The Quotes feature in the Supplier Tracker is where you can add, save and compare quotes.
Compare multiple quotes from the same supplier or compare quotes across different suppliers to determine which one you will buy from.
Add a new quote
- To add a quote, click the Add Quote button.
- This will bring up a window where you can enter the details of the quote:
Quote Details
- Quote Name: Give your quote a name so you can differentiate between multiple quotes from the same supplier.
- Quote Date: The date the supplier sent you the quote. This will help you to know which quote is the most recent and up to date. The most recent quote (or the one you have added as a favorite) will be shown in the summary line next to the supplier's name.
- Unit Cost: The per unit cost quoted by the supplier. This typically means the cost of the item ready for sale, including packaging and labeling as quoted by your supplier.
- Quantity: How many units the quoted unit cost is for. Typically, the more units you buy, the lower the cost will be. Ask your supplier to quote you several different quantities to compare how pricing changes.
- Unit Weight: The weight of one unit. Use the drop-down to change between Pounds and Kilograms. Depending on how you use this field, you may want to use the weight of the actual item or the item in its retail packaging. The weight of the actual item is helpful to ensure the quality of the product. The weight of the item in its retail packaging will be useful to estimate Amazon fees or shipping expenses.
- Other Costs: Any additional flat fee costs associated with this quote. This will be added to the total cost as one cost, not per unit. Possible one-time other costs include mold set up cost, any other one-time or fixed fees.
- Total Cost: (Unit Cost X Quantity)+Other Costs. This is the total cost for the order. The calculation takes the cost per unit and multiplies it by the quantity or number of units. Then if you have entered any 'other costs' those are added to get to the total.
- Lead Time: The time it takes for the order to be ready to ship. Use the drop-down to change between Days and Weeks. Typically the lead time is the time from when the supplier receives a deposit or payment to when the goods are ready to ship. You will want to clarify this with your supplier.
- Description: Any notes about the quote or item you want to save. Use this field to make notes to yourself for anything about the quote. This could include things to check on the sample, points you want to discuss with your supplier, item specifics like Pantone colors or measurements etc.
- Sample Cost: The cost the supplier will charge you for a sample. Often suppliers will offer free samples but charge for shipping. If you are charged for a sample, ask the supplier if they will credit this cost to the order if you place one.
- Sample Shipping: The cost of shipping the sample to you. Include the cost the supplier charges you to ship the sample. Or, if you use your own shipping account, enter your cost to ship the sample.
Once finished entering the details, choose Save Quote
- You can add multiple quotes for each supplier and will see them all listed in descending order based on Quote Date.
- The most recent quote, based on the date, will be shown to the right of the supplier's name on the summary line. If you favorite a quote, using the heart icon to the left of each quote, that quote will be shown on the summary line instead.
💡 Note: In the previous image, you'll notice that the quote for 'Dog Bed 2' is favorited with the red heart, and the data for that quote is shown on the summary line. There is a quote with a more recent date, 'Dog Bed 3', but since there is a favorite chosen, that is what is shown. If you remove the favorite, the data for 'Dog Bed 3' would move to the summary line.
- Edit or delete quotes: Use the pencil and trashcan icons to the far right of any quote to edit or delete them.
Comparing Quotes
Once you have quotes from each supplier you contacted, you can compare all of them at once:
Asking the right Questions
When contacting suppliers, there are many different questions you might need to ask. We have created a list of possible questions you can choose from or use to get ideas. Every product and supplier is different, so only use these as a guide and choose the ones that make sense for your situation.
- To access this list, click the Download Questions button:
Once you contact your suppliers via email, we suggest you copy and paste important responses into the notes field of the quote or the notes field for the supplier. This way, you can keep all information organized and easily accessible.
For an overview of all Supplier Tracker features, see: 📘 Supplier Tracker: Feature Overview