The wholesale channel decision for DTC brands has matured into a clear hybrid model in 2026. Faire excels at acquiring new retail accounts. Shopify B2B excels at running profitable wholesale relationships once accounts are established. The brands that grow wholesale fastest use both — strategically.
This guide covers when each platform wins and how to run them together.
What Faire does well
Retailer acquisition. Faire's 600,000+ verified retailer marketplace is the largest in DTC wholesale. Brands list products and retailers find them. This is the killer feature.
Net-60 payment terms. Faire pays brands within 1-3 days of order; retailers pay Faire within 60 days. Brands get fast cash; retailers get standard wholesale terms. Important convenience.
Risk management. Faire vets retailers, handles disputes, manages credit risk. Brands don't have to evaluate creditworthiness.
Operational simplicity. Single platform for orders, invoicing, payments. No B2B portal infrastructure to build.
Free Shipping for retailers (on Faire's dime in some cases) lowers retailer acquisition friction.
What Faire does poorly
Commission rate. 25% on first orders is the highest fee structure in any meaningful B2B channel.
Customer ownership. Faire owns the retailer relationship. You can communicate within the platform but not freely outside it.
Pricing visibility. Retailers see your wholesale prices alongside competitors. Race-to-bottom pressure exists.
Limited brand control. Your Faire shop is templated. You can't fully recreate your brand presence.
Margin pressure on reorders. 15% commission on reorders adds up over years.
What Shopify B2B does well
Direct customer ownership. Retailer email, purchase history, communication all yours.
Custom pricing tiers. Different pricing for different retailers based on volume or relationship. Negotiated pricing is supported natively.
Custom payment terms. Net-30, net-60, prepaid, hybrid — configure per retailer.
Brand consistency. Your store, your branding, your purchase experience.
Volume discounts. Tiered pricing automatically applied as orders meet thresholds.
Integration with rest of business. Same Shopify backend handles DTC and B2B inventory, orders, customers.
What Shopify B2B does poorly
No retailer discovery. You have to bring retailers to your store. No marketplace effect.
Setup complexity. Configuring B2B requires planning around customer groups, price lists, and access controls.
Higher platform cost. Shopify Plus ($2,000+/month) is required for full B2B features. Lower plans have limited B2B functionality.
Operational overhead. Credit decisions, payment terms management, dispute handling all on you.
The hybrid playbook
The structure most successful DTC wholesale brands run:
Faire for retailer acquisition. Use Faire as discovery channel. New retailers find you, place first order. Pay the 25% as customer acquisition cost.
Shopify B2B for relationship management. As retailers reorder, migrate them to direct B2B portal. Better pricing, direct communication, stronger relationship.
Both, indefinitely, for some accounts. Some retailers prefer Faire's convenience. Don't force migration — let them stay if they prefer.
The migration step: send Faire customers a welcome offer to your direct portal ("As a current Faire customer, here's your direct ordering access with 5% better pricing"). Don't violate Faire's terms. Communicate clearly.
Pricing structure that works
A common pricing approach across both channels:
MSRP: $40 (retail price) Faire price: $20 (50% off MSRP, standard wholesale) Direct B2B base price: $20 (matches Faire so retailers don't feel mistreated) Direct B2B volume price: $18 (10% additional off at higher volume tiers) Brand's net (Faire): $15 (after 25% first-order commission) or $17 (after 15% reorder commission) Brand's net (Direct): $20 base or $18 volume
The volume tier on direct ordering creates incentive to migrate. Retailers ordering meaningful quantities save more by going direct.
A real example
A skincare brand we worked with:
- 2023: 100% wholesale via Faire, $200K annual wholesale revenue
- 2024: Added Shopify B2B, started migrating top accounts
- 2025: Wholesale revenue $400K, split 60/40 Faire/Direct
- 2026 projection: $600K wholesale, 50/50 split
Faire still drives 60% of the new retailer acquisition. Direct portal manages the relationships that have proven sticky. The combined channel works better than either alone.
When to run Faire only
You're better served by Faire-only when:
- You're new to wholesale and need volume to validate
- You're under $200K in wholesale revenue
- You don't have Shopify Plus or want to invest in B2B portal
- Your brand benefits from Faire's curated discovery aesthetic
When to run Shopify B2B only
You're better served by direct-only when:
- You have an existing retailer network from prior relationships
- Your wholesale exceeds $1M annually with established accounts
- You have margin pressure that Faire's 15% reorder fee makes uncomfortable
- You're vertically integrated (own retail) and selling to other retailers strategically
When to run both (most brands)
The hybrid serves brands at the $200K-$5M wholesale revenue range, who benefit from Faire's discovery while preserving direct relationships.
Common mistakes
Listing on Faire without thinking through pricing. Pricing low on Faire because of commission pressure can train retailers to expect that price everywhere.
Cutting Faire after 6 months. Faire's value compounds — retailers found through Faire continue ordering for years. Quitting too early leaves money on the table.
Treating Shopify B2B like a static catalog. B2B portals need active relationship management — pricing updates, retailer outreach, periodic catalog refreshes.
Not migrating top accounts. Letting your highest-volume retailers stay on Faire forever costs significant margin.
Violating Faire's terms. Don't aggressively poach retailers from Faire's platform. Read their terms; respect them.
What to do this week
If you're not on Faire yet and have a B2B-friendly product, list this month. Conservative pricing, watch the first 60 days of activity.
If you're on Faire only, evaluate Shopify Plus B2B if your wholesale revenue is $250K+/year. The migration on top accounts pays for the platform within 12 months in most cases.
For more, see our Shopify B2B wholesale guide, Shopify wholesale pricing tiers, and Shopify vs Amazon Handmade.