Net-30 Wholesale Gift Accounts: How to Qualify and What It Changes
TL;DR: Net 30 wholesale gift accounts let an approved shop receive merchandise and pay 30 days after invoice. The opening order is always prepaid; net-30 is available on reorders for accounts with a clean payment history and a resale certificate on file.
Key Takeaways
- The opening order is always prepaid ($300). Net-30 is available on reorders for approved accounts.
- Qualifying usually means two or three cleanly paid orders, a valid resale certificate, and a business address we can verify.
- Net-30 means the invoice is due 30 days from the invoice date, not 30 days from when the merchandise sells.
- A resale certificate — Alabama Form STE-1 or your state's equivalent — keeps resale inventory tax-exempt and is required for terms.
- Terms do not change minimums or lead time: still $125 reorders and 5-10 business day production.
Cash flow, not margin, is what actually limits a seasonal gift shop in April. Net 30 wholesale gift accounts address that directly: the merchandise arrives, it sells for a few weeks, and the invoice comes due after it has already generated revenue. Here is exactly who qualifies for terms with us, what we ask for, and what net-30 does and does not change about how you buy.
What does net-30 actually mean on a wholesale invoice?
Payment is due 30 days from the invoice date. The invoice is generated when the order ships, so in practice you have roughly four weeks of selling before payment is due — not four weeks from the day you finish selling it. That distinction matters for planning: net-30 is a short-term cash-flow bridge across a restock, not consignment. Nothing about the merchandise is contingent on it selling.
How do I qualify for net-30 terms?
Place your prepaid opening order, then two or three reorders paid on time, and ask. We look for a consistent payment record, a verifiable business address and retail presence, and a valid resale certificate on file. Most shops that buy steadily through a season qualify by their third or fourth order. We would rather approve a shop we have actually transacted with than run a credit application on a stranger, which is why there is no formal application form.
Why is the opening order always prepaid?
Because there is no history to underwrite yet, and because the opening minimum is small enough ($300) that prepaying it is not a real burden. Keeping the first order prepaid is what lets us keep minimums this low and skip credit checks entirely — the risk is bounded on both sides. It also gets your first shipment into production immediately rather than waiting on a terms review.
What is a resale certificate and why do you need one?
It is the state document that certifies you are buying inventory for resale, so the sale to you is not taxed — you collect sales tax from the end customer instead. In Alabama that is Form STE-1; every state has an equivalent, and we accept out-of-state certificates. Beyond the tax question, a valid certificate is straightforward evidence that you are an operating retailer, which is part of why it is a prerequisite for terms.
Does net-30 change minimums, pricing, or lead time?
No. Reorders still start at $125 and mix designs freely, per-design minimums stay 6 ornaments / 4 drinkware or signs / 2 boards, pricing is unchanged, and production still runs 5-10 business days. Terms are purely about when money moves. The one practical change is that a shop on terms can restock more aggressively mid-season, because the reorder does not have to wait for the register to catch up.
Questions we get most often
Do you offer net-30 terms to gift shops? Yes, on reorders for approved accounts. The $300 opening order is always prepaid; net-30 becomes available after a few cleanly paid orders with a resale certificate on file.
What do I need to qualify for terms? A consistent on-time payment record over two or three orders, a verifiable business address and retail presence, and a valid resale certificate.
Which resale certificate do you accept? Alabama Form STE-1 or your state's equivalent. Out-of-state certificates are accepted for resale inventory.
Does net-30 change the reorder minimum? No. Reorders still start at $125 and mix designs freely, and production stays at 5-10 business days.
More from this series: read about how gift-shop wholesale works and why a 5-10 day reorder beats a 12-week import.
Full terms are always posted on our wholesale page, and the full wholesale catalog (PDF) lists every design with per-design minimums.
Request the line sheet + a free mockup of your town — email wholesale@woodunlimited.org or call (334) 310-4506. Learn more on our wholesale page.