How to send an RFQ on Alibaba — and get quotes worth comparing
Alibaba suppliers receive dozens of vague requests a day — “best price for bottle?” gets a vague price or silence. A structured message with specs, quantity tiers, and commercial terms signals a real order, so better salespeople reply with accurate numbers. Follow the flow, paste the template, and compare replies in one table.
The 5-step posting flow
1. Open the right RFQ form
From Alibaba's Sourcing section open Request for Quotation. Pick the category closest to your product and write the exact product name — “insulated stainless bottle 750ml”, not “bottle”.
2. Paste a complete message, don't rely on the fields
The form fields are short and every supplier skims them. Paste the message template below into the details box: specs, quantity tiers, packaging, QC, certifications, and the EXW + FOB ask in one block.
3. Attach photos or drawings
One photo of a reference product plus a dimension sketch beats three paragraphs of description. State your logo method and placement in the message itself.
4. Set quantity, target price, and destination port
Give the first order, the annual estimate, and quantity tiers (e.g. 1k / 3k / 5k). Name the port you want FOB quotes from, e.g. FOB Ningbo, so factories quote comparably.
5. Compare replies with one table, chase once
Score every reply on unit price per tier, tooling, lead time, and MOQ. Suppliers that skip rows get one follow-up asking for the missing numbers — then you shortlist.
Paste-in message template
Copy this into the Alibaba RFQ details box and replace the bracketed values. It asks for EXW (Ex Works) and FOB (Free On Board) plus the reply format that makes quotes comparable:
Subject: RFQ - [product + size] ([OEM/ODM]), [first-order qty] units, FOB [port] Specs: [materials, dimensions, colors, logo method] Quantity: [first order] units, est. [annual] /year. Tiers [1k/3k/5k] for price breaks. Packaging: [retail box / bulk], barcodes, export carton, pallet. QC: AQL critical 0 / major 2.5 / minor 4.0. Pre-shipment inspection right. Certs: [CE / FDA / LFGB]. State existing certificates. Quote: EXW + FOB [port]. Payment [30/70]. Samples [cost, days]. Mass [days]. Reply with: unit price per tier, tooling, sample terms, lead time, MOQ, validity.
From message to full RFQ
The template above wins replies. RFQly turns it into the complete bilingual document — the 10-section structure in our RFQ template with filled example, the China specifics in our China supplier RFQ guide, plus a Mandarin summary and a one-page sample PDF showing what suppliers receive. Describe your product once, preview free, and unlock the PDF for €9.
Alibaba RFQ FAQ
How long should my Alibaba RFQ message be?
One screen: product, specs, quantity tiers, packaging, QC, certifications, EXW + FOB ask, and the response format. The template below fits that length.
Should I ask EXW or FOB on Alibaba?
Ask both. FOB (e.g. FOB Ningbo) is the baseline for comparing factories; EXW shows the bare factory price if you run your own freight.
How many suppliers should I send it to?
Five to eight factories with relevant product history. The same message to all of them — comparable replies are the whole point.