Buyer blog

A practical worksheet for comparing wholesale quotes

Use a two-offer cost worksheet to compare wholesale quotes by sellable unit, packing, freight, duty and tax. Keep missing costs visible.

Elosung editorial teamPublished Updated

Compare two wholesale quotes

Enter totals for the same quantity of sellable units, specification and delivery endpoint. Convert both offers to one currency first using the same dated exchange rate. Blank means unknown; enter 0 only for a confirmed zero or a charge already included elsewhere.

Offer A
Entered costs: $0.00Unconfirmed costs: Goods total, Packing and setup, Freight and insurance, Import duty, Import taxes, Brokerage, destination and other costs
Offer B
Entered costs: $0.00Unconfirmed costs: Goods total, Packing and setup, Freight and insurance, Import duty, Import taxes, Brokerage, destination and other costs

This is a planning worksheet, not a supplier quote, duty calculator or recommendation. Check exclusions and avoid double counting charges included in a delivered price. Recoverable taxes still affect cash requirements; use a consistent treatment. Inputs stay in this page and are not saved or submitted.

Match the product and the buying unit

Put the SKU, material, dimensions, variant and packaging in the first columns of the comparison. A similar photo is not evidence of an identical product. Ask whether the price is per piece, set, inner box or carton, and record the number of sellable units.

Normalize currencies using one dated exchange-rate assumption. Keep supplier currency and original amounts as separate fields so a later exchange-rate movement is visible rather than hidden in the comparison.

Give every offer the same delivery endpoint

Record the Incoterm, named place, transport mode and destination. An origin-only price and a delivered price cover different work. Ask who pays for export clearance, main freight, insurance, destination handling, import clearance and final delivery.

Do not fill an omitted charge with zero. Add an owner and a confirmation request for each unknown. Tax treatment depends on the transaction and destination; use a qualified local adviser for classification and import tax questions.

Compare the cash and timing commitments

Include MOQ, permitted increment, deposit, balance milestone, quote expiry and estimated dispatch date. Separate dispatch from arrival. A supplier's estimate does not by itself include transport, customs or receiving delays.

For illustration, 200 sellable units with $400 goods value and $120 confirmed additional costs have an allocated cost of $2.60 each before any excluded taxes or charges. If an offer contains missing destination fees, the same calculation is incomplete and should be marked provisional.

Use the worksheet to ask better follow-up questions

Keep a notes column for differences in inspection, replacement terms, labeling and documentation. The cheapest completed column may still carry a stock, quality or timing risk that matters to your store.

Save the accepted quote version with its written clarifications. If quantity, specification or route changes, ask for a revised version before accepting it; do not silently carry assumptions from an earlier offer.

Your buying checklist

  • Same specification and sellable unit
  • Same destination and delivery scope
  • Dated currency conversion assumption
  • Unknown charges visibly marked
  • Written quote version and validity

Go deeper with a buyer guide

Resolve the gaps before requesting your final quote

Prepare exact SKUs, valid quantities, destination and the exclusions found in your comparison. A buying list is preparation for an RFQ; it does not reserve stock or accept an offer.

Review the quote-to-order steps →Open my buying list →