirs, and produce a W-9 for them. Have both ready rather than scrambling mid-order.
✓Wholesale pricing that still leaves marginAt keystone you're earning half. If your landed cost is more than about a third of retail, wholesale loses money — check before you pitch, not after.
✓A reason you're worth shelf spaceEvery store has a full floor. “Made in the USA”, a category nobody's covering, a story their customer will repeat. Vague brands don't get in.
0 of 12 ready. Worth closing most of these before you spend money on a trade show booth.
Runsheet.