A relationship is not a buyer who likes you. It is an account: a named contact, a price list with a date on it, agreed terms, your paperwork on their file, and a route by which they can reorder without a negotiation. Until all of that exists, every order is a fresh sale.

This is also where first wholesale deals most often die, weeks after the yes. Not on price and not on product, but on a certificate of insurance, a vendor form or a tax document that sat unanswered for a month until the buyer moved on. The admin is the gate, and knowing that in advance is most of the advantage.

Expect to be asked for paperwork, and have it ready rather than scrambling. Most buyers want a completed W-9, your business licence, and evidence of product liability insurance. You will want their resale certificate so you are not charging them sales tax on goods they are reselling.

Retailers commonly ask for product liability cover around $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate, and larger retailers often ask to be named as an additional insured on the policy. Requirements vary by buyer and by product category. Not yet confirmed by LAEDC. Get a quote before you need it, because being asked and taking three weeks to answer reads as unready.