How to Compare Quotations From Construction Adhesive Suppliers in China

Quick Answer

Three quotations arrive, three numbers look different, and the cheapest one is not the one that costs least.

Quotes from different suppliers are almost never comparable as received. They differ in what is being priced (product, packaging, quantity basis), what is included (freight, documents, pallet configuration) and what is assumed (payment terms, lead-time start point, substitution rights). Normalise those three before comparing a single figure.

A workable sequence: identity → quantity basis → Incoterm → payment → lead time → documentation → only then, price.

1. Normalise the Quantity Basis First

The most common error is comparing a per-carton price with a per-pallet price, or a per-unit price with a per-kilogram price.

Convert every quotation to one of two bases:

• Per cartridge or per sausage pack, at the pack size actually quoted (300 mL and 600 mL are different products commercially).
• Per pallet or per full model minimum, if the supplier quotes that way.

In this range the minimum order for a standard model is 1,920 sausage packs or 3,840 cartridges per model, which corresponds to two pallets — the full range is under the product categories. That gives you a fixed denominator: whichever way a supplier quotes, you can express it as cost per model-minimum and see the real entry cost of adding that product to your range.

Trial quantities are a separate base. A trial quantity below the model minimum will be priced differently — usually with a modest premium — and mixing a trial price into a volume comparison produces a number that means nothing.

2. Make the Incoterm Explicit

A quotation without an Incoterm is not a price, it is an intention.

Ask every supplier for the same term, at the same port, for the same volume. Then build a landed cost line: goods + freight + insurance + duty + port and clearance charges + inland delivery. On bulky, low-value-per-kilo goods like sealants, freight and pallet configuration can move the landed cost more than a 5% difference in unit price.

Pallet configuration belongs in this line item too. Cartons per pallet, pallet height and whether the supplier stacks to a container-friendly height determine how much air you ship.

3. What the Unit Price Does Not Say

Four items are routinely missing from a quotation and expensive to discover later.

Model identity. A quotation that names a category (“MS polymer sealant”) rather than a model cannot be compared at all. Insist on the exact code, and check it against the TDS — see how to verify technical documents before purchasing for the identity checks worth doing.

Substitution terms. Ask, in writing, whether the supplier may ship a different model or a reformulated version at the same price. A quotation silent on substitution is a quotation that permits it.

Packaging grade. Cartridge quality, nozzle type and label material are cost items. A cheaper quote often reflects thinner cartridges or unprinted labels, and you discover it in the customer’s hands.

Documentation scope. TDS, SDS in your language, certificates per market and test reports are deliverables, not favours — the OEM and private label overview sets out what changes when the order carries your brand. If one supplier includes them and another charges for translation, the comparison changes.

4. Payment Terms Change the Real Cost

The standard basis in this range is 50% deposit with 50% before shipment. Two quotations with the same unit price but different payment structures are not the same price — deposit percentage affects your working capital for the entire production window.

Two practical checks:

• Compare total cash exposure at order and before shipment, not just the unit price.
• Confirm what triggers each payment: deposit on order confirmation, balance on a copy of the shipping documents or on arrival. The difference is weeks of cash.

If a supplier offers easier terms at a higher price, quantify it: the cost of the extra price against the cost of carrying that inventory yourself. Usually the answer is not close, and it is not always the cheaper quote that wins.

5. Lead Time: Demand a Starting Point

“30–35 days” is the most common phrase in Chinese supplier quotations and the least informative.

Ask three questions instead:

1. From what event? In this range, 3–4 weeks is measured from receipt of the deposit, and custom colours add roughly one to two weeks.
2. What is excluded? Booking, container loading and sailing are separate from production. A production figure without a shipping buffer becomes a promise the supplier cannot keep.
3. What happens in peak season? If the answer is “it depends”, write down the months when it depends and plan orders around them.

For private label, the first order is longer than a repeat because artwork, plates and packaging samples come first — expect roughly five to six weeks for a first private-label run, and closer to the standard lead time on reorders.

6. A Comparison Sheet That Survives Review

If the model list itself is still open, start from the product categories so that every supplier quotes the same codes.

Fill it in before the negotiation, not after. Most price discussions collapse into a single number because the other lines were never written down — and the lines above are where the actual difference between suppliers usually lives.

7. Three Questions That Reveal How a Supplier Works

1. “Which model exactly, and can you send its TDS and SDS today?” A supplier who has to go and ask is not quoting from a stable product list.
2. “Is the quoted price held if I place the order in 30 days?” Validity tells you whether the number is a price or an opening position.
3. “What changes if I need a custom colour or private label?” The answer reveals both the real lead time and whether packaging is in-house or subcontracted.