Wholesale price lists are full of terms that mean nothing to a new buyer: inner, outer, case, layer, pallet. Misreading them is one of the most common — and most expensive — sourcing mistakes. A price that looks like a bargain per unit can turn out to be for a single unit when you expected twelve, or for a case when you expected one.

The building blocks

Unit (or each): a single item — one bottle, one tin, one bar.
Inner: a small pack of units inside a case — for example, a shrink-wrapped pack of 6.
Outer (or case): the box the supplier ships — for example, 4 inners of 6, so 24 units.
Layer: one layer of cases on a pallet.
Pallet: a full pallet of cases, the usual quantity for larger buyers and resellers.

Not every product has every level. Many have just units and a case; bulky items may be sold by the unit on a pallet.

How wholesalers price

Price lists usually quote one of:

Per unit — you still buy whole cases, but the price is quoted per item
Per case — the price of the whole outer
Per pack — the price of an inner

The list should say which, but many don't. Always check with the supplier before comparing prices — "£5.92" for a pack of six is very different from £5.92 each.

How to compare suppliers fairly

Convert every price to a price per unit, before VAT:

Find the price and what it's for (unit, inner or case).
Divide by the number of units that price covers.
Check both prices are ex VAT (or both inc VAT).
Add delivery costs, spread across the order.

Then compare. The cheapest case price is not always the cheapest per unit, and the cheapest per unit is not always the best buy once delivery and minimum orders are counted.

Minimum orders come in different forms

MOQ (minimum order quantity): the fewest units, inners or cases you can order of a product
MOV (minimum order value): the smallest total order the supplier will accept, across all products
Free-delivery threshold: the order value above which delivery is free

A supplier with a £3,000 minimum order value suits a reseller buying by the pallet; a shop topping up weekly needs a supplier with a much lower minimum. Read more in what is MOQ and why it matters.

Buying by the pallet

Resellers and larger shops often buy full pallets for the best price per unit. Before you do:

Check the pallet quantity (cases per pallet) and whether you can mix products on one pallet
Check delivery: pallet deliveries often need a forklift or tail-lift and space to unload
Check dates: on food and toiletries, a full pallet has to sell before the best-before date
Check storage: a pallet you can't store is a pallet you can't use

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between an outer and a case? They're usually the same thing — the box the supplier ships. Some suppliers use "outer" for the shipping box and "case" for a smaller retail-ready tray inside it.

Why won't a wholesaler split a case? Splitting cases means extra handling and repacking. Some wholesalers do it for a fee; most don't.

How do I know if a price is per unit or per case? Look for "each", "per unit", "per case" or "PK" in the listing, and compare the price with the retail price of one unit. If in doubt, ask the supplier.

See case sizes clearly

GSAi shows each supplier's price and what it's for — per unit, or per pack with the pack size — along with minimum orders where the supplier publishes them, so you can compare suppliers on the same basis. Start a free 3-day trial — no card needed.