A useful wholesale quotation starts before a supplier names a price. It starts with a clear description of what you need, where it must go and how you will decide whether an offer meets your requirements. If those details are missing, two apparently similar quotations may cover very different products, packaging arrangements or delivery responsibilities.
This guide explains how to prepare a wholesale quotation request for Iranian products. It is intended for importers, distributors and business purchasing teams that want comparable offers rather than a long exchange of clarification messages. The aim is to turn your purchasing requirement into a brief that a supplier can answer accurately.
Start with the business use and destination
Introduce your company, describe your sales channel and identify the destination country. A distributor supplying retail shops needs different information from a manufacturer buying an ingredient or a farm purchasing feed. State whether you want a branded finished product, bulk material or a possible private-label arrangement. Treat private labelling as a request to confirm, not as an assumed service.
Include the destination city and, where known, the port, terminal or delivery address relevant to the quotation. A country name alone is not enough to establish transport requirements. If you have not selected a delivery point, ask for a product-only quotation first and explain that freight will be assessed separately.
Destination information also helps both parties identify questions that need specialist review. Import permissions, product admissibility, labelling and available payment or transport arrangements can depend on the product and parties involved. Ask the appropriate service providers to confirm feasibility before committing to production or shipment.
Identify the exact product and acceptable alternatives
Use a product link, model name, reference number or specification sheet to identify the item. A photograph can help, but it should not be the only specification. Products that look alike may differ in composition, dimensions, pack size, grade or intended use. When referring to a catalogue, record the date you reviewed it and request the current specification.
Alami Trade’s food product range includes different product types and pack formats. An enquiry for “food products” is therefore much less actionable than an enquiry identifying the particular item, unit weight and number of retail packs required.
Separate requirements from preferences
Mark each requirement as essential, preferred or open to discussion. For example, an exact ingredient restriction may be essential, while carton colour may be flexible. This lets a supplier explain a practical alternative without quietly changing a critical part of the order. Require any proposed substitution to be clearly identified in the response.
Use measurable acceptance criteria wherever possible. Replace “good packaging” with the required retail format, closure type and carton configuration. Replace “high quality” with the documents, sample characteristics or test results your purchasing team needs to review. Avoid requesting a certificate simply because its name sounds familiar; explain the requirement it is meant to satisfy.
State quantities in unambiguous units
Give both the quantity and the unit. “One thousand” could mean individual packs, cartons, kilograms or metres. For a packaged product, specify units per carton and the total number of cartons if known. For a bulk product, distinguish net product weight from the weight of bags, pallets and other packaging.
Separate your initial order from your forecast. A possible annual requirement is not the same as a confirmed purchase. Ask for the minimum order quantity, the quantity basis used for pricing and any relevant price breaks. If you need a mixed order, list every item and quantity separately instead of asking for a single blended price.
For a trial purchase, explain what the trial will establish and when you expect to make a decision. The supplier can then clarify sample availability, commercial trial quantities and production timing. Do not assume that a small sample price can be multiplied directly to estimate a full shipment.
Describe packaging and presentation
Specify whether goods are required in bulk bags, retail packs, cartons, coils or another format. Ask the supplier to confirm the available standard packaging before requesting a custom version. Custom artwork, printing or pack sizes may affect minimum quantities, lead times and approval steps.
For retail goods, provide your required label language and identify who will review the final artwork for the destination market. For transport packaging, request carton dimensions, net and gross weights and the proposed pallet arrangement where applicable. These details support freight estimates and warehouse planning.
Keep product packaging and shipping protection separate in the request. A retail pouch protects and presents the individual product; an outer carton or pallet serves a different purpose during handling. Ask for photographs or drawings of both when their configuration matters to your receiving operation.
Define what the quoted price includes
Ask the supplier to state the currency, price unit, quotation validity and included services. A price per carton cannot be compared with a price per kilogram until the contents and weight basis are reconciled. Record whether inspection, special packing, documentation or transport charges are included or quoted separately.
If an Incoterms rule is proposed, request its named place and edition as well as the three-letter abbreviation. The rule helps allocate delivery responsibilities, costs and risk, but does not replace the rest of the sales agreement. Payment arrangements, ownership and remedies for a breach need their own agreed terms.
Build your comparison around the same scope. One offer may stop at a collection point while another includes a transport leg. Ask each supplier to identify exclusions rather than trying to infer them from a headline total. Leave uncertain charges visibly unresolved until the responsible party confirms them.
Agree a realistic sequence and timeline
Distinguish production readiness, dispatch and expected arrival. These are different milestones. A quotation may promise goods ready for collection without promising a vessel departure or delivery date. Request the event that starts each lead time, such as order confirmation, payment receipt or artwork approval.
Identify your own approval deadlines too. Samples, labels and technical documents can delay an order if the buyer has not assigned a reviewer. Give the supplier one contact for commercial questions and another for technical review when necessary, with a clear route for consolidating decisions.
If your requirement is urgent, state the latest useful arrival date and explain whether partial delivery is acceptable. Ask what is available now and what requires production. A realistic answer about stock and capacity is more valuable than a vague assurance that the order can be handled quickly.
Request evidence that supports your decision
Ask for a current product specification and the relevant supporting documents. Depending on the goods, this may include a batch test report, ingredient statement, packaging specification or manufacturer information. Specify whether you need a sample before ordering and how that sample should relate to the later shipment.
Make document responsibilities explicit. A commercial invoice and a packing list serve different purposes: the invoice records the commercial transaction, while the packing list describes how goods are packed. Product-specific certificates or inspections may also be needed, but the required set must be confirmed for the actual shipment and destination.
Agree how documents will be reviewed before dispatch. Check names, quantities, product descriptions and package information across the order and shipping records. Ask who will correct a discrepancy and by when. Early review is easier than trying to resolve inconsistent paperwork while goods are already moving.
A practical enquiry structure
Keep the first message concise and attach a detailed specification when needed. The following structure gives a supplier enough context to respond without burying the essential request in a long company introduction.
- Company name, destination country and business use.
- Exact product reference and current specification required.
- Initial quantity, unit of measure and possible repeat demand.
- Retail or bulk packaging and any label requirements.
- Requested delivery point and quotation scope.
- Sample, inspection and document requirements.
- Required readiness or arrival date and approval contact.
End by asking the supplier to list any assumptions and deviations. This simple instruction makes differences visible. You can then resolve them before comparing prices, rather than discovering after approval that the offer was based on a different pack size or delivery arrangement.
Review the response before placing an order
Compare each offer against your original brief, line by line. Record a confirmed answer, a proposed alternative or an open question for every essential requirement. A blank field should remain an open question; it should not be treated as agreement. Keep the final clarified quotation together with the specification version it refers to.
For example, suppose you request individual retail packs packed into export cartons. One supplier quotes the correct retail pack but leaves the carton count unspecified. Another quotes bulk packs with a lower unit price. Neither difference is necessarily a problem, but both must be resolved before the offers are comparable.
Once the scope is clear, send your requirement through Alami Trade’s wholesale enquiry channel. Include the product references and destination details you have prepared. The company’s business overview provides context for its sourcing and export activities; the final quotation should still confirm the precise scope of your individual order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I request a quotation before I know the final quantity?
Yes. Provide an estimated range and identify it as provisional. Ask which minimum quantities or price breaks apply, then obtain a revised quotation when the order quantity is confirmed.
Should I send the same brief to every supplier?
Use the same essential specification and delivery scope so responses can be compared. Supplier-specific questions can be added separately without changing the common purchasing requirement.
Does a quotation reserve stock?
Do not assume that it does. Ask whether stock is reserved, for how long and under what conditions. Record the answer separately from the price validity period.
What if a supplier cannot meet one requirement?
Ask for the deviation in writing and assess its effect on your intended use. Approve an alternative only after the relevant commercial or technical reviewer has accepted it.
Conclusion
A clear wholesale quotation request makes product, quantity, packaging, evidence and delivery expectations explicit. Resolve differences before approving the order, and keep the final agreed specification attached to the commercial record. That preparation gives both buyer and supplier a more reliable starting point.
