Why Do Vague RFQs Cost You Money?
"Please quote 1,000 custom canvas tote bags with our logo" reads like a complete request. It is not. Canvas styles in our catalogue span US$0.15 to US$23.40 depending on construction, and fabric weight alone moves cost on every unit. A supplier receiving that message has to assume roughly eight variables.
Three suppliers making three different sets of assumptions produce three prices that cannot be compared. The cheapest quote usually just means the thinnest fabric.
Specifying properly is not bureaucracy — it is how you make the numbers mean something.
What Twelve Points Should Every Bag RFQ Include?
Product
- Bag type. Tote, drawstring, shopper, cooler, pouch, backpack. Sets the whole construction.
- Material. Cotton, canvas, jute, non-woven PP, polyester, Oxford, felt.
- Fabric weight. In oz or gsm (1 oz/yd² ≈ 34 gsm). The most commonly omitted point and the most damaging. If you genuinely do not know, say what the bag must carry and let the supplier propose a weight — then hold every quote to it.
- Dimensions. Width × height × gusset depth, in cm. State whether height includes handles.
- Gusset. Flat or gusseted, and how deep. Turns a two-panel bag into a four-panel one.
- Handles. Type (self-fabric, webbing, rope, bamboo), length, and whether short hand-carry or long shoulder.
- Closure and lining. Open top, zip, magnetic snap, drawstring; lined or unlined. A zip usually implies a facing or lining to sew into.
Branding
- Print method. Screen, heat transfer, digital, embroidery — or ask for a recommendation and state the artwork type.
- Colour count. Number of ink colours, with Pantone references. Each screen-print colour is a separate screen and pass.
- Print positions. Front only, front and back, gusset. Each carries its own setup.
Commercial
- Quantity, and the tiers you are considering. Asking for 500 / 1,000 / 3,000 side by side costs the supplier nothing extra and shows you where the real breaks are.
- Destination and Incoterm. Port or door, and EXW / FOB / CIF / DDP. Without this, "price" means different things to different suppliers.
What Else Is Worth Adding to an RFQ?
- Target price. Sharing it is not weakness — it lets a supplier tell you what specification fits your budget instead of quoting something you will reject.
- Deadline. The in-warehouse date, not the ship date.
- Packing. Bulk cartons, individual polybags, hangtags, retail-ready labelling.
- Sample requirement. Say up front that you expect a pre-production sample.
- Compliance needs. Any certification, fibre-content labelling or test report your market requires — better raised now than after production.
What Does a Ready-to-Send RFQ Template Look Like?
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Bag type | Shopping tote, open top |
| Material | Cotton canvas |
| Fabric weight | 12 oz (approx. 400 gsm) |
| Dimensions | 38W × 42H × 10D cm, excluding handles |
| Handles | Self-fabric, 65 cm shoulder length |
| Closure / lining | Open top, unlined |
| Print method | Screen print |
| Colours | 1 colour, Pantone 343 C |
| Positions | Front only |
| Quantity | Quote 500 / 1,000 / 3,000 |
| Destination / Incoterm | FOB Shanghai, final destination Hamburg |
| Deadline | In warehouse by 30 November |
| Sample | Pre-production sample required before bulk |
How Should You Read Supplier Replies to Your RFQ?
A comparable quote restates your specification back to you. If it does not, the supplier has either substituted assumptions or not read the RFQ — both are worth knowing early.
- Does it confirm the fabric weight? If it is silent on weight, the price is not comparable to anything.
- Does it separate setup from unit price? Bundled numbers hide where your money goes and make quantity tiers impossible to evaluate.
- Does it state what is excluded? Sampling, freight, duties, packing.
- Does it price the tiers you asked for? A single price for a three-tier request is a soft warning sign.
If one quote is dramatically below the others and all twelve points match, ask which one they changed. Usually it is the fabric weight.