One of the biggest mistakes new Amazon FBA and eBay wholesale sellers make is approaching brands the wrong way. They send vague unprofessional emails get ignored or rejected and then wrongly conclude that wholesale sourcing does not work. The truth is wholesale brand approval is a skill — and like every skill it can be learned mastered and systematically applied to build a highly profitable wholesale business.

We are Brandhunterz Ltd — a UK registered wholesale sourcing company (Company No: 15342697) — and in this complete guide we share the exact process our team uses to contact wholesale brands professionally get approved for trade accounts and build long-term supplier relationships that fuel consistent profitable sales on Amazon FBA and eBay.

Why Most Sellers Fail to Get Wholesale Brand Approval

Before we cover what to do let us look at the most common mistakes that cause wholesale applications to get rejected. Understanding these failure points is the fastest way to dramatically improve your approval rate from day one.

Common Mistake	Why It Gets You Rejected	The Fix
No business website	Brands cannot verify you are a legitimate business	Build a basic business website before approaching brands
Generic copy paste email	Brands receive hundreds of these — yours goes straight to trash	Personalise every application to the specific brand
No VAT number	Many brands only trade with VAT registered businesses	Register for VAT voluntarily even before the threshold
Mentioning Amazon or eBay upfront	Some brands restrict online marketplace reselling	Lead with your business and customer base — not the platform
No follow up	Initial emails often get missed or forgotten	Always follow up after 5 to 7 business days
Contacting wrong person	General enquiries rarely reach the trade team	Use verified trade emails from the Brandhunterz directory

Step 1 — Verify Demand Before You Contact Anyone

The first step in contacting any wholesale brand is not writing your email — it is verifying that real profitable demand exists for their products on Amazon FBA or eBay before you spend any time on the application process.

Use Keepa to check the brand’s top products on Amazon. Look for consistent sales rank history over 12 months stable pricing and a healthy number of third party sellers already competing — this confirms the product category is active and profitable for wholesale sellers.

For eBay wholesale research use Zik Analytics to check sell through rate and competition levels before approaching any brand for eBay reselling. A sell through rate above 50 percent with manageable competition confirms strong eBay demand worth pursuing.

Use Helium 10 to check keyword search volume and estimated monthly revenue for the brand’s top products on Amazon. This confirms the true size of the market opportunity before you invest time in the application process and helps you prioritise which brands to approach first.

Step 2 — Find Verified Trade Contact Details

Once you have confirmed demand exists the next step is finding the correct verified trade contact details for the brand. This is where most sellers waste enormous amounts of time — searching Google finding generic customer service email addresses getting no response and assuming the brand does not accept wholesale applications.

The Brandhunterz Brands Directory solves this problem completely. Every brand in our directory includes manually verified trade contact details — real trade email addresses real phone numbers and direct links to official trade portals — so you can contact the right person at the right department immediately without any of the guesswork.

Step 3 — Prepare Your Business Credentials

Before sending a single trade application email you must have the following business credentials prepared and ready to share on request. Brands use these details to verify you are a legitimate business buyer rather than a consumer trying to access trade pricing.

Credential	Why Brands Need It	Where to Get It
Registered Company Name	Confirms you operate as a registered business	Companies House registration
Company Registration Number	Allows brands to verify you on Companies House instantly	gov.uk/limited-company-formation
VAT Registration Number	Many brands only trade with VAT registered businesses	gov.uk/register-for-vat
Business Website URL	Confirms you have a professional online presence	Build one using Hostinger from £1.99 per month
Business Address	Required for trade account application forms	Your registered business address
Amazon Store or eBay Store URL	Shows brands where and how you will sell their products	Your live Amazon Seller or eBay Seller page URL

Step 4 — Write a Professional Trade Application Email

Your trade application email is your first impression — and in wholesale sourcing first impressions determine whether you get approved or ignored. A professional well-structured email that clearly communicates your business credibility and genuine commercial intent dramatically increases your approval rate compared to generic copy paste templates.

Here is the exact email structure our team uses when approaching wholesale brands for new trade accounts:

Key Rules for Your Trade Application Email

• Keep it under 200 words — trade managers are busy people. Long emails rarely get read in full
• Mention a specific product range — shows you have done your research and are genuinely interested in their brand
• Never lead with Amazon or eBay — lead with your business and customer base instead
• Include all business credentials — company number VAT number website and address in every email
• Use a professional email address — yourname@yourbusiness.com not a Gmail or Hotmail address
• Personalise every email — never send the exact same email to multiple brands in the same session
• End with a clear call to action — ask specifically for the catalogue minimum order requirements and application process

Step 5 — Use the Brand’s Official Trade Portal

Many larger UK wholesale brands — particularly major household names — do not accept trade applications via email at all. Instead they direct all wholesale enquiries through their official online trade portal where you complete a structured application form and upload your business credentials directly.

Every brand listing in the Brandhunterz Brands Directory clearly indicates whether the brand uses a trade portal or direct email contact — saving you the time of discovering this yourself. For brands that use trade portals the process typically involves:

Step 6 — Follow Up Professionally and Persistently

The single biggest difference between sellers with 30 percent approval rates and sellers with 70 percent approval rates is not their email quality — it is their follow-up discipline. Most wholesale trade teams are understaffed and receive large volumes of enquiries. Your initial email may genuinely get missed or deprioritised without any reflection on your application quality.

Here is our exact follow-up schedule that consistently generates responses from brands that initially went silent:

Follow-Up	Timing	Approach
First Follow-Up	5 to 7 business days after initial email	Brief polite reminder referencing your original email date
Second Follow-Up	10 to 14 business days after initial email	Add a specific product reference — mention products you want to stock
Phone Call	After second follow-up with no response	Call the brand’s trade line and ask to speak to trade accounts team
Move On	After three unanswered attempts	Mark as pending — revisit in 3 months with fresh approach

Step 7 — Handle Rejection Professionally

Not every brand will approve your application — and that is completely normal even for experienced wholesale sellers. Some brands have exclusive distribution agreements that prevent them from taking new accounts. Others have geographic restrictions or minimum sales volume requirements that new sellers cannot yet meet.

When you receive a rejection always respond professionally and ask specifically why your application was unsuccessful. The reason often reveals what you need to do to get approved in the future — whether that is reaching a higher sales volume first registering for VAT or proving you have an established customer base. Many successful wholesale sellers were initially rejected by brands they later became top stockists for.

Building Long-Term Brand Relationships That Scale

Getting approved for a wholesale trade account is only the beginning. The most profitable wholesale sellers understand that the real value is in building long-term strategic relationships with their brand suppliers — relationships that give them access to exclusive products early access to new launches better payment terms and priority stock allocation during peak periods like Q4.

Here is how to build wholesale brand relationships that compound in value over time:

• Always pay invoices on time — reliable payment is the single most important thing a wholesale buyer can do to build trust with a brand
• Place consistent regular orders — brands value predictable steady volume buyers over one-off large orders followed by long silences
• Give your account manager sales feedback — tell them which products are selling best and why. Brands love data from their stockists
• Ask about new product launches early — getting access to new lines before they are widely distributed gives you a significant competitive advantage
• Attend brand trade events when invited — this signals serious commitment and often leads to preferential treatment
• Never undercut the brand’s RRP dramatically — maintaining healthy pricing protects the brand’s value and your own margins long term

How Many Brands Should You Apply to at Once?

One of the most common questions new wholesale sellers ask is how many brands to apply to simultaneously. Our recommendation is to apply to 10 to 15 brands per week in the early stages of building your wholesale business. This gives you enough active applications in the pipeline to generate regular approvals without spreading yourself too thin on follow-up management.

Track every application in a simple spreadsheet with the brand name contact email application date follow-up dates and outcome. This system ensures no application falls through the cracks and gives you a clear picture of your approval pipeline at all times. A well-managed application pipeline with 50 to 100 active brands in various stages of contact is the foundation of a highly profitable wholesale business.

Use the Brandhunterz Brands Directory to build your initial list of target brands — filtering by category platform and Amazon approval status to identify the highest priority opportunities for your specific business model and budget. Always verify demand with Keepa and analyse competition with Helium 10 before adding any brand to your active application list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need a Limited Company to Apply for Wholesale Trade Accounts?

No — you can apply for wholesale trade accounts as a sole trader. However registering as a limited company significantly improves your approval rate with larger brands because it demonstrates a higher level of business commitment and is verifiable on Companies House. We recommend registering as a limited company before approaching major UK wholesale brands.

How Long Does It Take to Get Approved by a Wholesale Brand?

Approval times vary significantly by brand size. Smaller UK independent brands often approve applications within 24 to 48 hours. Mid-size brands typically take 3 to 7 business days. Larger national brands can take 2 to 4 weeks especially if they conduct a full credit check or require references. Always start with smaller independent brands to build your wholesale account portfolio quickly and then work up to larger brands as your business grows.

Can I Tell Brands I Sell on Amazon or eBay?

Yes — but be strategic about how and when you mention it. Do not lead with Amazon or eBay in your initial application. Instead lead with your business identity and customer base. Once you are in conversation with the brand’s trade team and they ask specifically where you sell be completely transparent. Most established UK brands actively sell through Amazon themselves and are comfortable with stockists doing the same.

What is the Minimum Order Value I Should Expect?

Minimum order values for UK wholesale brands typically range from £100 to £500 for initial orders. The Brandhunterz Brands Directory lists the verified minimum order value for every brand so you can filter specifically for brands that match your starting budget. We recommend starting with brands that have MOQs of £100 to £200 and scaling up as your cash flow grows.

Related Articles — Keep Learning

• How to Use the Brandhunterz Brands Directory
• How to Start Amazon FBA Wholesale Sourcing as a Beginner
• How to Find Wholesale Suppliers for Amazon FBA UK
• Best Product Categories for Amazon FBA Wholesale in 2026
• How to Calculate Amazon FBA Profit Margins Accurately
• Browse the Brandhunterz Brands Directory — Find Verified Wholesale Brands
• Amazon FBA and eBay Wholesale Courses by Brandhunterz
• Professional Wholesale Sourcing Services by Brandhunterz