Reply to a trade inquiry without inventing terms

Extract requirements from an English inquiry, check MOQ, price and lead time, and prepare a reviewable reply and follow-up record.

When a buyer asks about price, delivery and customization, AI may confidently promise things you have not confirmed. The first reply should move the conversation forward: confirm the request, answer supported questions and ask for the missing details together.

This exercise uses a fictional inquiry and sends no email. You need ChatGPT and your usual email and spreadsheet tools. For real inquiries, remove personal phone numbers, detailed addresses and unnecessary personal information before drafting. Quantity, specifications and destination market are enough for a first pass.

01 · Extract what the buyer actually asked

This is a fictional practice inquiry. Extract information only; do not draft a reply yet.
Hi, we are looking for 500 gray zipper pouches with our logo for Germany. Can you quote and deliver within 30 days? Please include sample cost and shipping.

List product, quantity, color, customization, destination, requested timing and missing details.
Distinguish a buyer request for arrival within 30 days from a supplier-confirmed commitment. Do not guess missing information.

The inquiry specifies 500 units, gray, a logo and Germany. It does not specify dimensions, logo artwork, delivery postcode, shipping method or the date from which 30 days is counted.

Ask for information that changes pricing and delivery. Do not start with a twenty-field form. First request dimensions, artwork, postcode and the latest acceptable arrival date.

02 · Provide a table of confirmed terms

Practice supplier data, not a real offer:
Model P20; external dimensions 20 × 12 × 5 cm
Existing gray fabric; logo method requires artwork review
MOQ: 300 units
Base price without logo: USD 2.40 per unit
Sample fee: USD 35 excluding courier charges
Production: 20 days after sample approval and receipt of deposit
Trade terms, named shipping location, taxes, freight and logo charges: unconfirmed
Quote validity and deposit percentage: unconfirmed

Compare this with the inquiry. List what can be answered, what needs clarification and what cannot be promised. Calculate the base goods value for 500 units, clearly marked as an internal calculation rather than a complete or landed quotation.

The internal base calculation is 500 × USD 2.40 = USD 1,200. It excludes logo charges, shipping and taxes; sample fees are separate. Do not let AI present USD 1,200 as the final amount payable.

If trade terms and the named location are not confirmed, do not let the draft invent FOB, EXW or DDP. Have the person responsible for logistics and pricing confirm which charges are included in any delivery promise.

03 · Draft a reply that moves the discussion forward

Write a first reply of no more than 160 English words based on the inquiry and supplier brief.
Confirm the request for 500 gray logo pouches and that it meets the MOQ. State the sample fee and courier exclusion.
Do not quote an unconfirmed total or promise arrival within 30 days. State the production lead-time trigger accurately.
Ask only for dimensions, artwork, delivery postcode and latest arrival date. Say customization and freight will be calculated after receiving these.
Include a subject line and a meaning summary. Use Hi when the buyer name is unknown.

Subject: Details needed for your 500 gray logo pouches

Hi,

Thanks for your inquiry about 500 gray zipper pouches with your logo. This quantity meets our 300-unit MOQ.

The sample fee is USD 35, excluding courier charges. Production takes 20 days after sample approval and receipt of the deposit. We still need to check sampling and transit time before confirming an arrival date.

Could you send your required pouch dimensions, logo artwork, delivery postcode and latest acceptable arrival date? We can then confirm the customization cost and prepare a quotation with shipping details.

Best regards,
Your name

This reply does not invent a complete price. It tells the buyer what is known and what to provide next. Replace all practice figures with confirmed real data and add your own signature before sending.

04 · Keep the next action in a record

Use columns for inquiry date, buyer reference, product, quantity, market, missing details, supplier checks, next action, owner and review date.

Record this exercise as: Buyer A | P20 | 500 | Germany | dimensions/artwork/postcode/arrival date missing | customization and shipping pending | quote after details arrive | assign an owner and date. Mark it waiting for buyer when needed, rather than quotation confirmed.

Done means quantities and dates match the source, fee boundaries are clear and the next action is explicit. AI drafts; you approve the commercial terms and send the email.

05 · Continue after the buyer supplies details

After the first reply, a common mistake is treating newly supplied details as confirmation of every condition. Continue with the teaching inquiry for 500 gray branded pouches. Suppose the buyer says: “20 × 12 × 5 cm is fine. We attached the logo. Delivery postcode is 10115. We need them by 30 November.” This confirms the desired size and provides a file reference and postcode. It does not prove that the artwork is production-ready or that transport can meet the date.

Keep the original inquiry, new reply, attachments actually received and supplier fact sheet together in the conversation or project folder. Use customer codes without uploading unrelated private contact information. Verify that the attachment exists and opens. If the message says attached but no file arrived, mark it missing; do not have AI invent the artwork.

Assign three separate checks: production reviews specifications, the customization owner reviews the artwork, and logistics checks the postcode and requested receipt date. Record an owner and open question for each. A buyer deadline does not replace your production lead time, and 20 days of production is not 20 days to delivery.

Draft a second English reply from this teaching exchange. Do not send it.
Original request: 500 gray zipper pouches with the buyer logo, for Germany.
New reply: “20 × 12 × 5 cm is fine. We attached the logo. Delivery postcode is 10115. We need them by 30 November.”
Confirmed supplier facts: MOQ 300; production takes 20 days after sample approval and receipt of the deposit.
Still to check: actual receipt and usability of artwork, customization method, sampling preparation, freight, transit time, trade term and cost scope, plus the year and required receipt conditions for 30 November.
Deliver:
1. A status table: buyer supplied / supplier confirmed / buyer input needed / internal confirmation needed. Do not turn one party’s statement into a mutual agreement.
2. A reply under 140 English words acknowledging the written details, explaining pending checks and asking only necessary questions. Do not claim the logo was reviewed before attachment receipt is confirmed.
3. Separate internal handover notes for production, customization and logistics, stating inputs and required decisions.
4. Keep internal calculations, placeholders and unconfirmed dates or costs out of customer copy. Do not guarantee arrival without evidence.

Before attachment status is confirmed, a sample reply is:
“Hi, thanks for confirming the pouch size and delivery postcode. We will check the customization details and shipping options before confirming the schedule. Could you confirm the year for your 30 November deadline and whether the goods must be received by that date? We also need to verify receipt of the logo file before assessing the printing method. Our production lead time starts after sample approval and receipt of the deposit. We will confirm feasibility after the artwork, sampling and transit checks.”

This example avoids promising that everything is fine and does not ask again for the size and postcode already supplied. Once internal checks return, put confirmed findings into the quotation instead of repeating the first outreach.

Work backward from the required receipt date, checking transit and customs allowances, production, and sample preparation and approval separately. Ask each owner which periods use working days and which use calendar days. Delayed sample approval can invalidate a tentative schedule; revise it and seek agreement rather than silently keeping the old date.

06 · Handle silence, urgent quotes and quantity changes

If the buyer has not replied, check whether the last message posed a clear, easy question and whether a follow-up time was agreed. Without new information, send a brief check on whether the project is still being considered or more material would help, rather than sending daily reminders.

If the buyer asks for a quick price, state the basis and exclusions of any reference figure you can responsibly provide. If essential terms are missing, explain the blocking condition rather than presenting an internal base value as a final amount. A changed quantity or specification requires new material, customization, packing, freight and scheduling checks. Version the revised quote so the old one is no longer used.

Before sending, check the recipient, attachment names, currency, quantity, cost boundaries and every date. Store the draft separately from the sent version and status sheet. An acknowledgment of receipt is not acceptance of a quotation. Move only explicitly confirmed items into the confirmed column.

Tools and further reading

Tool: https://chatgpt.com/
Official OpenAI quickstart: https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/quickstart
Official OpenAI feature guide: https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/features

Interfaces change; use the capabilities available in your account. The pasted-text workflow in this article lets you practice even when uploads or web access are unavailable.