Blog → Complete Guide to Shopify Wholesale (Without Plus) - Part 2

Adding Multi-Tier Wholesale Pricing to Shopify (Where Things Get Complicated)

January 22, 2025 • 15 min read • Advanced

In Part 1, we built a basic wholesale program: one discount code, one price tier, manual management.

That works until your business looks like this:

• Tier 1 customers (small retailers): 15% off
• Tier 2 customers (regional distributors): 25% off
• Tier 3 customers (national chains): 35% off
• VIP customer Alice: 40% off (custom negotiated rate)
• Volume pricing: Buy 50+ units, get an extra 5% off

Now you need customer-specific pricing, volume discounts, and automated tier assignment.

Welcome to where the manual approach breaks down.

Real merchant challenges:

We need to set a price level for each specific customer (we have 4 different price tiers)

Is there a way to achieve this with a more affordable Shopify plan, or is it only feasible with Shopify Plus?

In this guide, I’ll show you how far you can push Shopify’s built-in features—and exactly where you’ll need apps, Plus, or custom development. I’ve built this 7 times for merchants. Here’s what actually works.

---

Part 1 Recap: What We Built

The simple approach:

• Customer tagged as “wholesale”
• Single discount code (e.g., WHOLESALE20)
• Manual draft orders for custom pricing

This worked because:

• One price tier
• <10 customers
• Simple requirements

Now we’re adding:

• 3-4 price tiers
• Customer-specific rates
• Volume/quantity discounts
• 20-50 customers

Let’s see what breaks.

---

Approach 1: Multiple Discount Codes (Quick, Limited)

The simplest upgrade: Create multiple discount codes for different tiers.

Setup

In Shopify Admin:

1. Discounts → Create discount → Discount code
2. Create three codes:
   • WHOLESALE-TIER1 → 15% off
   • WHOLESALE-TIER2 → 25% off
   • WHOLESALE-TIER3 → 35% off
3. Tag customers with their tier:
   • Tag: wholesale-tier-1
   • Tag: wholesale-tier-2
   • Tag: wholesale-tier-3
4. Email customers their specific code:

Hi [Name],

You've been approved for Tier 2 wholesale pricing (25% off retail).

Your discount code: WHOLESALE-TIER2

Use this code at checkout on every order.

Best,
[Your Name]

What Works

• ✅ Different customers get different discounts
• ✅ Easy to manage 3-4 tiers
• ✅ No additional apps required

What Breaks

• ❌ Customers can share codes - Tier 3 customer shares their 35% code with Tier 1 customers
• ❌ No automatic tier assignment - You manually tag and email each customer
• ❌ Customers must remember their code - Leads to “What’s my code?” support emails
• ❌ No volume discounts - Can’t do “25% off normally, 30% off for 50+ units”
• ❌ Doesn’t scale past ~20 customers - Too many codes to manage

🔍 Reality check: I’ve seen merchants manage 3 tiers with ~15 customers using this approach. Beyond that, it becomes a support nightmare.

Time cost: 15-30 minutes per new customer (tagging, emailing code, answering “forgot code” emails)

---

Approach 2: Customer Tags + Shopify Scripts (Requires Shopify Plus)

If you’re on Shopify Plus, you can use Shopify Scripts to automatically apply discounts based on customer tags—no discount codes needed.

How It Works

Shopify Scripts run at checkout and can modify:

• Line item prices
• Shipping rates
• Payment methods

Example script:

# Apply tier-based discounts automatically
customer_tag_discounts = {
  "wholesale-tier-1" => 0.15,
  "wholesale-tier-2" => 0.25,
  "wholesale-tier-3" => 0.35,
}

if customer
  customer.tags.each do |tag|
    if customer_tag_discounts[tag]
      discount_percentage = customer_tag_discounts[tag]
      Input.cart.line_items.each do |line_item|
        line_item.change_line_price(
          line_item.line_price * (1 - discount_percentage),
          message: "#{(discount_percentage * 100).to_i}% Wholesale Discount"
        )
      end
      break
    end
  end
end

Output.cart = Input.cart

What this does:

1. Checks customer’s tags
2. If tagged wholesale-tier-2, applies 25% discount automatically
3. No discount code needed
4. Discount shows in cart

What Works

• ✅ Automatic discounts (no codes to remember)
• ✅ Secure (can’t share a tag like you can share a code)
• ✅ Supports unlimited tiers
• ✅ Can add volume discount logic

What Breaks

• ❌ Requires Shopify Plus ($2,000+/month minimum)
• ❌ Requires Ruby knowledge to write/modify scripts
• ❌ Scripts deprecated in 2025 - Shopify is sunsetting Scripts in favor of Shopify Functions
• ❌ No visual editor - Pure code editing

🔍 Reality check: If you’re already on Plus, Scripts work well. But paying $2,000/month just for wholesale pricing is expensive unless you’re doing serious revenue.

As one merchant put it:

Shopify Plus is just too expensive – i.e. $30,000 per year

Shopify is migrating to Functions (covered later), but many Plus merchants still use Scripts.

---

Approach 3: Shopify Customer Segments + Automatic Discounts

Introduced in 2023, Shopify now supports Customer Segments on all plans (not just Plus).

How It Works

Customer Segments let you group customers by:

• Tags
• Order history
• Total spend
• Location
• Email domain

Automatic Discounts can target specific segments.

Setup

Step 1: Create Customer Segments

1. Customers → Segments
2. Click Create segment
3. Name: “Wholesale Tier 1”
4. Add filter: Customer tag equals wholesale-tier-1
5. Save segment
6. Repeat for Tier 2, Tier 3

Step 2: Create Automatic Discounts

1. Discounts → Create discount → Automatic discount
2. Name: “Wholesale Tier 1 - 15% Off”
3. Value: 15% percentage discount
4. Applies to: Entire order
5. Customer eligibility: Specific customer segments → Select “Wholesale Tier 1”
6. Save discount
7. Repeat for Tier 2, Tier 3

Step 3: Tag Customers

1. Customers → Select customer
2. Add tag: wholesale-tier-1
3. Save

That’s it. Customers in segments automatically get discounts at checkout—no code needed.

What Works

• ✅ No discount codes - Automatic at checkout
• ✅ Works on all Shopify plans (Basic, Shopify, Advanced)
• ✅ Secure - Can’t share tags
• ✅ Supports unlimited tiers
• ✅ Visual UI - No coding required

What Breaks

• ❌ No volume/quantity discounts - Can’t do “Extra 5% off for 50+ units”
• ❌ Automatic discounts conflict - Only one automatic discount can apply per order
• ❌ Still manual tagging - You tag each customer manually
• ❌ Doesn’t show wholesale prices before checkout - Customers see retail prices until cart

🔍 Reality check: This is the best native Shopify approach for 20-50 wholesale customers. It’s what I recommend for most merchants not on Plus.

Setup time: 1-2 hours initial setup, 5 minutes per new customer

---

Approach 4: Apps for Volume/Quantity Discounts

Native Shopify can’t do quantity-based pricing (e.g., “Buy 50, get extra 5% off”). For that, you need apps.

Popular Apps

1. Wholesale Pricing Discount (by Wholesale Helper)

• Tiered pricing by customer tag
• Volume/quantity discounts
• Price lists
• ~$50/month

2. Wholesale All-in-One (by Wholesaler)

• B2B registration forms
• Tiered + volume pricing
• Customer-specific catalogs
• ~$100/month

3. Bold Subscriptions / Quantity Breaks

• Quantity-based discounts
• Works with automatic discounts
• ~$50/month

How Volume Pricing Works (With Apps)

Example logic:

• Customer tagged wholesale-tier-2 (25% off base)
• Add rule: “If quantity >= 50, add 5% extra discount”
• Final discount: 30% off

Apps handle this with JavaScript that modifies cart calculations.

What Works

• ✅ Volume/quantity discounts
• ✅ Customer-specific pricing
• ✅ Visual configuration (no coding)
• ✅ Works on all Shopify plans

What Breaks

• ❌ Monthly cost: $50-150/month
• ❌ App conflicts: Some apps don’t play well together
• ❌ Limited checkout customization: Can’t fully hide payment methods or add Net 30 terms
• ❌ Complex setup: 2-4 hours to configure properly
• ❌ Maintenance: App updates can break your setup

🔍 Reality check: If you need volume pricing and aren’t on Plus, apps are your only option. Budget for $50-100/month and 4-8 hours of setup/maintenance per year.

---

Approach 5: Shopify Functions (Modern, App Store Distribution)

Shopify Functions replaced Scripts in 2024. They use JavaScript instead of Ruby and provide powerful checkout customization.

CRITICAL: How Functions Availability Works

Shopify Functions for payment/shipping customization are available in two ways:

1. Shopify Plus - Custom per-store apps can use Functions (requires Plus subscription)
2. App Store Apps - Apps distributed through Shopify App Store can use Functions on ANY plan

What this means for you:

• If you’re building a custom app for your own store (not distributing via App Store): Requires Shopify Plus
• If you install an app from the Shopify App Store that uses Functions: Works on Basic/Shopify/Advanced plans

Our wholesale app will be App Store distributed, so it works on all plans without Plus.

How It Works

Functions are serverless code that runs at checkout to modify:

• Prices (discounts)
• Shipping methods
• Payment methods

Example: Tag-based tiered pricing function

export function run(input) {
  const customerTags = input.cart.buyerIdentity?.customer?.tags || [];

  const tierDiscounts = {
    'wholesale-tier-1': 0.15,
    'wholesale-tier-2': 0.25,
    'wholesale-tier-3': 0.35,
  };

  let discountPercentage = 0;

  for (const tag of customerTags) {
    if (tierDiscounts[tag]) {
      discountPercentage = tierDiscounts[tag];
      break;
    }
  }

  if (discountPercentage === 0) {
    return { discounts: [] };
  }

  return {
    discounts: [{
      value: {
        percentage: {
          value: discountPercentage * 100
        }
      },
      targets: input.cart.lines.map(line => ({
        cartLine: { id: line.id }
      }))
    }]
  };
}

Deploy via Shopify CLI.

What Works

• ✅ Modern JavaScript (easier than Ruby Scripts)
• ✅ Official Shopify solution (not going away)
• ✅ Powerful - Full control over pricing logic
• ✅ Works on all plans via App Store apps (no Plus required if distributed via App Store)

What Breaks

• ❌ DIY requires Shopify Plus - Custom per-store apps need Plus for payment/shipping Functions
• ❌ Requires coding knowledge (JavaScript)
• ❌ Requires Shopify CLI and local development setup
• ❌ Not visual (code-only configuration)
• ❌ Deployment complexity (CI/CD, version control, testing)
• ❌ App Store distribution needed for non-Plus merchants (can’t just build for your own store)

🔍 Reality check:

If you’re a developer building for your OWN store:

• You need Shopify Plus to use Functions for payment/shipping customization
• OR you need to build as an App Store app (more complex, requires Shopify Partner account)

If you’re a merchant (not a developer):

• Install an app from the App Store that uses Functions (works on all plans)
• Apps are easier than DIY development

This is what we’re building - An App Store distributed wholesale app that uses Functions for pricing, checkout customization, and payment/shipping methods. Because it’s App Store distributed, it works on all plans without Plus.

---

The Real Cost Breakdown

Let’s compare total cost of ownership for 50 wholesale customers across 3 tiers:

Option 1: Manual Discount Codes

• Cost: $0/month
• Time: 10 hours/month (tagging, emailing codes, support)
• Total annual cost: 120 hours × $50/hour = $6,000/year

Option 2: Shopify Plus Scripts

• Cost: $2,000/month minimum
• Time: 2 hours/month (script maintenance)
• Total annual cost: $24,000 + (24 hours × $50/hour) = $25,200/year

Option 3: Customer Segments + Automatic Discounts

• Cost: $0/month (native Shopify)
• Time: 3 hours/month (manual tagging, support)
• Total annual cost: 36 hours × $50/hour = $1,800/year

Option 4: Wholesale App

• Cost: $75/month (average app price)
• Time: 1 hour/month (minimal maintenance)
• Total annual cost: $900 + (12 hours × $50/hour) = $1,500/year

Option 5: Custom Shopify Functions

• Cost: $0/month (DIY) or $3,000-5,000 one-time development + Shopify Plus ($2,000/month)
• Time: 1 hour/month (minimal maintenance)
• Total annual cost (DIY on Plus): $24,000 + (12 hours × $50/hour) = $24,600/year
• Total annual cost (hired dev on Plus): $24,000 + $5,000 + $600 = $29,600 first year, $24,600/year after
• Note: Requires Shopify Plus for custom per-store apps to use payment/shipping Functions

Winner: Apps (unless you’re already on Plus for other reasons).

---

When You Need More Than This

You’ll know you need to upgrade when:

Signal 1: Manual tagging becomes a bottleneck

• 10+ new wholesale customers per month
• You’re spending >5 hours/week on tagging

Signal 2: You need checkout customization

• Hide credit card payment for wholesale (Net 30 only)
• Custom shipping rates for wholesale customers
• Remove express checkout buttons (Shop Pay, Apple Pay)

Signal 3: You need advanced features

• Purchase order numbers
• Credit limits per customer
• Approval workflows for new wholesale accounts
• Wholesale-specific product catalogs

Signal 4: Customer complaints

• “I can’t see my wholesale price until checkout”
• “The discount code doesn’t work”
• “Why do I see retail payment methods?”

At this point, you need:

• Shopify Plus B2B (if you have budget and revenue to support it)
• A comprehensive wholesale app (App Store app using Functions)
• Custom development (only if already on Plus, otherwise Apps are more cost-effective)

---

What We’re Building

After building 7 custom wholesale systems using Shopify Functions on Plus, we’re packaging that expertise into an App Store distributed app:

Core features:

• ✅ Tag-based tiered pricing (no codes needed)
• ✅ Multi-tier discounts (Tier 1, 2, 3, VIP)
• ✅ Volume/quantity discounts
• ✅ Checkout customization (hide payments, custom shipping) using Shopify Functions
• ✅ Net payment terms (Net 30, Net 60)
• ✅ Works on all Shopify plans (App Store distributed, no Plus required)

Target pricing: $50-100/month

Setup time: Hours, not weeks

Share your wholesale challenges and get early access.

---

Next Steps

If Customer Segments + Automatic Discounts works for you:

• You have 20-50 wholesale customers
• 2-4 pricing tiers
• No volume discounts needed
• Budget: $0/month

Keep using this approach! It’s the sweet spot for mid-size wholesale programs.

If you’re hitting limits:

→ Part 3: Customizing Checkout for Wholesale (Coming soon) Learn how to hide payment methods, add Net 30 terms, and create a true B2B checkout with Shopify Functions.

→ Part 4: The Real Cost of DIY Wholesale (Coming soon) Calculate your true cost (time + apps + maintenance) and decide when to upgrade.

→ See what we’re building Built by developers who’ve done this 7 times. Get early access.

---

Questions?

Questions about wholesale? Get help with your setup →

Hit a wall setting this up? Want to discuss your specific requirements? Share your feedback via email or schedule a quick call.

---

Previous: Part 1: Setting Up Basic Wholesale Pricing Next: Part 3: Customizing Checkout for Wholesale (Coming soon)

---

About the author: Michael Wallbaum has built custom wholesale systems for 7 Shopify merchants since 2019, managing over $2.3M in wholesale revenue. He’s currently building a wholesale app for Shopify merchants who’ve outgrown manual processes but don’t need Shopify Plus. Learn more.

← Previous

Next →