Why We Went Direct: How Sunsum® Built a Platform-Independent Wholesale Channel

There is a conversation happening quietly among independent makers, and it is getting louder. It is a conversation about platform economics — about what it actually costs to sell through third-party wholesale marketplaces when you are a small, handmade brand operating on tight margins.

Sunsum® Intentional Living has been part of that conversation for the past two years. And in 2025, we made a decision: we went direct.

What Changed

The platform economics shifted. Commission structures that once made sense for small brands became untenable as fees climbed. The math on small wholesale orders — the kind that independent boutiques place — stopped working. What had been a viable wholesale channel became a structural liability.

Rather than accept that as the cost of doing business, we built our own channel.

What We Built

Our direct wholesale program runs entirely on Shopify B2B — our own infrastructure, our own pricing, our own relationship with every buyer. No intermediaries. No commission on top of your order. No platform fees eating into the margins that allow small makers to actually sustain their work.

What this means for boutiques is straightforward: you pay the wholesale price. That is it. The savings that were previously captured by the platform stay in the transaction — available to us to continue making quality products, and available to you to price them right for your customers.

What Sunsum® Wholesale Looks Like

Our wholesale program includes access to our full active catalog: 22 fragrance oils in two sizes, our complete botanical line (smudge sticks, palo santo, floral wands, potpourri), reed diffuser sticks in nine styles, and our Gypsum Pottery collection of handcast decorative trays and planters.

Every product is handmade in Henderson, Nevada. Every order ships from our studio. There is no drop-shipping, no third-party fulfillment, no anonymized supplier behind a white label.

Who This Is For

This channel was built for boutiques, gift shops, spas, and wellness retailers who want a genuine relationship with the brand they are carrying. If you have been buying through a marketplace, you may have been buying from us without knowing it. Now you can know us directly.

If you are ready to explore a direct wholesale relationship with Sunsum®, visit our wholesale application page or reach out to us at support@sunsumintention.com. We review every application personally and respond within 48 hours.