Handshake Wholesale (Shopify) Review: What Makers Need to Know After Its Closure
Updated March 2026
💡 Shopify's Handshake wholesale marketplace shut down in 2023. Here's what indie makers experienced on the platform and the best alternatives for wholesale selling now.
Since Shopify is such an important part of my brands’ worlds, many were excited to hear that Shopify would be running a wholesale marketplace, called Handshake.
It has been a rocky road for Handshake, unfortunately. There was much speculation that Handshake would be shut down after Shopify acquired them in 2019, but Handshake continued to operate for several years. That is, until they were quietly phased out in late 2023. Here’s the backstory and what you need to know as a maker or small brand.
What Was Shopify’s Handshake Wholesale Platform?
Run by Shopify, Handshake was an online wholesale marketplace that connected brands and retailers. It became fully operational in late 2020, after Shopify purchased Handshake for close to $100 million in 2019. Under the Shopify umbrella, Handshake could afford to charge zero commissions or fees (for brands or retailers), outside the monthly charges to run Shopify and credit card processing fees. While Handshake was never a large competitor among wholesale marketplaces, they were a good way for brands to diversify their wholesale strategy.
What Happened To Handshake?
In October of 2023, Handshake was quietly retired shortly after Shopify announced their investment into Faire. With this announcement, Faire launched their official Shopify buyer and seller apps, and became the recommended wholesale marketplace for Shopify merchants. In return, Shopify is now the preferred POS provider for Faire’s merchants. If you're considering leaning into Faire as a result, our Making Faire Work course covers exactly what the platform looks like today.
What Other Marketplace Options Exist?
Handshake is far from the first wholesale platform to close. Etsy Wholesale, Tundra, Abound, and now Handshake are all demonstrations of how precarious it can be for a small brand to depend on a single platform for wholesale sales. Marketplaces often change and evolve, and being dependent on just one tool can leave brands stranded if/when marketplace changes occur.
In terms of alternatives to Handshake, Faire remains the biggest player in the wholesale marketplace landscape. And for many brands, Faire is a smart part of a diversified wholesale strategy — though succeeding on it today takes more active effort than it used to. (Our Making Faire Work course is built specifically around what it actually takes.) That said, even Faire could be vulnerable – so we recommend considering other wholesale platforms (whether Bulletin, or others) as well as other approaches to growth (like direct outreach to stores).
4 Things About Faire Most Makers Get Wrong
🔓 What Faire actually requires to succeed (and what most sellers never find out)
🔓 The real limits of the platform — before they cost you time and money
🔓 Exactly how to decide if Faire is worth it for your specific business
More Free Resources on Faire, Tundra, And The Wholesale Marketplaces:
Smart Ways to Use Faire to Grow Wholesale as a Maker — And Mistakes to Avoid
How to Compare and Choose The Right Wholesale Marketplace For You
Creoate Wholesale Marketplace: Brand Tips + How It Compares To Faire
*At Wholesale In a Box we do not receive any commissions or compensation of any kind from Handshake, Shopify or any other marketplace. All of our educational content is meant to support makers and small brands in making the right choices for them.