For US/EU toy importers buying catalog stock for wholesale or retail resale, write one line-item RFQ that fixes the product, destination, intended age, quantity, packaging, battery configuration, documents and handover basis for every supplier. Require suppliers to return the same pricing sheet, identify exclusions and list unresolved questions instead of filling gaps with assumptions. Compare the base offer first; keep substitutions, customization and alternative shipping terms separate so a lower headline price does not conceal a different toy or service scope.
What should a toy RFQ template require?
| RFQ identity and contact | Buyer completes: RFQ reference, revision, issue date, named contact, clarification deadline and quotation deadline with time zone. Supplier returns: quotation reference, revision and responsible contact. |
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| Destination, channel and sourcing route | Buyer completes: destination country and delivery location; wholesale, store or online channel; catalog-stock or custom-development purchase; importer and freight responsibilities. Supplier identifies any proposed change to that route. |
| Product identity | One line per toy: buyer line number, catalog reference or SKU, product URL, reference images and specification revision. Supplier returns its matching model reference and identifies every substitution. |
| Intended age and product configuration | Buyer states the intended user age as a purchasing target, not a verified suitability claim, plus required dimensions, functions, colors, accessories and assortment. Supplier provides its proposed age grading, supporting rationale and configuration differences. |
| Quantity and order constraints | Buyer states pieces per line and acceptable quantity variance. Supplier returns quoted pieces, MOQ, units per export carton, any order-multiple restriction and any mixed-assortment condition as separate fields. |
| Retail and export packaging | Specify retail pack type, artwork version, language, barcode and label requirements, assortment per carton and export marks. Request confirmed packed dimensions, carton quantity, gross weight and net weight for the quoted configuration. |
| Batteries and electrical configuration | Specify the required power configuration and whether batteries must be included or excluded. Supplier states whether the toy uses batteries; if it does, identify chemistry, count, voltage, replaceable or rechargeable design, and any charger or cable included. |
| Requested documents and QC | List the product-specific reports, certificates or declarations requested for the destination, along with sample identification, inspection scope and packing records. Require suppliers to distinguish documents provided with the offer from work quoted separately. |
| Commercial and handover basis | State quotation currency, price unit, named handover place or port, agreed trade-term edition, requested payment basis and whether freight, taxes or other charges are included or excluded. Require each supplier to disclose deviations. |
| Timing and replenishment | Give the requested handover date and partial-shipment policy. Request initial-order and repeat-order lead times separately, the event that starts each lead time, quote validity, and the process for confirming stock or production availability. |
| Response format | Require the original line numbers and columns to remain unchanged. Include fields for unit price, line total, separate charges, inclusions, exclusions, unanswered questions and alternatives. Customization must be a separate offer. |
How should suppliers present prices and unresolved information?
Require one base quote for the specified toy and a separate exception list; do not let suppliers silently replace your assumptions with their own.
Use these response columns: line number; matching supplier model; quoted quantity in pieces; currency; price per piece; line total; retail packaging included; battery configuration; document scope; MOQ; carton quantity; separate charges; lead time and starting event; handover basis; quote expiry; deviations.
Calculate each merchandise line as quoted pieces × price per piece. Then show separately quoted packaging, batteries, testing, inspection or other charges without counting anything twice. Compare only offers with the same currency, quantity, configuration and handover scope. An excluded charge is not a zero-cost charge.
Add this instruction to the RFQ: “For any item you cannot quote, identify the unresolved specification, explain which part of the offer it affects, and state what clarification you need. Do not invent a price or assume approval of an alternative.”
For example, if batteries are included in one offer but excluded in another, request a revised base quote before comparing totals. Undefined units, currency and trade terms are specifically identified as comparability problems in general RFQ guidance. The Write Direction
What does a filled, non-price toy RFQ look like?
A filled non-price RFQ combines real product references with explicitly labeled buyer requirements, without implying that a supplier has accepted the order or confirmed availability.
Illustrative buyer scenario—not a supplier offer: a US importer is requesting catalog toys for wholesale distribution and online resale, with buyer-arranged main freight. Request USD pricing on FOB Yantian, Shenzhen, Incoterms 2020, with no partial shipment and no unapproved substitutions. These are proposed comparison terms, not a statement that any supplier offers this route.
The buyer-proposed age target is 8 years and older for both lines; this is an illustrative purchasing requirement, not a verified age grade. Require the supplier to assess the proposed use and provide supporting age-grading information before selection. Request standard catalog packaging only, no custom artwork, and batteries excluded if a model requires them. The supplier must still state the actual power configuration.
Ask each respondent to state quote validity, initial and repeat-order lead times, and available handover dates. Do not insert an assumed delivery promise into the example.
Bow and Arrow Toy Set and Cutting Pretend Play Food Toy
| Line 1 — Bow and Arrow Toy Set | Catalog reference: TF10705. Product: [[link:/catalog/bow-and-arrow-toy-set/|Bow and Arrow Toy Set]]. Requested quantity: 180 pieces. Catalog packing reference: color box; retail pack 18.5 × 6 × 43 cm; 60 pieces per export carton; export carton 94.5 × 46 × 81 cm. |
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| Line 2 — Cutting Pretend Play Food Toy | Catalog reference: TF10543. Product: [[link:/catalog/cutting-pretend-play-food-toy/|Cutting Pretend Play Food Toy]]. Requested quantity: 72 pieces. Catalog packing reference: plastic basket; retail pack 26.5 × 18.5 × 18.5 cm; 24 pieces per export carton; export carton 55.5 × 51 × 59 cm. |
| Packaging acceptance for both lines | Confirm the quoted retail pack, exact contents and export packing against the references. Provide current sample photos and confirm dimensions and weights. Identify any difference before pricing; quote requested packaging changes separately. |
| Battery response for both lines | State whether batteries are used. If yes, identify the battery configuration and quote the base offer without batteries, as requested in this illustrative scenario. Do not infer battery requirements from the product name. |
| Document response for both lines | Provide a file list identifying the exact model and configuration covered, applicable rule references, test dates and laboratory details where relevant. State separately any proposed new assessment or testing and its quoted scope. |
How do you convert a three-carton MOQ into pieces?
Multiply the documented three-export-carton minimum per SKU by that model’s catalog carton quantity, but do not turn the minimum into an order-multiple rule.
For these catalog references, the documented minimum is three export cartons per SKU, with customization quoted separately. The bow-and-arrow set therefore has a reference minimum of 3 × 60 = 180 pieces; the pretend-play food toy has a reference minimum of 3 × 24 = 72 pieces. The illustrative order requests exactly those quantities.
Neither line requires extra pieces to reach that minimum, and both quantities divide into full reference cartons. This does not establish that every subsequent order must be a full-carton multiple. If you need a different quantity, request its acceptability and packing arrangement explicitly rather than automatically rounding it up.
Which supplier responses are acceptable on the same basis?
| Destination-market fit | Request: product-specific document list for the US example. Acceptable response and record: files identify the quoted model and configuration, with relevant rule and laboratory information where applicable. Decision: review coverage before selection; a generic category certificate does not establish coverage of the quoted toy. |
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| Product and assortment match | Request: exact toy, accessories, colors and assortment quantities. Acceptable response and record: annotated specification, current sample photos and an itemized packing list matching the RFQ. Decision: compare the matching offer; evaluate substitutions separately. |
| Quantity and packaging | Request: piece quantity, MOQ, carton quantity and any order-multiple restriction. Acceptable response and record: written confirmation of each field, plus current pack measurements and weights. Decision: calculate the actual quoted scope; do not treat carton quantity alone as an order restriction. |
| Initial supply and replenishment | Request: initial and repeat lead times, starting conditions and change-notification process. Acceptable response and record: dated schedule identifying sample approval, payment or other dependencies, plus written availability confirmation if stock is offered. Decision: compare against the buying calendar; a catalog listing alone does not reserve inventory. |
| QC accountability | Request: who approves the sample, who inspects the goods, where inspection occurs and how deviations are resolved. Acceptable response and record: named responsibilities, sample identification, a proposed inspection checklist and a correction process. Decision: select an accountable process, not a presumed advantage based on factory or trading-company status. |
| Commercial scope | Request: the same currency, piece-price unit, packaging and battery basis, handover term and named port. Acceptable response and record: completed pricing sheet with separate charges and exclusions. Decision: request corrections before comparing any offer with a different scope. |
| Communication | Request: one responsible contact and replies against numbered questions. Acceptable response and record: an acknowledged deadline, clear answers and a revision log. Decision: assess responsiveness as a coordination factor; a slow reply is not proof of fraud or worse behavior after payment. |
How should document requests stay specific to the quoted toy?
Request records that can be matched to the actual quoted toy, rather than accepting a logo, broad product-family description or unrelated report.
For the US example, ask for a product description that can be matched to the CPC and the applicable rule references where a CPC is relevant. CPSC guidance emphasizes product identification sufficient to match the certificate to the covered product. This is a document-review check, not a claim that either example toy is certified. CPSC CPC guidance
When reviewing laboratory information, check the relevant testing scope rather than assuming one laboratory covers every requirement. CPSC explains that laboratory acceptance is rule-specific. Commercial sample checks—such as confirming contents, packaging and ordered functions—remain separate from safety testing. CPSC testing guidance
How do you keep clarification from changing the comparison?
Issue one numbered clarification log and send every scope-changing answer to all participating suppliers, subject to the RFQ’s confidentiality terms.
Keep one named buyer contact. If a clarification changes packaging, quantity, batteries or handover terms, revise the RFQ and request revised base quotes rather than accepting an informal side agreement. General RFQ guidance recommends a single contact and shared supplier questions and answers. SiftHub RFQ guidance
Before selection, check that each quote uses the same revision and that each unresolved item has a disposition. The decision is then practical: compare matching base offers, assess documented delivery and QC arrangements, and consider alternatives only as separate choices.
Sources
- RFQ document template: What to include & sample format
- RFQ Template: Sections, Structure, and a Fill-In Format You Can Reuse
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