A flash quotation can look complete and still leave you unable to compare it with the next one. These are the five lines that decide whether two quotes are describing the same product — grade, tooling, branding method, packaging and delivery term — plus the four things that are usually absent and should not be.
Two quotations for the same product at different prices are almost never the same product. Five lines decide comparability: the memory grade, named rather than described by capacity; whether tooling is charged, amortised or not needed; the branding method, because pad print and laser are not the same thing; the packaging specification, where quotes diverge without the unit price showing it; and the delivery term, because an EXW price and a DDP price differ by everything in between. Check those five before comparing totals. Then look for the four things good quotations carry and mediocre ones omit: quotation validity, payment schedule, lead time in blocks, and what is excluded.
Part 2 of 4 — reading a quotation. Four angles on the same document; the total only means something after all four.
Previous: What sits inside a quotation.
Next: Reading a quotation for the setup costs it leaves out.
The total is the last thing to look at
A quotation arrives with a number at the bottom, and the number is what everyone looks at. It is also the least informative part of the document.
Two quotes can carry the same total and describe different products. Two quotes can carry totals that differ by a third and describe the same one, with the difference sitting in a delivery term or a tooling assumption. Until the five lines below are aligned, the totals are not comparable and the comparison is theatre.
Line one: the memory grade
This is the largest term in most flash quotations and the one most often left vague.
“8GB flash memory” is not a specification. It describes a capacity. Behind it sit grade, source, controller pairing and package — each of which moves both price and behaviour. A quotation that names the grade and the source is a different document from one that names the capacity only, even if they look similar.
What to look for: a named grade, a named source where it can be named, and a stated controller solution. If it says “high quality NAND”, that is an adjective, not a grade. The difference between grades is worth understanding before your first quotation, because it is the number that most affects what you actually receive.
When comparing two quotes, this is the first line to align. If one names a grade and the other does not, the comparison is not between suppliers — it is between a specification and a hope.
Line two: tooling
Three possible states, and the quote should say which: not required because an existing tool is being used; charged as a separate line; or amortised into the unit price.
Each produces a different total for the same product. A quote at a lower unit price with an absent tooling line is usually amortising, which means you are paying for the tool — just invisibly, and often across the whole order in a way that costs more than the standalone fee would have. The full mechanics of the tooling question covers ownership and waivers.
Ask which state applies, and if it is amortised, ask for the amortisation worked out. A supplier who can show it is running a costing model. One who cannot is quoting a number.
Line three: the branding method
Pad printing, silkscreen, laser etching, UV printing, metal insert, epoxy dome. Each has its own setup and per-unit cost, and each looks different on the finished object.
Two quotes can both say “logo printed” and be quoting different methods with different durability. Laser etching on metal is permanent; pad printing on plastic can wear. For a promotional item handled daily, that difference decides whether the logo survives the first month.
Ask for the method named, and ask for a sample of that method if the visual result matters. Which marking method works on which material is a useful reference.
Line four: packaging
This is where quotations diverge most quietly, because packaging is specified last and the unit price does not reveal it.
A poly bag and a printed gift box are not variations. Nor are a plain white carton and a retail-ready box with a barcode window. The quote should state units per inner box, per outer carton, carton dimensions, and which packaging elements are charged. The parts that are charged and the parts that are free.
The reason this line matters disproportionately: packaging is often 10–20% of a delivered cost and almost never appears in the headline comparison, because buyers compare unit prices of the product.
Line five: the delivery term
A quotation without a named Incoterm is a unit figure, not a price.
| Term | Supplier’s obligation ends | Who pays freight, insurance, duty |
|---|---|---|
| EXW | At the factory | You, all of it |
| FOB | On board the vessel | You, from the port |
| CIF | At your destination port, insured | Supplier to port; duty and inland on you |
| DDP | At your address, duty paid | Supplier |
The spread between EXW and DDP on the same goods can exceed the spread between two competing suppliers, which is why comparing totals across different terms is the most common error in this process.
The four things good quotations carry
Beyond the five lines, a usable quotation states four more things. Their presence is a decent proxy for how the supplier operates.
Validity. A date, not “prices subject to change”. In a market that has been moving, an open-ended quotation is not a commitment. Why prices move in 2026.
Payment schedule. Amounts against triggers, not percentages against dates.
Lead time in blocks. Tooling, procurement, production, and — separately — transit. A single figure hides where the days are.
Exclusions. What is not included. This is the line that prevents the conversation in week six about a cost nobody mentioned. The setup costs quotations leave out covers the common ones.
A comparison method that works
Take both quotations and put the five lines in a table, one column each. Where a line is vague, write “unspecified” rather than filling it in with an assumption.
You will usually find that two of the five are unspecified in at least one quote. That is the finding — not the price difference. Go back and ask for those lines specifically, then compare.
| Line | Quote A | Quote B | Aligned? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade, source, controller | |||
| Tooling: none / separate / amortised | |||
| Branding method | |||
| Packaging: inner, outer, charged items | |||
| Delivery term | |||
| Total | Compare only when all five aligned |
What to do with a quote you cannot read
Ask for it again, with the lines named. This is not a confrontational request and most suppliers will comply, because a buyer who knows what to ask for is easier to sell to than one who does not.
If a supplier cannot produce the five lines after a direct request, you have learned something more useful than a price: their quotation process is not built to describe a product, and every future conversation about a discrepancy will start from the same place.
Our own quotations state all five lines plus validity, schedule and exclusions, and the pricing page explains what is and is not included before you ask. If you have two quotes in front of you and want a third view, send both — we will tell you which lines differ, including when the difference favours the other supplier. Cathy handles these directly.
Frequently asked questions
Why do two quotes for the same specification differ so much?
Usually one of the five lines is different, and the largest by far is the memory grade. '8GB flash' can describe several grades with very different endurance and very different prices, and a quote that names the grade and the source is not comparable with one that does not. After grade, check tooling: one quote may assume you are paying for a new mould and another may be using an existing one. Then branding method and packaging. Only after those four are aligned does the total mean anything.
What should a quotation contain that most do not?
Four things. A validity period — essential in a moving market, and routinely omitted. A payment schedule stated as amounts against triggers, not percentages. A lead time broken into blocks rather than a single figure, so you can see where the days are. And an exclusions line, saying what is not included, which is where hidden costs would otherwise appear later. A quote with a total and a delivery estimate is a price. A quote with these four is a commitment.
Should I ask for a cheaper option as well?
Yes, and ask for it explicitly as a variant with the reason stated. A supplier can usually offer a lower figure by changing one of the five lines — a lower grade, an existing housing, a simpler print method, bulk packaging. Knowing which line they changed is what makes the cheaper option a decision rather than a temptation. The failure mode is accepting a revised total without asking what moved, which is how buyers end up with a different product than they thought they had ordered.
Is a lower unit price with higher tooling better or worse?
It depends entirely on the total quantity you will buy from that tool, which is a question only you can answer. A high tooling charge with a low unit price wins over a long programme. A low tooling charge with a higher unit price wins for a small or single order. Compare total cost of the whole intended programme, not unit price, and be explicit with the supplier about how many units you expect to buy over what period — the structure they propose will follow from that number.
Does the quotation need to state the Incoterm?
Yes, without exception. A quotation without a named Incoterm is not a price, it is a unit figure. Under EXW your goods stop at the factory gate and freight, export clearance, insurance and duty are all yours. Under FOB they reach the vessel. Under DDP they reach your address with duty paid. The differences can be larger than the differences between competing suppliers, which is why comparing unit figures across different terms is the most common mistake in this process.