Line sheets for department store buyers
A line sheet is the document a buyer plans from after the meeting. For a department store buyer it has to answer three questions fast: what is it, what will it make me, and when can I have it.
By Philip Radvan, founder. Updated . 6 minute read.
What every style needs
- A clear front photo, and a back view where the back matters.
- Style number, name and a one-line description.
- Fabric content and country of origin.
- Colors offered, each with its own swatch or photo.
- Size range, and the size scale or pack if you sell in prepacks.
- Wholesale price and suggested retail (MSRP).
- Delivery window: the ship start and cancel dates the buyer will write on the order.
Show the margin math
Department store buyers plan to a margin target. Make it easy: wholesale price and MSRP on the same line, so the markup is visible at a glance. If you sell landed (duty paid) or first cost (the buyer imports), say which price is which, and on every page, not only the cover.
Put the terms where they will be read
One short block, on the first or last page, beats terms scattered across the sheet.
- Minimums per style and per order.
- Payment terms and how orders are confirmed.
- Delivery windows for the whole season, if styles ship in drops.
- Who to contact, with a direct email and phone.
One line sheet per account
A department store buyer does not want your whole line. Send the styles that fit their floor, their price points and their customer, in the order you would pitch them. A shorter sheet that fits gets read; a full catalog gets skimmed.
Keep the master line in one place and build each account's sheet from it, so a price or a photo changes once, not in twelve files.
Mistakes that cost the order
Most line sheets that fail do so on small things. A photo that does not match the color name. A delivery window that has already passed. A price that changed after the meeting but not on the sheet. Each one makes a buyer stop trusting the rest of the page.
- Date every line sheet on the cover, and send a new one when anything changes.
- Show only colors you can actually deliver in the window you list.
- Keep wholesale and retail prices on the same line, never on separate pages.
- Never send cost, landed cost or another account's pricing by mistake: build each sheet from a list whose pricing you chose on purpose.
PDF for the meeting, a portal for the order
Most buyers still want a PDF they can print and mark up. Send one. Then give them a place to come back to: the same styles online, with current photos and availability, where they can build a list and share it with their team.
Where Garmiq fits
Garmiq builds line sheets from the same records your team already keeps.
- Lists that become line sheets: PDF and print, with pricing per list (MSRP, margin, cost or landed).
- An invite-only buyer portal per account: the current line, wishlists buyers share with colleagues, and a sample cart.
- Prices masked by role, so buyers never see cost.
More guides: How to track garment samples, Points of measure, a practical guide, The time and action calendar for garment production, Off-price vendor requirements, Routing guide compliance and chargebacks, The sample request process with wholesale buyers.