Why there is no public price
list

A published per unit or per carton price works for a single SKU,
single destination retail listing. It stops working the moment volume
and destination start moving the number, which is what happens in bulk
export tableware. A price built for a 10 carton domestic order and a
price built for a 500 carton export shipment are genuinely different
numbers, driven by real cost differences, not by opacity. Publishing one
figure would either overstate the small order or understate the large
one, and either way it misleads whoever is reading it.

That is why pricing in this category is quoted against volume and
destination rather than posted as a flat figure. It is not a way of
avoiding the question. It is the only way to answer it correctly.

The four things
that actually set a quotation

1. Format mix. Which formats and sizes are needed,
and in what combination. A single format order and a five format range
order are different production and packing runs even at the same total
unit count.

2. Volume. The carton count per format. Volume is
the single largest lever on a quotation because it interacts with
production run size and packing efficiency.

3. Destination and shipment mode. Where the goods
are going, and whether the order moves as an LCL consignment or a full
container. Destination sets the freight and documentation context, and
in several approved markets, the compliance context the shipment needs
to clear. Shipment mode sets how the order is consolidated and against
which lead time it is scheduled.

4. Timing against production loading. When the order
needs to be confirmed and when it needs to be dispatched, set against
what is currently in production. An order that fits comfortably into
existing production loading is quoted differently from one that needs a
dedicated run brought forward.

Every one of these four is something only the buyer can supply. That
is the real reason a quotation needs a message rather than a page
load.

The RFQ that gets
answered in one message

An RFQ carrying all four drivers can usually be quoted without a
reply asking for more information. Use this structure:

Format and size: [Every format and size needed,
listed separately. Example: 9 inch square plate, 12 inch reinforced
round traditional plate, bowl.] Volume: [Carton count
per format, or a covers count if you want it converted. Example: 40
cartons of 9 inch, 20 cartons of 12 inch, 15 cartons of bowl.]
Destination and shipment mode: [City and country, and
whether LCL or a full container is wanted. Example: Dubai, UAE, LCL.]
Timing: [The date the order needs to be confirmed by,
and the date it needs to be delivered by. Example: confirm by 20
October, delivery required by mid November.]

Four fields, each answering one of the four drivers above. A message
built this way is quoted against, at most, one clarifying question
rather than a full back and forth.

What happens after you send
it

Enquiries are acknowledged within 48 business hours, and a quotation
is targeted within one business day of a complete RFQ, meaning one that
already carries all four fields above. An incomplete RFQ still gets a
response, but the first response is a request for whichever field is
missing, which adds a full round trip before pricing can start. Sending
the four fields in the first message is the single change that removes
that round trip.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• the full format range
• export
  documentation and shipment terms
• how production
  loading affects your timing

References