Odoo for Wholesale Distributors: Pricelists, Reordering Rules and Dropshipping

Illustration: the people shown are AI-generated and fictional.

Wholesale distribution runs on two numbers that are hard to keep right by hand: the price each customer should pay, and the quantity of each item that should be on the shelf. Get the first wrong and margin leaks on every order. Get the second wrong and you are either short on fast movers or paying to store slow ones.

Odoo handles both with three standard features: pricelists, reordering rules and dropshipping. This guide explains how each works in Odoo 19 and how distributors usually combine them, based on Odoo’s own documentation.

Pricelists: The Right Price for Every Account

A pricelist applies a set of price rules that override the sales price on the product form. It can apply to every product or only to specific customers, customer groups, orders or time periods, and it suggests a price that the salesperson can still override on the order. Turn it on in Sales › Configuration › Settings.

Each price rule is one of three types:

• Discount: a percentage off, or a mark-up with a negative value. The customer sees the discount on the quotation.
• Formula: a calculation on a base price with a discount, rounding and an extra fee. The customer doesn’t see it as a discount.
• Fixed Price: a set price for the products the rule covers.

Each rule can also set a minimum quantity, which is how quantity breaks for wholesale accounts are built, and a validity period for promotions or contract prices that end on a date.

Reordering Rules: Stock Between a Minimum and a Maximum

Reordering rules keep forecasted stock above a minimum without going over a maximum. When the forecast falls below the minimum, Odoo creates a replenishment order:

• For bought products, a request for quotation to the first vendor listed on the product’s Purchase tab.
• For manufactured products, a manufacturing order, which needs a bill of materials.

Rules work on forecasted stock, not on-hand stock, so incoming purchase orders and committed sales are counted. The product must be set to Goods with Track Inventory ticked, or Odoo can’t trigger the rule.

Dropshipping: Selling Without Stocking

With dropshipping, the vendor stores the product and ships it to your customer. Enable it in Purchase settings, then tick the Dropship route on the product’s Inventory tab. From then on:

• Confirming a sales order automatically creates a request for quotation to the vendor.
• Confirming that RFQ creates a dropship receipt from the vendor to the customer.
• Validating the receipt on delivery confirms what the customer received.

Enabling both the Buy and Dropship routes keeps the option of buying a product into stock for some orders and dropshipping it for others.

How Distributors Usually Combine Them

• Fast movers: stocked, with reordering rules tuned to demand and vendor lead time.
• Slow, bulky or special-order items: dropshipped, so they never take up warehouse space.
• Key accounts: their own pricelist with quantity breaks, so reps quote the agreed price without looking it up.
• Promotions: a pricelist rule with a validity period that switches off on its own.

Imported goods add one more cost question: freight, insurance and duty. Our guide to landed costs in Odoo covers how to include them in product cost. For a wider view, see Odoo for wholesale distributors.

Odoo for Wholesale Distributors: FAQ