What should be included in an RFQ?

The most practical RFQ inquiry template to help you find matching suppliers

When you submit an RFQ and get a supplier’s quotation, it is more important to write high-quality inquiry content to attract high-quality suppliers.

It can be written according to the following template, which consists of 5 paragraphs, each of which points out a key point.

• 1. Introduce yourself in the first paragraph and specify the product you want to buy in the clearest way. You can also mention your company name here.

• 2. Specify the quantity to be purchased. If it is a trial order, you can also declare that the quantity will be increased in the future.

• 3. Talk about packaging. Some suppliers will quote you a lower product price first, and then increase the high packaging cost. By discussing custom packaging, you can also exclude suppliers who cannot provide personalized packaging.

• 4. Ask about shipping costs. If you show the supplier that you have your own forwarder and you are a professional buyer, the supplier will likely not defraud you from shipping costs.

• 5. Specify the address in detail. If you want the supplier to help ship the product to a specific location in your country/region, the supplier’s forwarder will need a detailed address to calculate the accurate shipping cost.

In short, quantity, packaging, and shipping costs are all important aspects so that the supplier can provide you with a reliable quotation. In addition to this information, you can also include other questions to ask before submitting the inquiry. In this way, you can also easily find professional suppliers by check their answers to your questions.

It should be noted that the price does not mean anything unless the supplier can deliver what you want.

1. Choose a manufacturer instead of a trading company.

You can identify them by studying the supplier’s information and product catalogs. Factories usually specialize in the production of certain types of products, and trading companies tend to sell multiple categories of products, and their prices are usually 10%-30% higher than those of the factory.

2. Select suppliers located in the industrial cluster of this product.

For experienced buyers, they have an industry map in mind. For example, most of the suppliers of stainless steel wine glasses are concentrated in the Wuyi area of ​​Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province. If the supplier is not in these areas, you can check their quotations and information to decide whether to proceed.

3. Choose experienced suppliers and salespeople with good communication skills.

The experienced sales staff will not only answer your questions in a professional way，but also provide you with suggestions and various solutions before you make your request.

4. Balance price and quality.

If you are satisfied with 2-3 quotations, you can contact the supplier and asking for samples to compare quality. Then, you can more fully consider which supplier to work with.

Hope that the above templates and main points can help you when you are looking for reliable suppliers on Alibaba!