“What’s your minimum order?” is usually the first question we get from a new account, and the answer surprises most people. A $300 minimum sounds like a small detail, but it changes how you should actually plan a first order, especially compared to wholesalers running minimums in the thousands.

Why we kept it this low

A lot of wholesale minimums are set high enough to filter out small buyers entirely. Ours isn’t designed that way. We’d rather a new retailer or a small restaurant test a handful of products in a real setting before committing to volume, than force a large first order on a business that hasn’t yet confirmed the product fits their concept. We’d also rather have a customer test a small range and come back for a bigger order than lose them at the first email for asking too much upfront.

Does a low minimum mean lower quality?

No. The minimum is about order size, not product tier. The same Arita porcelain or Nambu Tekki cast iron sold to a large hotel chain is available to a single shop placing their first order.

What $300 actually buys, roughly

Depending on the category, $300 is enough for a meaningful test order, not just a token sample. As a rough example: a mix of a dozen mid-range bowls, a dozen plates, and a small set of chopsticks comfortably fits within that range. Or a dozen or so rice bowls and a matching plate size. That’s enough to put a real dish on a real table and see how customers respond, rather than judging a product from a single sample piece. It’s a real starting inventory.

The mistake we see buyers make with low minimums

Counterintuitively, a low minimum can lead to under-ordering just as easily as a high one leads to over-ordering. Some first-time buyers order the bare minimum spread across too many categories, ending up with two or three of everything and not quite enough of anything to actually run a menu item or stock a shelf properly.

We’d generally recommend concentrating a first order on fewer categories at a slightly higher quantity each, rather than spreading $300 across everything in the catalog.

What happens after the first order

Most accounts that place a first small order come back within a few months once they know what sells. First orders tend to sit near the minimum while a buyer is still testing. Reorders, once a product has proven itself, are usually several times that size, sometimes ordering a single bestselling SKU at the volume the first order spread across five or six different items. Pricing also improves with volume at that point.

The minimum is meant to get you in the door, not to define your steady-state order size.

Does the minimum apply per order or per shipment?

It’s per order. If you’re combining categories into a single shipment to save on freight, which most buyers do, the $300 minimum applies to that combined order, not to each individual product category within it.

A few related questions

Is the minimum different for repeat customers? No, it stays the same regardless of order history, though in practice most repeat orders are well above the minimum once a buyer knows what sells.

Can I split a $300 order across multiple delivery addresses? Generally no. The minimum applies to a single shipment to a single address. Get in touch if you have a specific multi-location need and we’ll see what’s possible.

Ready to put together a first order? Request our catalog and we can help you think through what to prioritize within the minimum.