3.2.1 Enquiry询盘(询价/邀请发盘)

3.2.1 Enquiry询盘(询价/邀请发盘)

When you enter a clothing store,you may ask the shop owner,“Do you have jackets?”or “How much is this jacket?”This is an enquiry ina domestic context.An enquiry in an international negotiation,also called an invitation to offer,is an action initiated by the importer or exporter,but mostly the importer,to ask the other party about price and other terms of sale for certain products.Either party,for importing or exporting something,can enquire about one or more terms of sale,such as prices,catalogs,samples,quality and quantity,time and place of delivery,terms of payment,etc.It can be made orally or in writing with no fixed format.Nor is it binding on either you or the importer.It is not an indispensable stage for a negotiation,either.Regular business partners may skip it and go straight to making offers.An importer’s enquiry may read:“Please quote the price of CIF London for Chinese Rosin,June shipment.”An exporter’s enquiry may be:“Can supply Chinese cotton,October shipment.If interested,please fax or email.”

Figure 3-1 below is a detailed enquiry sent by a Singapore trading company to your company inquiring about a type of swimming suits.

Figure 3-1 Enquiry from an Importer