Wholesale Handler
Every customer belongs to one wholesaler - you. You add them yourself, and you choose how hands-on the relationship is. You can place every order for them, email them their invoices and order updates, or invite them to sign in and order themselves. This article covers those three modes, how invitations work, and what each status means.
Looking for how your own account, free trial and subscription work? See subscription, free trial and billing.
The three kinds of customer
How much a customer does for themselves is set by their management mode. It's a ladder, from "you do everything" to "they do everything", and you can move a customer up it whenever they're ready.
Fully managed - you place their orders and nothing is emailed to them. There's no sign-in and no email address. This suits the customer who phones or texts their order and is happy for you to key it in. They still get the full benefit of price lists, order profiles and invoicing on your side - they just never touch the app.
Notified by email - you still place every order, but their invoices and order updates are emailed to their address. They don't sign in. This is the middle rung for a customer who wants a paper trail in their inbox without logging in to get it.
Self managed - they sign in and place their own orders, picking from the products, prices and delivery dates you've set for them. This is the self-service customer, and the mode that takes the most work off your plate.
How do I add a customer?
Open Customers and click Create customer.... Pick the customer type, then fill in their details. Every customer needs a business name; first and last name are optional.
What else you enter depends on the type:
- Fully managed needs no email at all - the field is hidden. You're just creating a record to order against.
- Notified by email needs an email address. A verification email goes out first, and invoices and updates start once the customer confirms it (more below).
- Self managing needs an email address too - the invitation to sign in is sent there.
You also pick a price list and an order profile, or leave both on your defaults. They control the prices the customer sees and their delivery days, cutoff and any minimum spend.
What does "notified by email" confirmation involve?
When you add (or later give an email to) a notified-by-email customer, Wholesale Handler sends them a short email on your behalf asking them to confirm the address. It has a single "Confirm email address" button. Until they click it, the customer shows an amber Email pending badge and no invoices or order emails go out to them.
This is a deliberate opt-in. It proves the address is real and that the customer agreed to hear from you before anything lands in their inbox. The moment they confirm, the badge clears and emails start flowing. They don't create an account or a password - confirming simply switches on delivery.
If a confirmation hasn't come through, you can resend it with Resend confirmation from the customer's Email & access card.
How do I invite a customer to sign in themselves?
Open the customer and click Invite to sign in.... Confirm or enter their email and send. The invitation is emailed to that address; once they accept and set a password, they become Self managed and start placing their own orders.
This is a promotion, not a fresh start. A fully managed or notified-by-email customer keeps their existing orders, invoices and history - the same record simply gains a login. It's the natural step once a customer is comfortable enough to order for themselves.
How does a customer accept an invitation?
The invitation email is sent on your behalf with a single "Accept invitation" link. Clicking it opens a short form where the customer sets their password, and they land straight in their portal ready to place an order.
There's no app to download and no merchant directory to browse - the link is specific to one merchant and one customer. Until they accept, a self-managed customer shows a blue Invited badge.
How long does an invitation last?
14 days. After that the link expires and the customer sees an error message if they click it. The merchant can resend, which extends the expiry by another 14 days using the same link.
Can I resend an invitation?
Yes, with two limits: a 60-minute cooldown between resends, and a maximum of 5 resends per invitation. Old email links keep working after a resend - the link doesn't change.
If an invitation has bounced, the email needs correcting first.
What happens if my customer's email bounces?
The customer shows a red "Bounced" badge with the message "This email could not be delivered" and an inline "Update email…" action. Resending is blocked until the address is corrected. This applies to a self-managed customer's invitation and to a notified-by-email customer's confirmed address alike.
Bounces only cover hard bounces - invalid addresses, full mailboxes, blocked domains. Soft bounces are retried automatically and never reach you.
Can I correct a typo in a customer's email?
Yes. Open the customer, click Update email... and enter the correct address. A fresh email goes out immediately, the old link stops working, and the bounce status clears. Update the email rather than deleting and re-inviting - it keeps the customer's history intact.
Can I stop emailing a customer?
Yes. Use Clear email... on a notified-by-email customer. The email is removed and the customer returns to Fully managed - you place their orders and nothing is emailed to them. A self-managed customer signs in with their email, so that one stays put.
Do my customers need to pay to use Wholesale Handler?
No. Customers never pay anything. There's no payment step on an invitation, no card details collected, no usage limits on their side. The merchant pays the subscription; the customer uses the site for free, forever. For how the merchant subscription works, see subscription, free trial and billing.
Can my self-managed customers reset their password?
Yes. Once a customer accepts an invitation they have a normal account. Customers and merchants both use the same sign-in page - Wholesale Handler detects which type of account is signing in and routes them appropriately. Password resets go through the standard "forgot password" flow, and customers can update their email address from their settings page.
How many customers can I have?
Up to 50 in total - managed customers, pending invitations and self-managed customers combined. Get in touch if you need more.
Do customers see each other?
No. Each self-managed customer only sees their own account, their own orders, and the products and prices you've set for them. Customers can't see other customers exist, and managed customers don't sign in at all.
How Wholesale Handler shows customer status
The customers list shows two things at a glance. The management mode - Fully managed, Notified by email or Self managed - is always shown, so a managed customer never reads as a dead or deactivated account. On top of that, a status badge appears only when there's something to act on: "Invited" while a self-managed customer hasn't accepted, "Email pending" while a notified customer hasn't confirmed, and "Bounced" or "Failed" when an email didn't get through.
A confirmed, settled customer shows just their management mode and nothing else - no news is good news. When a customer accepts their invitation, they move to Self managed automatically.
