What to Send Before Asking for a Candle Quotation

Lumen Narrate · A working RFQ checklist

A product photo and “How much for 1,000?” are enough to begin a conversation, but not enough to calculate a reliable price. The same candle can have very different costs once the fragrance, label, box, carton and delivery terms are added.

You do not need a finished product specification. We only need to know which facts are decided and which are still open. A quotation based on honest gaps is more useful than one based on guessed details.

Start with one line per product version

List the quantity for every size, fragrance, color and packaging version. Do not give only the total order quantity if it is divided across several SKUs.

This lets us check whether a minimum applies to the whole order or to each variation. It also prevents a 600-piece order from being priced as one simple production run when it is actually three separate versions.

Show what is existing and what is custom

“Private label” can mean a label on an available candle, or it can mean a new fragrance, vessel, mold and retail box. Those are different projects.

• Existing product: choose a current candle and add an agreed label or available box.
• Component customization: keep the candle format but change the fragrance, color, label finish or packaging.
• Full development: create a new vessel, mold, fragrance system or packaging structure.

If you are unsure, send a reference photo and mark the parts that matter. For example: “We like this box shape, but the jar can be one of your existing options.” That is much clearer than asking us to copy every detail in the image.

Packaging needs two separate descriptions

The retail box sells the product. The export carton protects it. We need both.

For retail packaging, note whether you need a label, folding carton, rigid gift box, sleeve, insert, ribbon, card or multi-item set. For shipping, tell us whether the goods will travel by express, air, sea or container if known. Once the product and retail box are selected, we calculate units per carton, carton size and gross weight.

State the delivery term, not just “shipping included”

EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP and DDP do not include the same work. A door-to-door quotation should state whether freight, export handling, destination clearance, duties or taxes and final delivery are included.

Send the full destination and postal code when asking for DAP or DDP. Freight prices also have validity periods, so a delivered cost should be dated. If your own forwarder will collect in China, tell us that instead.

For candles, diffusers and other fragrance products, the available shipping method may depend on the product and carrier. A filled liquid sample is not automatically accepted by an air service. We check the route before quoting transit time.

Fragrance, budget and deadline

A fragrance brief does not have to name a finished formula. “Fresh tea with light citrus, not sweet” is more useful than a long list of unrelated scent names. Tell us how many fragrances the first order needs and whether you have a reference sample.

A target unit price or total budget helps us choose a realistic vessel and box. It does not have to be exact. We also need to know whether the date is for sample approval, factory completion or arrival at your warehouse; these are three different deadlines.

What a checkable quotation should contain

• product and quantity per SKU;
• unit price and currency;
• included branding and packaging;
• sample, mold, printing or setup charges shown separately where applicable;
• trade term, named destination and freight scope;
• production reference and estimated transit time shown separately;
• payment terms and quotation validity;
• open items that may still change the price.

If two suppliers have not quoted the same scope, their unit prices cannot be compared fairly. Ask for the missing items before deciding which quotation is cheaper.

A short RFQ is enough when it is specific

You can start with:

For quantity planning, read the private label candle MOQ guide. For freight and delivered-cost questions, see the container loading and door-to-door shipping guide.