A wholesale charger partner is a factory you can buy from repeatedly, in growing quantities, with the same tested hardware each time — not a supplier you use once for a container and never hear from again. For a distributor or importer, the partner is worth choosing on four things: order tiers that let you start small, a range your installer customers will actually buy, certification evidence for each model and market, and lead times you can plan stock around. This guide walks through each one, using EVDANCE’s own order tiers and product range as the worked example, and links to deeper guides where a question needs its own answer.
Key Takeaways
- Start with samples (1–9 units), test the market with a small batch (50–499 units, 2–3 week lead time), then move to full OEM (500+ units) once sell-through is proven.
- Build the range around what your installers fit: one portable and one wallbox per supply type in each market is enough to open accounts.
- Ask for certification documents per model and per market before the first order — certification differs by model, and a range-wide claim proves nothing.
- Mixed orders of portables, wallboxes and adapters can be quoted and shipped together, which keeps first orders small without multiplying freight.
What a Wholesale Charger Partner Does That a One-Off Supplier Does Not
Most distributors meet their first EV charger factory through a single RFQ. The price is the headline, but the price only matters if the next order arrives with the same components, the same label and the same documents. A wholesale charger partner is defined less by what it sells you once and more by what stays fixed between orders.
| Question | One-off purchase | Wholesale charger partner |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds the unit? | Often unclear — may be a trading company | The factory that assembles and tests it, so you deal directly with the manufacturer |
| Does the reorder match the first order? | Not guaranteed | Same platform, same configuration, same document set |
| Can you grow quantity in steps? | Fixed MOQ | Sample → small batch → full OEM |
| Can you sell under your own brand? | Rarely at low volume | Logo print from 50 units; full private label from 500 |
| Who answers technical questions from your installers? | Sales contact only | Factory engineering support through your account |
EVDANCE assembles and tests its portable chargers in its own Shenzhen factory. That matters to a distributor for a practical reason: when an installer reports a fault code or asks about a wiring detail, the answer comes from the people who built the unit, not from a middleman forwarding emails.
EV Charger Wholesale Order Tiers: Samples, Small Batch, Full OEM
The most useful thing a wholesale partner can offer a new distributor is a low-risk way in. EVDANCE publishes three order tiers on its EV charger OEM & ODM page, and they map onto the three stages of opening a new market.
| Tier | Quantity | What you get | Lead time | Use it to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample | 1–9 units | Stock colourway, standard logo sticker | Ships within days | Test the hardware, show installers, check documents |
| Small batch | 50–499 units | Custom logo print, choice of colourway | 2–3 weeks | Open your first accounts and measure sell-through |
| Full OEM | 500+ units | Full mould customisation, private packaging, dedicated account manager | Quoted per order | Run your own product line |
Two details are worth knowing before you plan. First, a logo proof takes 3–5 days, with revisions before tooling, so branding does not have to wait for a full OEM commitment. Second, the small-batch tier already carries your logo, which means you can put your own brand in front of installers months before you commit to private moulds.
The step from small batch to full OEM is where most partnerships are decided. We cover what changes at each step — and what to agree in writing before you move up — in OEM charging partnerships: from sample to full OEM under your brand. For background on what drives minimum quantities in the first place, see EV charger MOQ explained.
Build a Range Your Installer Customers Will Actually Buy
A distributor’s real customer is usually the installer or electrical contractor, not the driver. Installers buy what they can fit quickly, explain easily and stand behind. That favours a short range with clear roles over a long catalogue.
Start from the supply your installers meet on site, then pick one product per supply type. Using EVDANCE’s current range as an example:
| Role in the range | Model | Key spec (from the product page) | Main markets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three-phase wallbox | EV-ACT3204E | 22 kW, 32 A three-phase, Type 2 tethered or socket, RFID and app, IP65/IP66 | Europe |
| Level 2 wall station | EV-ACT5006T | 11.5–12 kW, 48 A / 50 A, hardwired or NEMA 14-50P, 25 ft NACS cable | USA, Canada |
| Three-phase portable | EV-ACS1605PE | Up to 11 kW, red CEE 16 A 5-pin, 6–16 A selectable | Europe |
| Single-phase portable | EV-ACS3210E | Up to 7.68 kW, blue CEE, 10–32 A in six settings | Europe, Asia-Pacific |
| Level 2 portable | EV-ACS4005T | Up to 9.6 kW, NEMA 14-50, 10–40 A, NACS | USA, Canada |
| Adapters | JT02, JT08, JT09 | NACS to J1772 (JT02); NACS to CCS1 (JT08, JT09) | North America |
Installers choose a distributor for stock availability, trade terms and how fast technical questions get answered. How they compare distributors — and how you can win those accounts — is covered in which distributors supply EV charging equipment to installers. For a model-by-model view of what electricians ask for, see the installer kit guide.
Certification Evidence Before the First Order
Certification is where wholesale deals most often go wrong, and it is rarely because a product has no certificate at all. The usual problem is a mismatch: the certificate covers a different model number, a different plug configuration or a different market than the units you are about to import.
On EVDANCE’s own pages, certification differs by model. The EV-ACT3204E product page lists CE and RoHS; the EV-ACT5006T page lists FCC, CE and ETL. Neither line is something you should take on trust. Ask for the documents for the exact model and configuration you will sell, and check them against the label before you place a volume order.
| Ask for | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Certificate or test report naming the exact model number | A family certificate may not cover your variant |
| Declaration of conformity for your market | CE and UKCA are declared by the brand placing the product on the market |
| Listing or file number for ETL / UL claims | Lets you verify the listing in the certifier’s own directory |
| Confirmation that branding changes do not alter the tested design | Logo and colour changes usually do not; electrical changes may need retesting |
How to verify each document — and what to do when a supplier cannot provide one — is the subject of where to source EV chargers with verified certifications for import/export. EVDANCE’s documents are listed on the certificates section of our About page.
Branded Wallboxes: Single-Gun Charging Pile OEM/ODM
Portables are the easiest product to brand, because they sell through retail and online channels where packaging and logo do the work. Wallboxes are different: they are bought by installers and site owners, fixed to a wall for years, and judged on installation details. If you plan to sell a wallbox under your own name, the first decision is usually the simplest one — one connector or two.
For homes, small businesses and most workplace bays, a single-gun wall unit is the default. It is the configuration EVDANCE builds as the EV-ACT3204E (22 kW, Type 2) and the EV-ACT5006T (NACS, up to 50 A), and both can be supplied under your brand. We walk through the configuration choices — tethered gun or socket, cable length, access control and what can be branded — in single-gun charging pile OEM/ODM: choosing the wallbox platform for your brand. Dual-gun stations such as the EV-AC03201T serve a different buyer, the charge point operator.
Lead Times, Logistics and Mixed Orders
A wholesale relationship lives or dies on whether stock arrives when your installers need it. Three points to agree before the first purchase order:
- Lead time per tier. Samples ship within days; small batches of 50–499 units take 2–3 weeks; larger OEM orders are quoted with their own lead time. Ask what the lead time covers — production only, or production plus inspection and packing. Our guide to lead times for EV chargers from China explains how to read a quote.
- Shipping terms. EVDANCE ships FOB or DDP. FOB suits importers with their own forwarder; DDP suits smaller distributors who want a delivered price. Either way, build freight and duty into your landed cost — see landed cost of an imported EV charger.
- Mixed orders. Portables, wallboxes and adapters can be quoted and shipped together. For a new distributor this is the practical way to stock a full starter range without ordering 50 units of every model.
If supply continuity is your main concern, our guide on how to judge a supplier’s supply stability and delivery lists the questions to ask before you commit.
Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Wholesale Charger Partner
Price comparisons between factories are only meaningful once the answers below line up. Put the same questions to every supplier on your shortlist and compare the replies side by side — vague answers are themselves an answer.
| Area | Question to ask | A useful answer looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | Do you assemble and test this model in your own factory? | Yes, with the factory location and the in-line tests named |
| Configuration | Will reorders use the same components and firmware as the approved sample? | A written configuration record tied to your model number |
| Documents | Which certificates cover this exact model, plug and market? | Named documents per model, available before you order |
| Branding | What can be branded at 50 units, and what needs 500? | A clear split between logo print and mould or packaging changes |
| After-sales | What is the warranty, and how are faulty units handled? | A stated warranty period and a defined return or replacement route |
| Support | Who answers technical questions from my installers? | A named contact with access to engineering |
On EVDANCE’s product pages the standard warranty is listed as three years. Whatever the supplier, get the warranty terms and the fault-handling process in writing before you quote installers, because your installers will hold you — not the factory — to them. If you are moving an existing line from another factory, read switching EV charger suppliers without losing certification first.
Finally, ask for references to the product, not to customers: a sample unit, the full specification sheet and the document set for that model. Those three items tell you more about a prospective wholesale charger partner than any brochure, and they are the same items your own installers will ask you for later.
How to Start: What to Send in Your First Inquiry
The fastest way to get a comparable quote is to send the same five facts every factory needs:
- Target market — country, and whether you sell to installers, retailers or online.
- Products and supply — portable or wallbox, single- or three-phase, input plug, vehicle connector (Type 2, Type 1 or NACS).
- Quantity per model — for the first order and an honest estimate for the year.
- Branding — stock, logo print, or full private label with your packaging.
- Documents needed — which certificates and declarations your market or retail channel requires.
Our guide to writing an RFQ that gets comparable quotes has a template you can reuse.
Ready to test the range? Send your market, products and target quantity through the EV charger OEM & ODM quote form, or start with portables on our portable EV charger manufacturer page. We reply with a quotation, sample options and lead time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum order to become a wholesale partner?
There is no separate partner threshold. Samples of 1–9 units come first; custom orders with your logo start at 50 units; full OEM with mould customisation and private packaging starts at 500 units.
Can I sell under my own brand from the first batch?
Yes, from the small-batch tier. Orders of 50–499 units include custom logo print and a choice of colourway. Logo proofing takes 3–5 days.
Can one order include portables, wallboxes and adapters?
Yes. Mixed orders are quoted and shipped together, which is how most distributors build a starter range.
Which certificates come with the products?
Certification differs by model and market. Ask for the documents for the exact model and configuration you plan to sell, and verify them before ordering in volume.
Related Reading
- Which Distributors Supply EV Charging Equipment to Installers? What Installers Should Check
- OEM Charging Partnerships: From Sample to Full OEM Under Your Brand
- Single-Gun Charging Pile OEM/ODM: Choosing the Wallbox Platform for Your Brand
- Where to Source EV Chargers With Verified Certifications for Import/Export
- Buying EV Chargers From China: A First-Time Importer’s Roadmap
- Distributor Starter Range: A European Line-Up From EVDANCE
