Guides › Wholesale reorder emails
Wholesale reorder emails: how to get stores to order again
The store that already ordered from you is your easiest next sale. They know your product and they have shelf space for it. They just aren't thinking about you. Here's a 15-minute Monday routine that tells you who's due to reorder, plus a short reorder email and an AI prompt that drafts it. You still send every one.
- Why stores don't reorder
- When to check in
- Set up one simple sheet
- The Monday check
- A short reorder email
- Let AI draft them
- Before you send
- Make reordering easy
Why stores don't reorder
It isn't always because your product didn't sell. Faire puts it this way: "Most retailers are not sitting around thinking about your brand between orders." They're running a shop. And "if reordering from you feels like one more thing to figure out, it often just doesn't happen, even when they loved your product" (Faire).
So the fix is simple: know who's due, and make it easy to say yes.
When to check in
A simple rhythm after a store's first order, based on Faire's advice (Faire):
| When | What |
|---|---|
| The first week after it ships | A short thank-you, plus something useful, like product photos they can post |
| About 30 to 45 days | A check-in about how it's going. Not a sales note. |
| About 60 to 90 days | A reorder check-in: what sold, what's new, and an easy way to reorder |
Once you know a store's real pattern, use it. If a shop reorders every 6 weeks, that's their gap, not 90 days.
Set up one simple sheet
One Google Sheet with two tabs is enough.
- Orders: store, order date, what they bought, invoice number, amount, due date, paid date, ship date, and their usual reorder gap in days.
- Samples: store, date sent, feedback.
Don't know a store's gap yet? Leave it blank. The prompt below uses 75 days, the middle of that 60 to 90 day window. Every Monday, paste in last week's orders from Shopify, Faire or wherever orders land. If this week's orders aren't in, the list will be wrong.
The Monday check
Open ChatGPT, Claude or Grok Bot. The free versions are fine. Upload both tabs and paste:
Today is [date]. List: (1) samples sent 10+ days ago with no feedback, (2) orders shipping this week, (3) invoices due in the next 7 days or overdue, with days overdue, (4) stores past their usual reorder gap (or 75 days if blank), with last order date and amount.
Use only data in the sheet. If a date is blank, list it under "fix these rows."
Always start with "Today is [date]." Without it, AI gets the date math wrong. Fix anything under "fix these rows," then run it again.
A short reorder email
Three sentences is plenty. Name what they bought, ask how it went, and make reordering one click.
Hi [Name], it's been about [time] since your order of [what they bought]. How did it sell for you? We just added [1 new item], and you can reorder here: [reorder link]. Thanks, [Your name]
Asking "how did it sell?" is a real question. If something didn't sell, you want to know. That's useful too.
Let AI draft them
After the Monday check, paste this and name one or two new items you actually have:
Draft: a short sample check-in for each (1); a polite payment reminder for each overdue invoice in (3), with invoice number and amount from the sheet; and a reorder check-in for each (4) that asks what sold, mentions [1 to 2 new items], and includes [reorder link].
3 sentences max each. Greetings and sign-offs don't count toward the limit. Use only facts from the sheet and the items I named. No selling claims I didn't give you ("doing really well this season", "best seller", "customers love it"), no made-up stock levels or deadlines. If something is missing, write MISSING. I'll review and send.
"Tidewren Knits," an invented sweater brand, ran the Monday check. It found two samples with no feedback, one order shipping that week, one invoice 9 days overdue for $612, and three stores past their reorder gap. The longest was 98 days since a $480 order. The first round of drafts called a new scarf "already our best seller." The founder had never said that, so it came out. Her reorder note: "It's been about three months since your fall order of the Ridge Crew in Oat and Moss. How did they sell for you? We just added the Cove Wrap Scarf in Moss, and you can reorder here: [link]." Reviewing every draft took about 10 minutes. (Numbers are invented for the example.)
Before you send
- Every amount, invoice number and date matches the sheet. Spot-check three.
- Paid invoices are not on the overdue list.
- The reorder note names what they actually bought last time.
- Nothing in it came from the AI's imagination: no "only a few left," no "order by Friday."
- You send each one yourself, then update the sheet the same day.
Make reordering easy
- A real reorder link. Your wholesale order form or your shop on a wholesale platform, so the store doesn't have to email you to order.
- A lower reorder minimum. Faire notes you can set a lower minimum for reorders than for opening orders, as a reward for stores that come back (Faire). Put it on page 1 of your line sheet (see how to set wholesale prices and terms).
- One new thing. A new color or style gives you an honest reason to write.
Mistakes to avoid
- Going quiet after the first order. Don't wait for the store to remember you.
- Wrong numbers on money. Chasing an invoice they already paid sours a good account fast.
- Made-up urgency. Delete stock levels, deadlines and claims you didn't give the AI.
- A stale sheet. Paste in last week's orders before you run the check.
- Pushy money reminders. Keep them friendly and factual. Ask each store when their payment run is, and time reminders 2 to 3 days before it.
Get the free Founder's Wholesale Checklist
Eight parts of selling into stores on four pages, each with one AI prompt you can copy. Plus The Sell-In, one short wholesale email every Tuesday.