This guide explains how to apply for wholesale access, shop the wholesale catalog, submit purchase orders, manage delivery settings, and pay invoices or statements.
1. Get Started
Use the store's wholesale entry point or click the store header's Wholesale Products link when it is available. If you are not signed in, the page will ask you to log in or create an account.
After you create a login and verify your email, return to wholesale and complete the application. The application asks for your business name, business type, tax ID if applicable, and any extra information the vendor should know.
The login that submits the application becomes the buyer owner. The owner can always view and pay bills unless the vendor later transfers ownership to another linked user.
You can apply before you are approved, but you cannot see full wholesale pricing or place wholesale purchase orders until the vendor approves your account.
2. Application Status
To check your wholesale status, open the account side menu and click Wholesale Account.
| Status | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | The vendor has not reviewed your application yet. | Review your account information and wait for approval. |
| Approved | Your wholesale account is active. | Shop wholesale, submit POs, view invoices, and pay balances. |
| Suspended | The vendor temporarily disabled the account. | Contact the vendor for help. |
| Rejected | The vendor declined the application. | You may reapply if circumstances change. |
3. Wholesale Account Dashboard
After approval, click Wholesale Account in the account side menu. The dashboard has tabs for your wholesale activity.
| Tab | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Overview | See credit limit, outstanding balance, cash balance, open POs, upcoming deliveries, and issued invoices. |
| Orders | Review recent purchase orders. |
| Invoices | Review recent invoices and payment status. This is visible only to the owner or users with bill-pay access. |
| Statements | Review monthly statements when the vendor uses cycle billing. This is visible only to users with bill-pay access. |
| Payments | Manage your bank profile, billing address, and cash account. This is visible only to users with bill-pay access. |
| Settings | Update contact information, delivery defaults, and address book. |
If your login is linked to more than one wholesale buyer, use the buyer selector at the top of the wholesale account pages to switch businesses.
A linked user can place orders for the buyer. To view invoices, statements, cash account, or bank settings, that user also needs bill-pay access from the vendor.
4. Shop the Wholesale Catalog
Click Wholesale Products in the account side menu or store header. This opens the wholesale catalog with your buyer-specific pricing.
Some stores also offer a table-style catalog for faster bulk ordering. Look for the table or list view control on the wholesale catalog page.
Some vendors allow public catalog preview. Preview lets visitors browse, but adding items and checking out still require an approved wholesale buyer.
Wholesale and retail carts are separate. Adding wholesale items will not change your regular store cart.
5. Submit a Purchase Order
Wholesale purchase orders are one delivery at a time. Before adding the first item, choose the delivery address and delivery date. If you do not have a saved wholesale delivery address yet, CSAware will send you to add one first.
Once items are in the cart, the delivery address and date are locked for that PO. Submit or clear the cart before starting a PO for a different delivery.
To submit a purchase order, two things must be true:
- Your wholesale buyer account is approved.
- You have an active bank profile on file.
During checkout, confirm the delivery information you picked before shopping, enter your own PO reference if you use one, and review any minimum order requirement.
After you submit, the vendor receives the PO for review. You will see a confirmation page and can later track the PO from your account.
If your account has a credit limit, checkout checks this PO together with your open POs and unpaid invoices. A small overage may still go to the vendor for review. A larger overage is blocked until you contact the vendor or pay down your balance.
6. Track Orders
Click Wholesale Account / Orders or the account side menu's Order History link to review purchase orders.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open | You submitted the PO and the vendor has not confirmed it yet. |
| Approved | The vendor confirmed the PO and is preparing it for shipment. |
| Shipped or invoiced | The vendor marked the order shipped. It may be ready for an invoice, or already linked to one. |
| Voided | The PO was cancelled. |
You can cancel a PO only while it is still open. Once the vendor approves or invoices it, contact the vendor if something needs to change.
7. Review Invoices and Statements
Click Wholesale Account / Invoices to see invoices issued to your buyer account. Draft invoices are not shown. This section is available only to the buyer owner or users with bill-pay access.
Open an invoice to review source POs, line items, payments applied, outstanding balance, and the printable PDF.
The invoice list also shows whether you have a bank profile ready for direct payment. If your vendor uses monthly statements, invoices also show which statement they belong to.
Some vendors use monthly cycle billing. In that case, shipped orders still create invoices, but those invoices collect on a monthly statement before they are due. Open Wholesale Account / Statements to see statement totals, due dates, PDFs, and payment options.
8. Pay Invoices and Statements
Set Up Your Bank Profile
Open Wholesale Account / Payments. Use this tab to enter or update the billing address and ACH bank account used for wholesale payments.
Bank information is stored at the buyer account level. If your login is connected to more than one business, each buyer has its own bank profile.
Only the buyer owner or a user with bill-pay access can manage the bank profile.
Pay On Demand
Open Wholesale Account / Invoices, select the issued invoices you want to pay, and click the pay button. CSAware first applies any cash credit already on your account, then charges only the remaining amount to your bank profile.
If your account has monthly statements, you can also open Wholesale Account / Statements and pay a full open statement. The payment still settles the invoices that make up the statement.
Auto-Billing
The vendor may use automatic billing. When an invoice reaches its due date, CSAware applies available cash credit and then charges the remaining balance to your bank profile. For monthly statements, invoices become due after the statement is issued.
You will receive an email when auto-billing succeeds, fails, or cannot run because no active bank profile is on file.
9. Cash Account
Your cash account is the running ledger for wholesale debits and credits. A positive balance means you have credit with the vendor. A negative balance means you owe the vendor.
Open Wholesale Account / Payments or the wholesale account cash ledger link to review payments, invoices, adjustments, and running balance.
10. Delivery Settings
Open Wholesale Account / Settings to manage delivery defaults and addresses.
- Set the default delivery day or pickup location for new POs.
- Save delivery addresses so they are available at checkout.
- Review the delivery calendar to see upcoming wholesale deliveries.
These defaults pre-fill checkout so you do not have to choose the same delivery information every time. You still choose a valid delivery date before adding the first item to a wholesale cart.
11. Contact Information
Open Wholesale Account / Settings to keep buyer contact information current. The contact email is the primary recipient for buyer notifications, including PO approvals, invoices, statements, payment receipts, and auto-billing notices.
If several users are linked to the same buyer, the primary contact is the main recipient and other verified users may receive copies.
12. Email Notifications
| When | What you receive |
|---|---|
| The vendor approves your PO | A PO approval email. |
| The vendor issues an invoice | An invoice email with invoice details and PDF access. |
| The vendor issues a statement | A statement email with statement details and PDF access. |
| The vendor records a payment | A payment receipt, if the vendor chooses to send one. |
| Auto-billing succeeds | A payment success receipt. |
| Auto-billing fails | A failure notice with action needed. |
| No bank profile is active | A reminder to add or fix your bank profile. |
13. Troubleshooting
I cannot enter the wholesale catalog
Make sure you are signed in and that the vendor has approved your wholesale application.
Checkout says I need approval or a bank profile
Open Wholesale Account. Confirm your buyer status is approved, then open Payments and confirm the bank profile is active.
I am asked to choose a delivery location and date
Wholesale POs are one delivery at a time. Choose a saved delivery address and available date, then return to the catalog.
I cannot see invoices, statements, payments, or bank settings
Your login is linked to the buyer, but may not have bill-pay access. Ask the buyer owner or vendor to grant that access.
I am locked out of bank updates
Several failed validation attempts can temporarily lock bank updates. Ask the vendor to reset the lockout.
Auto-billing keeps failing
Update your bank profile from Wholesale Account / Payments, then contact the vendor if an invoice needs to be retried.