Open Shelf · Free one-pager · from behind the counter
What buyers hate in a first email
And what to do instead.
I run a small shop, and I read pitches from makers most weeks. Most of them are for good products. They fail because the email makes me do work I don’t have time for. Here’s what makes a first email hard to say yes to, and the easy fix for each.
No prices. Instead: Put wholesale and suggested retail (MSRP) in the email or on an attached line sheet. If I have to write back to ask what it costs, it goes to the bottom of the pile.
Ignoring how the shop asked to be pitched. Instead: 350 shops in our list use a form and 25 give an exact subject line. Do exactly that.
Links and nothing else. Instead: Show 3–5 photos in the email. Austin Art Garage says outright they won’t click links alone.
A 10 MB attachment, or six of them. Instead: One PDF line sheet, kept small. Photos inline, sized for a phone.
The whole founder story up front. Instead: Five sentences: who you are, what you make, why it fits this shop, prices, how to order. I want the story. I want it after I know the price works.
“Dear Shop Owner” and 40 shops in the CC line. Instead: Use the shop’s name. Name a product of theirs your line would sit next to.
Not saying where else you sell. Instead: List stockists, especially nearby ones. CITRINE and Frances ask for this by name.
Not knowing your terms. Instead: Decide before you send: wholesale, consignment, or both. Know your minimum order.
Walking in with samples, or calling to “check you got it.” Instead: 30+ shops in our list say no calls, no walk-ins or no drop-offs. Email first. A Saturday afternoon is when I’m busiest. A bag of samples at the counter puts me in an awkward spot.
Three follow-ups in two weeks. Instead: One kind follow-up after a week or two, with something new: a bestseller, press, a seasonal item. More than one starts to feel like pressure.
The best pitch I get is one I can say yes to in five minutes, from my phone, between customers.
From Open Shelf — independent US shops that accept new brands
Shop counts are from published pitch instructions in the Open Shelf directory (625 shops, checked Oct 2026).
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New listings in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and 32 more cities (and the next cities as we add them), calls that just closed, vetted brand picks for buyers, and pitch notes from the other side of the counter. Sent as a short email occasionally while we're new, and growing into a weekly list as more shops and brands sign up — so we only email when there's a batch worth your inbox.
