Home / Blog

Size grids

What is a prepack in apparel wholesale, and how do you sell them on Shopify?

A prepack is a fixed bundle of sizes that a store buys as one unit. Prepacks make wholesale orders simpler for both sides, but only if the ratio, the price and the way you set them up in Shopify are all clear. Here is how they work.

By Ram, founder of Orderseam · October 12, 2026 · 7 min read

What is a prepack?

A prepack (also called a size pack, pack or assortment) is a set number of pieces of one style and color, in a set mix of sizes, that a store must buy together. Instead of choosing a quantity for every size, the buyer orders a number of packs.

The mix of sizes is the size ratio, written as a string of numbers in the style's size order. A tee made in S, M, L and XL might come in a 1-2-2-1 prepack: one S, two M, two L and one XL. The middle sizes get more pieces because they usually sell faster.

Many brands offer one standard prepack per size range, and some offer two (one weighted small, one weighted large) so stores can match their customers.

Why do brands sell prepacks?

• Simpler orders. A buyer writes "4 packs" instead of a full size grid, so there's less to type and less to get wrong.
• Balanced size runs. Stores get a sensible spread of sizes, and you don't end up with a warehouse full of XS and XL.
• Faster packing. Packs can be bagged or boxed in advance, which makes picking quicker in a busy season.
• Natural minimums. A 6-piece pack is a built-in minimum per style and color.

The trade-off is flexibility. A small boutique may want only two of each size, or no XL at all. That's why many brands also offer open stock (any sizes, any quantities), sometimes with a higher minimum or price.

How do you read a prepack on a purchase order?

Buyers write prepacks in a few ways: "3 PP 1-2-2-1", "Pack A × 3", "3 packs (6/pk)", or just a quantity next to a style number that you only sell in packs. To turn that into pieces:

1. Find the pack's ratio. Use the ratio written on the PO, or your line sheet's ratio for that pack name.
2. Line the ratio up with the sizes in your size order for that style.
3. Multiply each size by the number of packs.
4. Check the total. Pieces should equal packs × pieces per pack.

The most expensive mistake is reading packs as pieces: entering 3 units instead of 18. The second is a ratio applied to the wrong sizes, for example a 1-2-2-1 pack laid over XS to L instead of S to XL. For more on reading size runs, see how to read an apparel size grid on a wholesale order.

How should you price a prepack?

The pack price is normally the wholesale price per piece times the pieces in the pack. A tee at a made-up $12 wholesale in a 6-piece pack is $72 per pack. Two things keep invoices clean:

• Show both prices on the line sheet: per piece and per pack.
• Say which one the invoice uses. A PO that shows $12 and an invoice that shows $72 for "3" can look like an overcharge to a store's bookkeeper, even when it's right.

If sizes have different prices (for example, extended sizes cost more), price the pack as the sum of its pieces, and say so.

How do you set up prepacks on Shopify?

Shopify doesn't have a built-in "prepack" type, so brands usually pick one of two approaches.

1. Sell sizes, order in the ratio

Keep one variant per size, as you already do, and enter a prepack order as the individual sizes multiplied out. Your stock stays accurate per size, and your draft order or invoice shows every size the store receives. This is the simplest option for most brands, and it works with draft orders.

2. Make the pack its own product or variant

Create a pack as its own item, for example a Size option value "Prepack 1-2-2-1" with its own SKU and pack price. This is easy for buyers to see on a wholesale storefront, but a plain pack variant has its own stock count and doesn't take stock from the individual sizes. If you need that, use a bundle setup that links the pack to its component variants, through Shopify's bundle features or a bundle app, and check what your plan and apps support before relying on it.

Whichever you choose, give each pack a consistent name or SKU (such as TEE-CRM-PPA) and print it on the line sheet. Buyers tend to copy whatever is on the line sheet onto their POs.

Common questions

What does 1-2-2-1 mean on a prepack?

It is the size ratio inside one pack, read in the style's size order. For a style made in S, M, L and XL, a 1-2-2-1 prepack holds 1 S, 2 M, 2 L and 1 XL, which is 6 pieces per pack.

Should a prepack be priced per pack or per piece?

Either works, as long as your line sheet, Shopify and invoices all say which one. Many brands show both: the price per piece and the price per pack. What causes disputes is a PO priced per piece and an invoice priced per pack, or the other way round.

Can a store order open stock instead of prepacks?

That is up to you. Some brands sell only prepacks, some sell only open stock (any sizes, any quantities), and some offer both with a different minimum or price. Put your rule on the line sheet so buyers know before they write the PO.