Reading the Seed Catalogue as a Reseller: Structure, Scope and Where the Shop Decides

A wholesale seed catalogue is often read the way a retail shelf is read: item by item. For a reseller, that reading misses the point. The catalogue is a request instrument, organised in layers, and it ends where the shop's own range decision begins. This overview maps the structure of the Bulk Seeds International catalogue, explains what its resale-only focus means for a garden shop, and shows which decisions belong to the wholesaler and which must be made in the shop itself.

A catalogue for resellers, not for end customers

The catalogue is addressed to seed retailers, garden shops and resellers purchasing seeds for resale. This is not a marketing tone but a structural fact: the entries exist so that a shop can compose a resale assortment and request a quotation. Nothing on the site is a checkout. Selection is therefore the first half of a two-part process, and the second half is the response from the wholesaler.

Three layers: group, species, variety

Every catalogue area is built the same way. A seed group such as vegetables or herbs contains subcategories, each subcategory sits on a species page, and the variety records sit on that species page. The herb group, for example, splits into aromatic, medicinal and other blocks, and individual pages such as basil or mint list their species records, each carrying its own set of varieties. A shop reading the catalogue should move down these layers deliberately rather than searching by common name.

Species records are not interchangeable

On the mint page, Mentha spicata, Mentha longifolia, Mentha piperita and Mentha pulegium are listed as separate catalogue records. On the basil page, Ocimum basilicum, Ocimum americanum and Ocimum sanctum are kept apart. The same pattern appears among brassicas, where a shared genus does not make cabbage, curled kale and other foliage selections the same article. For a reseller, this means a species name alone is a starting point, not a finished request.

Trade names need a qualifier

Cultivar and trade descriptions carry meaning that a species label cannot. Lemon basil appears in more than one record, so it does not by itself specify an article. Genovese, Dark Opal and Holy Green identify different selections within their species. Kale and cabbage entries use horticultural group names alongside botanical ones. A catalogue reference, preserved exactly, is the only reliable way to pin down which of several similar-looking entries is meant.

Where the catalogue ends and the shop decides

The catalogue supplies records, pack-size information and the enquiry route. It does not decide which varieties a shop should stock, in what depth, or for which customer group. That assortment decision belongs to the retailer and depends on local demand, shelf space and season. The wholesaler's side is availability, pack size, price and shipping, all confirmed later. Keeping these two zones apart prevents the catalogue from being read as a stocking recommendation.

Enquiries are non-binding by design

Adding varieties to the basket or sending the enquiry form does not conclude a purchase contract. An automated acknowledgement only confirms receipt for review. The wholesaler then checks the requested items, quantities and destination and issues a quotation in which availability, pack sizes, prices, taxes, shipping charges and payment terms are stated separately. This is why the catalogue can be browsed freely: nothing is committed until a quotation is accepted through a separate agreement.

Prices and units are confirmed, not fixed

Listed prices and quantity tiers appear on variety pages, species lists and quick enquiry pages, but final prices and shipping charges are confirmed in the quotation. Units matter here: a price per kilogram is a different basis from a price for a stated number of seeds, and the product's recorded unit should be used in the enquiry. Pack size and available quantity are also checked at quotation stage rather than assumed from the listing.

What the shop brings to the request

A workable enquiry carries what the catalogue cannot know: the business name, contact details, the requested items with their references, the quantities with their units, and the destination. A shop that prepares these before opening the catalogue turns browsing into a request that can be quoted without follow-up questions. The wholesaler reviews the selection; the shop supplies the commercial context in which that selection is meant to be sold.

Unlisted varieties and documentation

If a needed species or variety does not appear in the catalogue, a reseller can still ask. The enquiry should name the botanical or variety name, the quantity and the destination. Where the botanical label of an imported entry is broad, clarification against the reference is appropriate. Descriptions and listed prices relate to catalogue entries and do not confirm current stock or batch-specific test results, so any documentation needed for a proposed shipment should be requested explicitly.

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