Two quotations for the same pet product rarely describe the same thing. One is a price for an object; the other is a price for an object plus a pack, a quantity, a delivery term and a payment condition. Comparing them is less about reading numbers than about making them describe the same order first.
The short answer
A quotation is comparable only when four things match: quantity, pack, Incoterm and payment condition. Ask for every price broken into material and construction, packaging, quantity breaks, freight basis and payment, then compare line by line, not total against total. Our quotations are FOB by default and name the term in plain language; samples are US$25–40 per model, prepared in 5 days and credited back against the first order.
Why the total is the least useful number on the page
A total is the sum of decisions you did not watch being made. One supplier quotes a lighter fabric in a plain polybag; another a heavier fabric with a printed bag and a hangtag. The totals can land close together while the products are nowhere near each other. The lower total is not the better offer — only the cheaper bundle.
Comparing quotations is a formatting job before it is an analytical one. Put every offer into the same line items, at the same quantity and term, and the differences stop being a mystery: they become a list of choices you can accept, reject or ask to change.
The six lines every quotation should break into
| Line | What to ask for | What it actually decides |
|---|---|---|
| Material and construction | Fabric, GSM, filling, backing, closure and stitching on a spec sheet | Performance in use, and the return rate. |
| Packaging and labels | Bag or box, print, hangtag, barcode, multipack count, carton dimensions | Shelf-readiness, transit damage and the freight bill. |
| Quantity breaks | Unit price at the minimum and the next break, per model | Whether the minimum is a floor or a starting point. |
| Freight basis | The Incoterm in plain language, plus carton weights and volume | Landed cost, the number your margin actually uses. |
| Payment and inspection | Deposit, balance trigger, and what you see before the balance is due | Who carries the risk while the goods are being made. |
| One-off costs | Sample fee, artwork, any plates or tooling, courier | What it costs to start, separate from the cost per unit. |
Ask for the same six lines from every supplier. A price that cannot be separated this way is not necessarily bad, but it is not yet comparable. Push back once, in writing, and see whether the lines appear.
Normalising the numbers before you compare
- Same quantity. A price at the minimum and a price at a larger run are two different offers. Ask for both and compare like with like.
- Same pack. Confirm whether the unit is a single piece, a 2-pack or a 3-pack, and price the retail unit, not the piece inside it.
- Same term. FOB, EXW and DDP are not three ways of saying one number. For DDP, the current HTS rate should be verified before it appears on the quotation.
- Same scope. Check whether the hangtag, barcode label, inner bag and carton marks are inside the price. Those are the lines that reappear later as extras.
- Same model basis. A price per model and a price per size are not comparable once a size break-out is involved.
Freight belongs in the comparison, even when it is not on the quote
FOB does not mean freight is free; it means your cost starts once the goods are on board. Carton dimensions, pack density and product weight decide how much space the order takes. Two suppliers can quote the same unit price and still deliver different landed costs, because one packs a carton that cubes out before it weighs out.
So ask for pieces per carton, carton dimensions and weight with every quote, and compare cubic volume rather than carton count. If you combine this order with goods from another supplier, the packing specification also decides whether the shipment can be consolidated — covered in consolidating orders into one shipment.
What to send back before you decide
Put the offers into one table with the six lines as rows, then send each supplier the same three questions: re-quote at the same quantity and term, what changes at the next break, and which line you would change to reach your target without changing the product. The answers tell you more than the totals.
Two documents belong beside the comparison: the minimum order quantity behind each break, because a price at a quantity you cannot reach is unusable; and the payment condition, covered in payment terms in pet product manufacturing.
Treat these as warnings: a quote with no Incoterm, an all-in figure with no pack specification, an identical price at every quantity, or full payment requested before you have seen inspection photos. Each means the quotation is not yet comparable.
Questions we get asked
Should I compare quotations on unit price or landed cost?
Landed cost, but only after the quotes are normalised. Unit price is where the comparison starts: pack, quantity and term can move the landed figure more than price does.
Why do two suppliers quote very different prices for the same product?
Usually because the product is not the same. Ask each to name the fabric, pack, quantity basis and delivery term behind the number. A gap that survives that comparison is a real difference in the offer.
How do I compare a quote with freight against one without?
Put both on FOB and add your own freight estimate, or ask both for DDP with the HTS rate stated. Never compare an FOB price with a delivered price and treat the difference as margin.
What should I ask for besides the price?
The spec sheet, the sample terms, the pack specification, the inspection condition and the lead time in writing. A quote that arrives without them is a number, not an offer.
Send two or three quotations for the same product and we will put them into one comparison, line by line, including the lines one is missing. The service page shows what our quotation includes, and the contact page reaches us directly — one business day for a reply.