Writing Inquiry Letter | How To Write Inquiry Letter

Writing Inquiry Letter | How To Write Inquiry Letter

You may write letters to organizations and individuals on a number of subjects, but perhaps the most common of all will be the 'letter of inquiry' in which you ask them to quote their rates and terms of payments for the goods your firms or company wishes to buy from them.

It is customary for a business organization to invite quotations from several sellers before placing an order. The purpose of inviting quotations is to find out the cheapest and best source of supply of goods required. There is a saying "goods well bought are half sold". So, much care should be taken in drafting such a letter so that you can quickly get the information you wish to collect and also locate the right seller.

To achieve these objectives you should proceed in a systematic manner as follows:

(i) Describe your needs clearly and precisely. Give detailed specifications such as the shape, size, quality, make, etc. of the goods you require.

(ii) Request the seller to quote his prices and terms of payment.

(iii) Ask him for a sample, if necessary.

(iv) Give an idea of the quantity you intend to buy.

(v) Indicate the time by which you would like the goods to be supplied. This will help the seller determine whether during the period available he will be able to meet your demand or not.

(vi) Ask if the goods are guaranteed and if so, for what period. Also ask the seller to give an idea of the normal expected life of these goods.

(vii) Ask what accessories and spares, if any, would be supplied and how much would they cost.

(viii) If the goods you are ordering need installation, ask the seller the cost of doing so and also the repair facilities offered by him.

(ix) As the processing of a purchase proposal takes some time, ask the seller to indicate the period for which his quotations will be valid.

Helpful Hints

The nature of inquiry will determine how you open and close your letter. However, examples of a few opening and closing sentences are given below to help you.

Opening Sentences

(i) Please quote your lowest rate for the following items.

(ii) We should be grateful if you would kindly inform us of the terms and conditions for the supply of............

(iii) We intend to buy the following items next month for our new branch in .......I should be grateful if you would kindly quote your lowest rate for them. The detailed specifications are as follows:

(iv) May we request you to let us have your lowest rates for the following items which we require in 30 September, 2014.

(v) Please let us know your lowest rates as early as possible for the supply of.......

Closing Sentences

(i) We look forward to hearing from you soon. If your quotation meets our expectation, we shall be happy to buy all our requirements for this season from you.

(ii) On hearing from you, we shall place a firm order with you.

(iii) We hope the terms and conditions you quote will be satisfactory. We shall, of course, be happy to order all our requirements from you.

(iv) As we urgently need the goods mentioned above, we shall be grateful for an early reply.

(v) We look forward to placing an order with you.