The moment a shop decides to sell its own label — the private label path — it needs the one document that opens wholesale doors: the line sheet. Buyers at boutiques, gift shops and showrooms decide in under two minutes whether your brand is worth a reply, and 90% of that decision is made by a single PDF. This is the working format, a real example structure, and the mistakes that get small brands ignored.
What a Line Sheet Is (and Is Not)
A line sheet is a one-page-per-product sales document for wholesale buyers: clean photo, item name and number, wholesale price, suggested retail, minimums, available colorways, dimensions and lead time. It is not a consumer catalog (no lifestyle prose), not a price list (no bare spreadsheet), and not a lookbook (mood without data). The buyer's job is math — margin, minimums, delivery — and the line sheet exists to make that math take ten seconds per item.
The One-Page Format That Works
| Field | Placement | Buyer's question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Hero photo, white or neutral background | Top half, 60% of page | "Does it look like my shelf?" |
| Item name + SKU number | Directly under photo | Order accuracy |
| Wholesale price + suggested retail (MSRP) | Right column, same line | "Does it clear my 2.2-2.5x?" — the margin math from our pricing guide |
| Minimum order (per style and opening) | Right column | "Can my budget carry it?" |
| Colorways / variants, swatched | Under price | Assortment planning |
| Dimensions + materials + care | Footer block | Fit and compliance |
| Lead time + ship terms (DDP, net terms) | Footer block | "When and how does it land?" |
| Brand header: logo, contact, reorder link | Every page top | Reply path |
The compliance footer matters more than most new brands think: fiber content, origin and care claims must match what the sewn label says — the FTC textile labeling rules apply to the line sheet's material column as much as to the product.
A Real Example Structure (Home Textiles)
Page one: the anchor SKU. "Pleated Voile Table Runner — VLR-45. 45x14 in. 100% polyester voile, machine wash cold. Colorways: blush, cream, sage, sky (swatches). Wholesale $8.50 / MSRP $24.99. Minimum 3 pieces per color, $150 opening order. In stock, ships 3 days, DDP available." One photo, eight lines of data, zero adjectives. Pages two through twenty repeat the format; a cover page carries the brand story in three sentences plus terms — opening minimum, net terms if offered (the mechanics in our payment terms guide), reorder portal, and contact.
The Photo Standard
Line sheet photography is a spec, not an art project: white or pale-neutral background, straight-on angle, consistent scale, one styled shot per product maximum. The buyer is compositing your item onto their shelf mentally — lifestyle context slows that down. The full shot list and lighting setup are in our product photography guide; the line sheet reuses its packshot tier directly. Props earn their place only when they communicate scale — a folded runner beside a pedestal tray reads "home decor brand," which is the point.
The Six Mistakes That Get You Ignored
- No MSRP — the buyer has to guess your intended margin; most won't.
- Prices hidden behind "contact us" — instant delete; wholesale is self-serve math.
- Consumer-style copy ("bring warmth to your home!") where dimensions should be.
- Stale availability — the fastest way to lose a second order; date every version ("Line sheet v3 — September 2026").
- One giant PDF of 80 pages — buyers scan a curated 10-20; put bestsellers first.
- No minimum stated — ambiguity reads as "this brand doesn't do wholesale seriously."
Distribution: Where the Line Sheet Works
Email attachment to buyers you've met at trade shows, the profile upload on wholesale marketplaces (Faire and Ankorstore both ingest line-sheet-style product data), and a gated page on your own site. Update it every season — the same calendar that drives your buying programs drives your buyers' shelf plans.
Valvive supports the line sheet stage directly: labeled samples with your hangtag from a 3-piece minimum, verified material specs for the compliance footer, DDP lead times you can quote in writing, and professional packshot photography of your labeled product on request — quotes in 1-2 days.