The quantity asked for is far above or below what I can supply. Should I still reply?

Yes, and say so plainly. If it is below your minimum, state your minimum and offer the nearest quantity you can serve, with the reason, since a buyer testing the market often has a larger requirement behind the first one. If it is far above your capacity, offer a part of it against a stated delivery schedule rather than declining or overcommitting. Both replies are normal commercial answers. Silence and a quiet overcommitment are the two responses that cost you the relationship.

Why do buyers go quiet after the first quotation?

Most often because the quotation could not be compared. If the unit, the Incoterm or the validity is missing, the buyer cannot line you up against the others and moves on. The next most common reasons are a lead time that misses their season, a minimum order quantity above what they asked for that was not explained, and a missing certification their market requires. A short follow-up that asks which of those it was, rather than repeating the offer, gets an answer often enough to be worth sending once.

Does my HS code have to match the buyer's?

They frequently differ, and it is the buyer's import classification that sets the duty. The first six digits are harmonised internationally, but each country adds its own further digits, and the same goods can legitimately sit under different national subheadings. Confirm the code the buyer intends to use before shipment, because a mismatch between your export declaration and their import entry causes delays and can trigger a query on value. Where the classification is open to argument, the buyer can apply for a binding or advance ruling in their own country.

Should I send free samples?

Send a sample when there is a specific requirement behind it and the buyer has given you enough commercial detail to price against. Charging for the sample and the courier, and offering to credit that cost against a first order, filters out sample collectors without insulting a serious buyer. Distinguish a stock sample, which shows what you normally make, from a pre-production sample made to the buyer's specification, which is the one worth formally approving. Keep a sealed, dated counter-sample so there is a physical reference if the shipment is later disputed.

A buyer wants exclusivity or a distributorship. How should I handle it?

Treat exclusivity as something bought with volume, not granted with hope. If you agree to it, tie it to a minimum annual purchase, a defined territory, a fixed term, and an automatic reversion to non-exclusive if the volume is missed, and put it in writing before the first order rather than after. Be careful with requests for exclusivity before any trading history, and be careful about registering trademarks or product approvals in the distributor's name rather than your own, because that is difficult and expensive to unwind if the relationship ends.

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