A sell sheet is one page that tells a store buyer or a distributor what they need to decide whether to stock your product: what it is and why it sells, the case and pallet, the barcodes, the shelf life and storage, the wholesale price, the suggested retail price and the margin it leaves the store, and how to order. Buyers see many of them, so the good ones put the numbers where a buyer looks first and keep the story to a few lines. In the example below, a sell sheet for two flavors of taro chips and a kūlolo shows each item's case of 12, pallet of 60 cases, shelf life, $3.89 and $5.00 wholesale prices, and the 35.1% and 37.4% margins the suggested retail prices leave the store. Below is what to include, the example, the mistakes, and a free template.
The short version
- One page: the products, the numbers a buyer needs, and how to order.
- Lead with what the product is and who buys it, in two or three lines.
- Give the case, the pallet and the barcodes; buyers can't list a product without them.
- State the shelf life from packing and on delivery, and how it's stored.
- Show the wholesale price, the suggested retail price, and the store's margin at that price.
- End with the minimum order, lead time, payment terms and a contact.
- When the buyer says yes, TaroStack runs the orders, lots and shelf-life rules. More below.
What to include
| Section | What goes in | Why the buyer needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Product and story | Name, a photo, two or three lines on what it is and who buys it | To picture it on the shelf |
| Size and case | Net contents, units in a case | Stores order cases |
| Barcodes | Unit UPC and case GTIN | To set it up in their system |
| Case and pallet | Case size and weight, cases a layer and layers a pallet | Shelving, warehouses and freight |
| Shelf life and storage | Shelf life from packing, what's left on delivery, shelf stable or chilled | How long they have to sell it |
| Prices | Wholesale per unit and per case, suggested retail | What it costs them |
| Store's margin | The margin at your suggested retail price | The number they decide on |
| Ordering | Minimum order, lead time, payment terms, delivery area | How to start |
| Contact | A name, phone and email | Who to call |
Barcodes come from GS1, not from your printer or a reseller of numbers; why that matters to a store is in GS1 barcodes for small food producers.
A filled-in example
Windward Roots, the made-up taro business I use in these examples, sends this to a natural foods store and a distributor:
| Taro chips, sea salt | Taro chips, li hing | Kūlolo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 5 oz bag | 5 oz bag | 8 oz pack |
| Units in a case | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Case size and weight | 12 × 9 × 8 in, 4.2 lb | 12 × 9 × 8 in, 4.2 lb | 10 × 8 × 6 in, 7 lb |
| Pallet | 10 × 6 = 60 cases | 10 × 6 = 60 cases | 12 × 5 = 60 cases |
| Shelf life from packing | 90 days | 90 days | 7 days |
| Storage | Shelf stable | Shelf stable | Refrigerated |
| Wholesale, per unit | $3.89 | $3.89 | $5.00 |
| Wholesale, per case | $46.68 | $46.68 | $60.00 |
| Suggested retail | $5.99 | $5.99 | $7.99 |
| Store's margin | 35.1% | 35.1% | 37.4% |
Ordering: a minimum of 4 mixed cases, orders by Monday noon for Thursday delivery on Oʻahu, payment 15 days from delivery, and at least 60% of the shelf life left on every delivery. How the wholesale price was worked back from the shelf price is in distributor margin, and the order form that goes with the sell sheet is in wholesale order form template.
Mistakes that cost the listing
- No store margin. A buyer works it out anyway; if it's thin, they'd rather know you know.
- No case or pallet details. The buyer can't set the item up, so the sheet goes to the bottom of the pile.
- A shelf life without "from packing" or "on delivery". The buyer needs to know how long they'll have.
- A story that fills the page. Two or three lines, and a good photo, do more than a paragraph.
- Prices that don't match the price list. One price list, dated, and every document taken from it.
- Promises you can't keep. A seven-day product can't promise a distributor 60% shelf life on a two-week route.
What buyers ask of a supplier beyond the sell sheet, from insurance to lot codes, is in requirements for selling food to grocery stores.
Get the template
Download the sell sheet template. One page with room for three products: type your details over the example, and the case price and the store's margin at your suggested retail price work themselves out. Add a photo above the table before you print it or save it as a PDF. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The sell sheet gets the yes. Then come the orders: a store that wants deliveries with 60% of the shelf life left, a distributor that wants case labels with lot codes, a buyer who asks how fast you could trace a problem lot, and the kūlolo's seven-day life against a route that takes three. None of that is on the sell sheet, and all of it is what keeps the listing.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack runs what comes after the yes: orders, lots, labels and the shelf life each customer asked for.
Every customer's rules, kept. Each store and distributor is a customer, with its sales orders, one picking list and delivery notes listing each case's lot and best-by date. A customer's days-of-shelf-life rule is kept with the customer, and the pick takes the oldest lot that still meets it.
Case labels a buyer can scan. Lot labels print with a GS1-128 barcode carrying the item's GTIN, the use-by date and the lot when the item has a 14-digit GTIN, and the lot code alone otherwise. TaroStack doesn't issue barcodes; those come from GS1.
And proof you can trace. One report walks any lot to every customer who got it, with what's still on your shelves, and timed, logged traceability drills give you something to show a buyer who asks how fast you could find a problem lot. Margins are reported by product and by customer.
| What the buyer asks for | Spreadsheet | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| 60% shelf life on delivery | Checked by eye | Their rule, on the pick |
| Lot and date on every case | Handwritten | GS1-128 lot labels |
| "How fast could you trace a lot?" | A guess | A timed, logged drill |
| What the account leaves you | A sum done once | Margins by customer |
Customers, sales orders, lots, lot labels and traceability drills are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.