How do you request a quote?

Once you’ve picked a supplier you need to find out if they can in fact deliver. Your first communication with the supplier is likely going to be a request for quotation. Request for quotation, RFQ, is the name of the game with wholesale suppliers of any kind. It’s the only way to find out the prices from a supplier; you’ll get the hang of it very quickly because you will be doing it often. Basically, you’re sending an email asking how much something is based on the quantity you want to buy. However, nothing is this simple. You should treat it as a serious business inquiry instead of an IM between you and the supplier. You should plan your email to get the best possible response. Don’t waste your time by going back and forth on missing pieces of information.
 

You want to be informed on a few things starting with the supplier’s minimum order quantity, MOQ. This differs from supplier to supplier. You need to know if you can afford and handle the minimum quantity they are selling. The other most important question you need to ask: how much their products will cost you. Most suppliers do high discount pricing for higher quantity orders. Ask for the price of various quantities to get a feel for their production pricing.
 

Next, you need to find out the turnaround time and shipping terms. Timing is everything in a dropshipping business. How long does it take them to ship the item to your customer is an important question also. You need to know if an item will take a long time to ship, or not. Additionally, you’ll also need to ask about their payment terms to make sure you’re okay with how they charge for their products. As with everything, it varies from supplier to supplier. You don’t want to be surprised about how they expect you to pay for the inventory.
 

The very last thing you want to ask is about their samples. Some suppliers provide discounted rates for them, some don’t. It’s important to ask and to order some if you can afford it. This way, you’ll get a feel for the products you will be selling to your own customer. This last step of contacting the supplier for an RFQ will ultimately let you judge them to be a good fit for you. If they are not, move on to the next one, there are plenty to choose from.