Export Quotation Preparation and Cost Checklist
A unit price alone is not a comparable offer. Quantity, currency, delivery scope, packaging and validity must be read together. This guide helps structure a working draft; it is not a binding contract or customs opinion.
Define each product line
Include specifications, dimensions, materials, quantity units and packaging. Identify the version of a referenced drawing or sample. Keep products and their costs on separate lines instead of hiding differences in a blended average.
Define delivery scope
Record the chosen Incoterms® rule, named place and edition together. ICC's rules address the allocation of costs, risk and obligations. Do not choose a rule only because it produces a lower headline price; confirm the responsibilities you can actually fulfil.
Expose cost assumptions
Separate product, packaging, inland transport, main carriage, insurance and other charges. Unknown or excluded items are not zero. Record exchange-rate source, date and any buffer; a reference rate is not an executable bank quote.
Review commercial conditions
Keep payment method, offer validity, production assumptions and dispatch plan in separate fields. Mark anything requiring the counterparty's written confirmation. A scenario calculator does not replace a carrier's quote or a tax determination.
- Product specification and version
- Quantity and units
- Currency and rate date
- Named place and delivery rule
- Included and excluded costs
- Payment, validity and open confirmations
A simple working example
In a wholly illustrative example, 100 units × EUR 12 = EUR 1,200 for the product total. Explicitly state whether freight and taxes are included. Use verified product and cost information for a real quotation, not these example figures.
Is the calculated total a final delivered quote?
It is a working result for the inputs and items you included. Unconfirmed freight, taxes, insurance or other costs are not firm quotations.
Is a reference exchange rate the same as a bank transaction rate?
Not necessarily. Record the source and date, and confirm the actual transaction rate and charges with your provider.
Sources and boundaries
This guide supports general research and preparation, not customs, legal, tax or investment advice. Source links lead to external websites. Verify current requirements with the official source and qualified specialists. No buyer, order, sale or funding approval is guaranteed.