Buyer guide · After the enquiry
What happens after you send an enquiry
A first enquiry can go quiet for a while and look like nothing is happening. Often something is — the work has simply moved to the other side of the desk. This is the order in which a well-run supplier moves a request forward, what you can reasonably expect at each step, and the one thing only you can provide.
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The part that feels like a dead end
The silence after an enquiry is the expensive part
When you send a request for a product, a quantity and a destination, you are usually waiting on someone. What fewer buyers realise is that the other side is often waiting too — on a specification not yet written down, or an answer only you hold. That gap, not the price, is where most first orders lose their momentum.
A well-run supplier closes that gap by turning a rough request into a written plan, step by step, and telling you which step you are on. Read the sequence below as a checklist you can hold against any supplier — including us. See the questions buyers ask us most →
The progression
From enquiry to order, step by step
Not every order needs every step, and the sequence shifts with the product and the market. But a well-run enquiry tends to follow this path. At each stage there is something that should happen, something you can expect, and something you must supply.
- Your enquiry is receivedWhat should happen: the request is logged and answered, even before a price exists. What to expect: a reply that repeats back what was understood — product, quantity, destination — not a bare figure. What you provide: the clearest version you can of what you are buying and where it must land.
- The brief is clarifiedWhat should happen: before any price, the details that change it are pinned down — material, size, finish, packing, labelling and any rules your market imposes. What to expect: questions specific to your order, not generic ones. What you provide: answers, or a note of the ones your own customer must still confirm.
- The product is matched and comparedWhat should happen: the request is matched to factories that genuinely make this product, compared on the same written specification rather than the headline number. What to expect: to hear where the differences sit — material, tolerance, packing. What you provide: your target range and any non-negotiables, so the shortlist is realistic.
- A sample is agreedWhat should happen: a physical sample is produced and signed off before bulk production. What to expect: that this sample becomes the reference for the whole order, and that price is discussed against it rather than in the abstract. What you provide: your feedback, and written confirmation that the sample is approved.
- The quotation and terms are set outWhat should happen: the price is built from your side of the border — landed cost, not only the factory-gate figure — and the terms are put in writing before production. What to expect: to see what the figure includes and what it leaves out. What you provide: your destination, the trade terms you work to and your payment terms.
- Changes are confirmed in writingWhat should happen: specifications, quantities and packing rarely stand still, so each change is written back to you and agreed before it is acted on. What to expect: that no change quietly enters the order. What you provide: changes early, and in one place, so nothing is missed.
- The order is confirmed and scheduledWhat should happen: once terms are agreed, they are signed, a purchase order or deposit is placed, and production is scheduled. What to expect: the practical dates — ready date, latest shipping date — in writing. What you provide: the go-ahead and your shipping details.
- Quality is checked and the goods departWhat should happen: goods are checked at the factory while a fault can still be fixed there, then packed, loaded, and documented for your market. What to expect: to be told of an issue while it is a repair, not a surprise on arrival. What you provide: the labelling and compliance details your market requires.
Trace your own enquiry against these eight steps: the one it is stuck on tells you what to ask for next. How we follow an order through →
Reading the pauses
Which delays are ordinary, and which are worth a question
Not every quiet spell means something is wrong. The distinction is rarely about speed; it is usually about whether the detail is being written down and answered.
Delays that are usually ordinary
- Waiting on an answer only your side can give — a specification, a quantity, your own customer’s decision.
- A factory confirming whether a material, a colour or a capacity is actually available before committing.
- Sampling taking longer than the first optimistic estimate, because the sample is being corrected.
- Freight and sailing schedules, which move for reasons that have nothing to do with your order.
- A public holiday in the production or destination market.
Signals worth pausing on
- No written specification at any point — only a price and a promise.
- Terms that change without an explanation you can follow.
- Questions answered vaguely, or not at all, when they are about the detail that sets the price.
- Pressure to skip the sample, or to pay before the terms are agreed in writing.
- No single person who answers for the order and can be pointed to by name.
None of these is a verdict on a factory or a partner. They are simply the points where a buyer can usefully ask one more question before committing. See our buyer resources →
Before production starts
What is worth having in writing
Whatever the timeline, these are the points that decide whether an order lands well. Settled in writing before the goods are made, there is very little left to resolve later.
- The specification, and the approved sample it is based on
- What the price includes, and what it does not
- The dates: ready, latest shipping, and what triggers each
- How and when quality will be checked
- Who prepares which documents
- Who your single point of contact is
Common questions
Questions buyers ask after the first reply
How quickly should I expect a reply?
A serious supplier answers sooner rather than later, even before a firm price is possible, because the first reply is where the brief gets checked. But the pace depends mostly on how complete your enquiry is: one working from a clear specification can move quickly, while one left to guess keeps coming back with questions. A slow, question-heavy reply usually means the brief needs one more round, not that the order is in trouble.
Do I have to pay a deposit before production?
Deposit and payment terms are commercial matters and should be agreed in writing like everything else. What matters is not the exact arrangement but that it is set down before production begins, so both sides know what triggers the next step. If terms are only ever discussed verbally, that is worth pausing on.
What if I only have a rough idea of what I want?
That is the normal starting point, not a problem. The first real step of an order is turning a rough request into a written specification — materials, size, finish, packing, labelling. A supplier who helps you write that down is doing the work that prevents most of the arguments later.
Is a sample really necessary?
It is the cheapest place to find a problem. A fault caught in the sample costs a correction; the same fault caught after a full production run costs a shipment. Approving it in writing also gives both sides one agreed reference for what “correct” means.
Buying your first container? You can also read what a good supplier asks you before quoting and how to really understand a product before you import it.
Related reading
More buyer guides in this series
Companion guides for buyers working through a first order or a new range:
- What a good supplier asks you before quoting
- How to really understand a product before you import it
- Why many overseas buyers work with a sourcing partner
- What an export partner actually does for a buyer
- The person behind your order: what to look for in an export contact
See all buyer guides →
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