A first order decides whether your jewelry line becomes a profit center or a drawer of dead stock. This checklist is what we walk new wholesale partners through, in order.
1. Fix the budget, then split it 50/30/20
50% to proven movers (flat-back labrets, hinged rings, nose studs), 30% to seasonal and trend pieces (navels in spring, statement septum in autumn), 20% to experiments. With tiered discounts your effective cost drops as the cart fills – plan the total first, then negotiate what fits under it.
2. Choose categories by your customer
- Piercing studio: internal-thread and threadless labrets, dermal tops, replacement parts – jewelry that goes into fresh piercings.
- Fashion/accessory retail: nose studs, seamless rings, clickers, CZ navels – healed-piercing impulse buys.
- Online reseller: photogenic opal/gem tops and stacks – what shoots well sells well.
3. Depth plan: sizes before styles
Nothing kills a sale faster than “we’re out of 16G 8mm”. For every labret style, carry at least 16G in 6/8/10mm posts; hoops in 8/10mm; navels in 10/12mm. Ten pieces per style covers the MOQ while leaving room to split sizes – mix gauges and lengths inside the 10 to reach it.
4. Finish mix: 40/30/20/10
Steel-color 40%, gold-tone 30%, black 20%, rainbow/anodized colors 10%. Adjust after 60 days of sell-through data, not before.
5. Verify the supplier before wiring money
Material certificates (ASTM F136 mill test on request), QC photos of actual batches, thread-standard clarity (which ends fit which bases), packaging format (individually bagged and size-labeled), and shipping terms with tracking. TitanPierce provides all five as standard and answers within 24 hours.
6. Order samples of anything unusual
For custom designs or new style families, order the sample set first – sample cost credits back against the bulk order. Seeing the actual anodized color and stone sparkle before 200 pieces arrive is worth the week.
7. Price for the counter, not the invoice
Keystone (2-2.5x) on commodity styles, 3x+ on gem and statement pieces. Your wholesale discount structure makes both work; display price integrity and the line defends itself against online undercutting because the material story (implant-grade, certified, color-permanent) is one a marketplace listing can’t copy.
8. Plan the reorder before the first order lands
Set a par level for the top 10 styles and reorder at par, not at empty. Our dispatch is 2-5 working days, so a reorder trigger at 30% stock means never showing an empty peg.
Start from the full buying guide, check what sells best, or email telent@titanpierce.com for the current price sheet.