What is a line sheet? A plain answer with an example
A line sheet is a short sheet for shops that buy from you to resell. It shows each product with a photo, a code and a wholesale price, plus your order terms. It is shorter than a catalogue.
A shop owner writes to you: "Please send your line sheet." You have a catalogue and a price list. You are not sure which one they mean.
Here is the plain answer. A line sheet is a short sheet for shops that buy from you to sell again. It shows every product with a photo, a code and a wholesale price. It also lists your order terms.
What does "line" mean?
"Line" means the range of products you make or sell. A line sheet shows that whole range on a few pages.
The word comes from fashion, where makers sell to boutiques. Today any business that sells to shops can use one. This includes handicrafts, toys, sarees, soaps and bakery goods.
A simple example
Craft Bazaar is a made-up business that sells handicrafts to gift shops. Its line sheet has two pages.
The first page says: minimum order is 12 pieces per style. Payment is 50% advance. Delivery takes 7 to 10 days.
The second page shows nine products. Each has a photo, a name, a code such as HC-104 and a price. A buyer reads it in two minutes and knows what to order.
What goes on a line sheet
Keep it short. A buyer wants facts, not stories.
- Your business name and contact details. The buyer must know who to call.
- Trade terms. Minimum order, payment and delivery time.
- A clear photo of every product. Buyers cannot touch the product, so the photo must be good.
- A product code. The buyer can order "HC-104, 12 pieces". This is faster than a long name.
- The wholesale price. This is the price for shops, not for customers. Say if tax and shipping are extra.
- Sizes or colours. Add them if the product comes in more than one.
Line sheet, catalogue or price list?
They are close cousins. The difference is who reads them and how much they hold.
| Line sheet | Catalogue | Price list | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who reads it | Shops that buy to resell | Customers | Customers or shops |
| Prices | Wholesale | Retail | Either |
| Order terms | Yes, on the first page | Rarely | Sometimes |
| Length | 2 to 6 pages | 8 to 16 pages | 1 to 2 pages |
If you sell only to shoppers, you do not need a line sheet. A catalogue is enough. If you sell to both, make one of each and send the right one.
Who needs a line sheet
You need one if a shop asks "What is your minimum order?" or "Send me your rates". It saves you from typing the same answers again and again.
It suits makers, small factories, importers and home businesses that supply shops. It is also useful before a trade fair, so buyers can look at your range.
How to make one in CatalogLeaf
CatalogLeaf has free line sheet templates for many kinds of business. Open the Export Sheet template or a kids' wear one. You can see all of them on the line sheet templates page.
Click Use with my photos and drop in your photos. Each photo becomes one product. Type the name, the price and the code. Then click Customize and change the trade terms so they are true for your business. The phone number and email in the template are placeholders, so replace them too.
When it is ready, download the PDF or share a flipbook link. For a full walk-through, read how to make a wholesale line sheet.
Try it today: pick a template, add five products and send your first line sheet to a shop.