Chapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-offersBusiness LettersContentC
hapter 3Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersInquiries, Offers and
Counter-offersIn international trade, the transaction is of grea
t importance. Companies should undergo the process of making inqu
iries, offers and counter-offers before reaching an agreement. Th
is process is mostly completed with written business letters betw
een two companies. Learning Objectives1. To know the principles o
f making inquiries, offers, and counter-offers;2. To be able to w
rite business letters connected with inquiries, offers, counter-o
ffers and replies; 3. To master the related useful expressions.S
tep 01Step 02Step 03An inquiry is made to inquire about the busin
ess terms and conditions regarding the goods. A counter-offer can
be made to reject part or total of the terms and conditions of t
he offer. An offer is a proposal made to conclude business.3.1 I
ntroductionChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter
3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersIn general inquiries, impor
ters usually ask for a price list, a catalogue, samples and other
terms and want to have a general idea of the goods exporters cou
ld provideGeneral InquiriesIn specific inquiries, importers are j
ust interested in a specific kind of goods and wants to get an of
fer for the goods. Specific InquiriesWhen making an inquiry, the
inquirer should keep it brief, specific, courteous and reasonable
. And a received inquiry should also be answered or acknowledged
promptly and carefully, and the reply must supply definite and us
eful information, offer specific terms and show your sincerity.
Tips for Making/Answering an InquiryChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers a
nd Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersCh
apter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersNon-Firm OffersNon-fi
rm offers include a reservation clause, which are made by means o
f sending catalogs, price lists, proforma invoices and quotations
. In non-firm offers, no engagement is made and the offer is subj
ect to exporters’ confirmation.Firm OffersIn firm offers, the exp
orter often promises to supply certain quantity of goods at a fix
ed price within a stated period of time. And other terms such as
specifications, packing, terms of payment should also be clear, d
efinite and complete. Once accepted, a firm offer cannot be withd
rawn or revised within the validity date. Chapter 3 Inquiries, Of
fers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-Of
fersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inqui
ries, Offers and Counter-OffersGeneral InquriesSpecific Inquiries
Replies to Inquiries3.2 Specimen LettersNon-Firm OffersAcceptance
of Counter-OffersRejection of Counter-OffersFirm OffersChapter 3
Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers
and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersC
hapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries,
Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter
-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 In
quiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and
Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChap
ter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Of
fers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-Of
fersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inqui
ries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Co
unter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter
3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offer
s and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-Offer
sChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquirie
s, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Count
er-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3
Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers a
nd Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersCh
apter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries,
Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-
OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersPlease quote
as requested in our inquiry sheet your lowest prices and state th
e earliest delivery date.We have pleasure in sending you our cata
logue, which gives full information about our various products.Th
anks for your inquiry dated 18 May, and we are now sending you ou
r latest price list for your reference.（1）Making/Replying Inquiri
esWe make you the following offer, subject to our final confirmat
ion.In reply to your enquiry of 20 April for glass vases, we quot
e at US$ 60 per dozen CIF Shanghai, subject to our final confirma
tion.This offer is subject to your reply reaching here before the
end of this month.Our offer is RMB 300 per set of tape-recorder,
FOB Tianjin.（2）Making OffersPlease advance the delivery time to
October because we have to catch the Christmas sale.We wouldn’t m
ake any profits at the price you offered. This is our lowest pric
e. We wouldn’t make any further concessions.In view of our longst
anding business relations, we decide to reduce the price.The cost
of raw materials has increased considerably, so we are not in a
position to make any reduction.（3）Making/Replying Counter-Offers3
.3 Useful ExpressionsChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-Offe
rs3.4 ExercisesI. Translate the following words and phrases. II.
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words.
III. Fill in each blank in the letter below with a word or phras
e taken from the box.IV. Identify errors in the following sentenc
es. There is only one error in each sentence. V. Translate the fo
llowing sentences into English sentences using the given words or
expressions in the brackets.VI. Writing. Chapter 3 Inquiries, Of
fers and Counter-Offers1. 鉴于2. 根据3. 最少量4. 还盘5. 作出让步6. 开创先例7. 合作8.
尽早9. 已收到10.在合适的时候Chapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersA
. From English to Chinese1. inquiry2. non-firm offer3. firm offer
4. general inquiry5. specific inquiry6. repeat order7. payment8.
FOB9. CIF10. as soon as possibleB. From Chinese to EnglishChapter
3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-Offersinterestedconcessionpleasu
reshipmentcompetitiveChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-Offe
rscooperationrealisticquotationacceptableregretfulChapter 3 Inqui
ries, Offers and Counter-Offersrequestedcopyinformsupplysimilarfa
cttrialassureshipmentreceivingChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Cou
nter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter
3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-Offersrequestedintheinformfollows
onairmailingmachinesWe are regretful that we cannot accept your o
ffer. We have accepted your firm offer.We expect you to make an o
ffer at your earliest convenience.The firm is interested in your
products.Many manufacturers come to a Shanghai trade fair. Chapte
r 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersOur customers find that y
our price is not acceptable.We take pleasure in making you a spec
ial offer. Our inventory has run out of stock.Owing to the lack of raw materials, the factory has to stop entertaining new orders.We feel that your quotation is on the high side.Chapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-OffersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-Offers感谢聆听Business LettersChapter 3 Inquiries, Offers and Counter-Offers |
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