How to Write an RFQ Chinese Suppliers Will Actually Answer

Most first messages to a Chinese supplier are a greeting, a product name and a question mark. They feel polite and quick to send, and they rarely produce a price. This guide explains what a supplier needs before it can quote, lists the specifications that decide the price in common categories, and gives you an RFQ template and a short WhatsApp version you can copy. It ends with how to compare the replies so the cheapest quote is not simply the vaguest.

Why "hi" and "price?" get no useful answer#

A supplier cannot price a product it cannot identify, and it answers specific requests first. Suppliers, traders and agents receive a steady stream of inbound messages, and a large share of them are spam, phishing or people who will never order, so a message without product details goes to the bottom of the pile.

The partner inquiry sample in the CSW Field Data block above shows the pattern. Of 79 messages received in two weeks, 19 were phishing or scams. Of the 60 genuine contacts, 32 stalled because the product was never defined: 24 opened with a greeting only, and 8 named a category, such as clothing "in SHEIN style", water pumps, drinking-water tap filters or automotive belts, but did not reply when asked for the style, the pump's flow and head, the quantity or the certifications needed. None of the 60 reached the point of a quote that could be sent to factories.

Platforms reward specific requests in the same way. Alibaba.com's usage guidelines for sellers, as of October 2026, tell suppliers to filter buyer requests by quality grade, posting time, buyer location and order quantity, and to judge whether a request is specific before spending one of its limited quote slots on it; each request accepts only ten quotes. A vague request is the one a busy supplier skips.

What a supplier needs to price your product#

A quote is a price for a defined product, in a defined quantity, delivered to a defined point. If any of the three is missing, the supplier either asks, which costs a day per question across time zones, or guesses. The U.S. International Trade Administration's description of a pro forma invoice, the document a supplier sends back as a formal quote, lists the items quoted, unit prices, weights and dimensions, the Incoterm with its delivery point, payment terms, an estimated shipping date and a validity date. Your RFQ should give the supplier what it needs to fill in each of those lines.

1. Product definition. A photo or a link to a similar product, the material, the dimensions, and whether you can send a reference sample. "Like this link, but in 304 stainless steel" is a definition; "kitchen products" is not.
2. Category specifications. The two to five parameters that change the price in your category (see the table below).
3. Quantity per SKU, colour and size. "1,000 pieces" across eight colours and five sizes is 40 SKUs of 25 pieces each, which prices very differently from one SKU of 1,000.
4. Target price (optional). Useful if you know the market, because it tells the supplier which grade to quote. The risk is that a low guess invites a cheaper material and a high one anchors the price upward.
5. Destination country and Incoterm. A price means nothing without a delivery point; the ITA notes that every Incoterm must be paired with a named place. See EXW vs FOB vs DDP.
6. Certifications and labelling. What your market requires, for example CE, FCC, UKCA or CPC, plus language and labelling rules. See product certifications explained.
7. Packaging and branding. Plain or retail box, logo printing, inserts, barcodes, carton marks. See custom packaging from China.
8. Samples. Whether you want a pre-production sample and whether you will pay for it and its courier.
9. Timeline. When you need the goods at destination, not only when they should leave the factory.
10. Payment expectations. For example a 30% deposit and 70% before shipment, or a platform-protected order. Incoterms do not cover payment, so state it separately. See how to pay Chinese suppliers.

Category → the specs suppliers ask for#

The specs that drive price differ by product, and suppliers ask for the same few every time. The first four rows below are what suppliers asked buyers for in the partner inquiry sample; the last three are general cases.

If you cannot fill a row, send the reference product and its use instead, and ask the supplier to propose the specification in writing.

A copy-paste RFQ template#

Use one template for every supplier so the answers line up. Delete lines that do not apply rather than leaving them blank.

Request for quotation — [your company], [country]

Product: [name] — reference photo/link attached
Material: [e.g. 304 stainless steel / 100% cotton 180 gsm]
Dimensions: [L x W x H, weight if known]
Key specifications: [from the table, e.g. flow 3 m3/h, head 30 m, 220 V 60 Hz]
Quantity: [per SKU, e.g. 300 pcs black M, 300 pcs black L, 200 pcs white M]
Target price (optional): [USD x.xx per piece]
Destination and Incoterm: [e.g. FOB Ningbo, or DDP to Lima, Peru]
Certifications/labelling: [e.g. CE and English/Spanish labels]
Packaging/branding: [e.g. logo on product, individual color box, export cartons]
Samples: [yes, 2 pcs, I will pay sample + courier]
Required delivery: [goods at destination by dd/mm/yyyy]
Payment: [e.g. 30% deposit, 70% before shipment]

Please quote: unit price, MOQ, production lead time, sample cost
and time, carton size and weight, and quote validity.

The short WhatsApp first message#

On WhatsApp or a platform chat, send a short version with a photo, then the full template as a file. The aim is that the first message alone is enough for the supplier to decide whether the product is something it makes.

Hello, I am [name] from [company], [country].
I want a quote for this product [photo/link]:
[material], [size], [1-2 key specs].
Quantity: [x pcs per colour/size]. Delivery [Incoterm + place].
Need [certification] for [market]. Full details attached.
Can you make this and what is your MOQ?

How to compare the replies#

Compare quotes only after they describe the same thing. Two prices for different materials, quantities or delivery points are two different products.

1. Same spec. Check that each reply confirms your material, dimensions and key specifications, and note any substitution the supplier proposes.
2. Same Incoterm. Convert every quote to the same delivery point before comparing; an EXW price looks cheaper than an FOB price for the same goods.
3. MOQ. Note whether it applies per order, per style or per colour, and whether your breakdown meets it.
4. Lead time. Production time and the date the goods leave the factory, after sample approval.
5. Sample cost. The sample price, the courier cost, and whether the sample fee is refunded against the order.
6. What is excluded. Packaging, logo printing, tooling or moulds, certificates and testing are often quoted separately.
7. Who replied. Whether the quote comes from a factory or a trader changes how you negotiate; see factory vs trading company. Check the shortlisted supplier before paying anything; see how to verify an Alibaba supplier.

A quote far below the others usually means a different specification, a missing cost, or a supplier that should be checked more closely.

What not to put in an RFQ#

Some requests are declined however well they are written. In the partner sample, 17 of the 60 genuine contacts asked for branded goods, including copies with another brand's logo and "original" branded parts or electronics, and none could be served. Asking for another brand's logo or a copy of a known design marks the request as counterfeit, and legitimate suppliers do not quote it. See buying branded goods from China.

Also leave out anything that is not yet true. Do not quote a quantity you will not order to get a better price, and do not claim a certification you have not checked; the supplier will price what you write, and the quote becomes the starting point of the contract.