Case packs and minimum order quantities, explained for independent retailers

What is a case pack, and how does it affect buying?

When a product ships from a warehouse, it travels inside a master carton. That carton holds a fixed count of the product, and that count is the case pack. If a scented candle has a case pack of 12, every carton you receive contains 12 candles.

The case pack is not arbitrary. Factories pack products the way they do for reasons of weight, fragile-product protection, or efficient palletizing. A fragile ceramic mug might pack 6 to a carton with foam inserts. A lightweight silicone spatula might pack 24 or 36. The case pack reflects the packing that keeps the product safe in transit and efficient to move in a warehouse.

For a retailer, the case pack sets your natural buying unit. You are not choosing how many you want and rounding up. You are deciding how many cases to buy. One case of 12 mugs is the minimum. Two cases is 24. The question is whether your expected sell-through justifies the quantity.

What is the difference between a case pack, an MOQ, and an order minimum?

These three terms appear in every wholesale catalog and order form, and they are often confused with each other. They describe three different constraints at three different levels.

Term	What it controls	Who sets it	Typical scope
Case pack	How many units come in one carton of a specific product	Factory (fixed by packing structure)	Per SKU per carton
Minimum order quantity (MOQ)	The fewest units a supplier will sell of one style	Supplier	Per style or per SKU
Order minimum	The smallest total order (by dollar or unit count) the supplier will accept	Supplier	Entire order across all items

These constraints can stack. A supplier might require a 12-unit case pack per style (the physical carton), an MOQ of one case per style (so you cannot order 6 mugs even if you are willing to pay for a half-empty box), and a $300 order minimum for the whole order.

Here is how that plays out in practice. You want to try three new styles of candles at 12 units each. The per-style MOQ is satisfied (one case per style). The order minimum check: 3 cases at 12 units at $4.50 landed cost each = $162 total. If the order minimum is $300, you need to add more products or more cases.

Why do factories and wholesalers have minimum order quantities?

On the factory side, MOQs exist because production has setup costs. Switching a line to a new product, mixing a new color batch, or configuring a mold takes time and materials that are fixed regardless of how many units you make. A factory that takes three hours to set up a run does not make money on a 20-unit order. The MOQ is the point where the economics start to work.

On the wholesale side, MOQs are lower because the goods are already made. The wholesaler’s cost to pack and ship an order covers picking, packing, labor, and boxing. Selling two units at a time is more work per dollar of revenue than selling a case. The MOQ is set to keep fulfillment efficient.

For the retailer, the MOQ sets the minimum test. If a boutique wants to trial a new line of pet bandanas, the MOQ tells them the smallest commitment. A factory MOQ of 300 units means a real bet on a new product. A US wholesaler with low case-pack minimums means a much smaller trial.

How do case packs affect your inventory and cash flow?

Every case pack decision is a cash and space commitment. A retailer with limited storage cannot receive 10 cases of a new product and warehouse it for three months. A retailer with tight cash flow cannot tie up $1,200 in a single untested category.

Working through the math before you order protects both.

Sell-through rate. How long will one case last on the shelf? If you sell 4 units a week and a case is 12, one case lasts 3 weeks. If you sell 2 a week, it lasts 6. Either is fine. A slow seller at 48 units takes 6 months to clear one case. That is worth knowing before you order.

Reorder point. If lead time from your supplier is a few business days (a domestic distributor with stock on hand), you can reorder once stock drops low and receive within the week. If lead time is 8 to 12 weeks (custom sourcing from overseas), you need to forecast demand further out and carry more inventory.

Markdown risk. Seasonal or trend-driven products carry more risk in large quantities. A case pack of 24 units of a holiday item ordered too late in the season, or too many, can result in markdowns or dead stock. Smaller case-pack minimums reduce that exposure.

What to ask a wholesaler before you order

Before you place an order with any wholesale supplier, get clear answers to these four questions.

What is the case pack for this product? This is the physical carton count and it does not flex. If you want 18 units and the case is 12, you will receive 24.

Is the MOQ per style, per case, or per order? These mean different things. Per-style means you must buy at least X of each individual item you order. Per-case means the case itself is the minimum and you can order one. Per-order means the constraint is on the total, not the individual item.

Is there an order minimum in dollars or units? A low per-style MOQ with a high order minimum can surprise a buyer placing a small exploratory order.

What is mixed? Some suppliers let you mix colors or variants within a case pack to hit the case count. Others require one variant per carton. For something like a candle line with 12 scents, mixed cases are much more useful to a small retailer than 12 cartons of a single scent.

How does Tally Wholesale handle case packs and minimums?

We sell finished, quality-checked goods by the case at one landed price per unit. Each product page shows the case pack. Our minimums are low: the goal is to let you test a category without a full pallet commitment.

Our minimum order is $250, in full cases. We require a resale certificate or EIN to open an account, which confirms you are a retailer buying for resale.

Wholesale orders ship direct from the factory, and we confirm the delivery time in your quote. Custom sourcing, for private-label or custom products we source specifically for your business, follows its own timeline: 8 to 12 weeks by ocean or 4 to 6 weeks by air. Custom sourcing uses a 30% deposit to start production and the balance before goods ship.

If you are ready to see what we carry or want to discuss a custom sourcing project, visit /apply to get started.