Quick definition
A linesheet (or line sheet) is the wholesale catalog a fashion brand sends to retail buyers. It lists every product the brand is selling for the season — with photos, wholesale prices, MSRP, MOQs, sizes, and colors — so a buyer can decide what to order.
The linesheet: a brand's most important sales document
Walk into any wholesale buying meeting and the linesheet is on the table. It's the single source of truth for what a brand is offering — every SKU, every price, every minimum. Buyers compare it side by side against other brands. Production teams reference it when planning. Sales reps quote off of it. Retailers reorder from it weeks later.
The linesheet is to wholesale fashion what a price list is to consulting or a CPC rate card is to advertising — the document that makes the deal possible.
What information goes on a linesheet?
The exact format varies, but every modern wholesale linesheet has these elements per product:
- Product photo. Square-cropped, neutral background, true to color. Some brands include a flat-lay AND a model shot.
- Product name. How the SKU is referenced internally and by buyers.
- Category. Tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, accessories — used for filtering and merchandising.
- Wholesale price. What the retailer pays you per unit.
- MSRP. Manufacturer's suggested retail price — what the retailer charges their customers (usually 2-2.5x wholesale).
- MOQ. Minimum order quantity per style. Often 5-50 units depending on brand size.
- Sizes. Available size run (XS-XL, 2-12, 28-40, etc.).
- Colors. Available colorways for the style.
- SKU / Style #. Optional but useful for back-office systems and reorder reference.
- Delivery window. When the brand can ship after order placement (usually 30-90 days for production runs).
Why static PDF linesheets are dying
For decades the linesheet was a PDF — designed in InDesign or Excel, emailed as an attachment, opened on a desktop monitor. That worked when buyers worked from their offices and made decisions quarterly. It doesn't work now.
- PDFs go stale the moment a price changes, a SKU sells out, or you add a new style mid-season.
- Buyers review linesheets on their phones between meetings — most PDFs are unreadable on mobile.
- There's no way to actually order from a PDF. The buyer has to email an order, then someone manually re-keys it into your system.
- PDFs disappear into inboxes. You have no idea if the buyer opened it, lingered on a style, or skipped it.
Modern linesheets are digital, interactive, and hosted. They update in real time, work on any device, and let retailers place wholesale orders directly inside the linesheet. LINESHEET is one of the platforms purpose-built for this.
How to create a wholesale linesheet
The fastest way to build a modern linesheet is through a wholesale platform that handles hosting, mobile rendering, and order capture. Here's the typical flow on LINESHEET:
Step 01
Set up your brand profile
Create your account, add your brand name, location, bio, categories, and a logo. This becomes your public storefront — the page retailers see when they discover you.
Step 02
Upload your products
Add each SKU with photo, name, category, wholesale price, MSRP, MOQ, sizes, and colors. Square-cropped product photos render best across mobile and desktop.
Step 03
Build your linesheet
Use the linesheet editor to customize cover image, brand colors, buyer letter, lookbook gallery, and product sections. Drag-and-drop products to reorder. Preview live as you edit.
Step 04
Share and take orders
Publish to get a shareable link, and optionally list your linesheet on the LINESHEET marketplace for retailer discovery. Approved retailers see wholesale pricing and place orders directly.
Linesheet vs lookbook: what's the difference?
The two often get confused. They serve different purposes:
Lookbook
Visual storytelling. Editorial photography meant to communicate a collection's mood, styling, and brand voice. Heavy on emotion, light on detail.
Linesheet
Wholesale buying tool. Every SKU on a clean photo with prices, MOQs, sizes, and colors. Buyers use it to decide what to order — and how much.
Most brands use both. The lookbook seduces the buyer; the linesheet closes the order. On LINESHEET, both live inside a single shareable storefront.
FAQ
Linesheet questions, answered
What's the difference between a linesheet and a lookbook?
A lookbook is visual storytelling — moody editorial photography meant to communicate a collection's mood and styling. A linesheet is the wholesale buying tool — every product on a flat-lay or front-facing photo, with wholesale price, MSRP, MOQ, sizes, and colors. Most brands use both: the lookbook seduces the buyer, the linesheet closes the order.
What information goes on a linesheet?
Every product needs: a clear photo, product name, category (e.g., tops, dresses, outerwear), wholesale price, MSRP, MOQ (minimum order quantity), available sizes, and available colors. Optional but useful: SKU, style number, fabric content, country of origin, delivery window, and any size/color-specific stock.
Should my linesheet be a PDF?
Static PDFs were the standard for decades, but they have real downsides — they go stale the moment a price or stock level changes, they're hard to read on mobile, and they don't support real ordering. Modern digital linesheets (like LINESHEET) update live, work on any device, and let retailers place orders without leaving the linesheet.
How long should a linesheet be?
There's no rule. Most brands run 20-100 SKUs per linesheet — enough to show the depth of the collection, not so many that the buyer can't make a decision. If you're showing more than one season or category, consider splitting into multiple linesheets organized by collection.
Do I need a linesheet for every season?
Yes — most fashion brands publish a new linesheet per drop (SS, FS, holiday, etc.). The discipline of one linesheet per season keeps inventory aligned with what you're actively selling. On LINESHEET, you can run multiple linesheets simultaneously and archive old ones.
What's MSRP vs wholesale price?
Wholesale price is what the retailer pays you. MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) is what the retailer is expected to charge their customers. The standard relationship is roughly 2-2.5x markup — if your wholesale is $50, the MSRP would be $100-125.
What's a typical MOQ?
MOQ (minimum order quantity) varies by category and brand size. Common MOQs: 5-12 units per style for emerging brands, 24-50 units per style for established brands, 6-pack or 12-pack runs for accessories. The MOQ should reflect your production reality — too low and you can't fulfill, too high and you scare off small boutiques.
Ready to build your linesheet?
Free to start. List on the marketplace, take wholesale orders, and reach verified retailers — all from one platform.