Preparing an international sourcing enquiry: a practical checklist

A clear enquiry is the fastest route to a useful answer. Whether you are buying fabrics or pharmaceuticals, a supplier needs the same basics before it can check availability, documents and terms. You do not need every answer before you get in touch, but the more of the points below you can share, the sooner the right team can tell you what is possible. The checklist follows what our How We Help and Work With Us pages ask buyers to include.

1. Who you are

Your company name, country, website and type of business: importer, distributor, wholesaler, brand, institution or other. Name the person handling the enquiry and the best way to reach them. For regulated products, say whether you hold the licences your market requires.

2. What you need, and what it is for

The product or fabric category, and the purpose it serves. The end use often decides the right specification.

3. The specification

Give the details a supplier would quote against, or a reference that shows them.

• Textiles: composition, weight, width, construction, colour or design reference, print or finish, and any testing requirements.
• Pharmaceuticals: product name, strength, dosage form, pack size and the standard or pharmacopoeia you require.

4. Quantity and frequency

The quantity for this order, and whether it is a one-off or a recurring requirement. A realistic range is more useful than no figure at all.

5. Destination market

The country, and the port or airport if known. The destination decides which documents, registrations and labelling rules apply.

6. Timing

Your target shipment or delivery date, and how firm it is.

7. Commercial preferences

Your preferred delivery term, for example FOB or CIF under the International Chamber of Commerce’s Incoterms rules, your payment terms, and a budget or target price if you have one.

8. Documents and standards

List the documents or standards your market or your customer requires. The supplier can then confirm which of them can be provided, by whom, and for which product and site.

9. Anything that rules a supplier out

Mandatory approvals, packaging or labelling rules, materials to avoid (including animal-derived materials), or sustainability requirements.

What happens after you send it

At Vencilla, your enquiry is reviewed by the business it concerns: Vencilla Textile or Vencilla Pharma, or at group level if it concerns both. If something important is missing, you will be asked for it. Once the details are clear, the next step is either a quotation or a clear explanation of what cannot be offered.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a full specification before I contact a supplier?
No. Share what you know; a good supplier will ask for the missing details. A complete specification shortens the time to a quotation.

Why does the destination country matter so much?
It determines the documents, registrations, labelling and sometimes the product standard that apply, and therefore whether and how a product can be supplied.

Should I attach documents to my first message?
Usually not. Send a short, specific first message and share documents once there is a clear fit.

Source: International Chamber of Commerce, Incoterms rules (iccwbo.org).