A perfume RFQ should make suppliers quote the same product and commercial boundary. Without a controlled brief, three prices can represent different formulas, component quality, Incoterms and documentation. Build the comparison sheet before contacting manufacturers and carry the accepted scope into the purchase order.
Describe the saleable product
State destination markets, bottle size, fragrance count, concentration convention, component references, decoration, carton, units per SKU and target launch date. Attach drawings or reference images but identify which details are mandatory. Mark buyer-supplied elements and acceptable alternatives.
Request separated price layers
Ask for formula development, fragrance compound, alcohol and filling, bottle, pump, cap, decoration, carton, assembly, testing, documentation and export packing as visible lines. Request setup fees and tooling separately. A single finished-unit price hides the component that will control a future reorder.
Expose minimums and timing
Collect MOQ per production batch, fragrance, component and decoration method. Ask what unused material remains, who owns it and how long it is stored. Separate sampling, component procurement, pre-production approval, manufacturing and transport lead times; do not accept one optimistic total without dependencies.
Normalize commercial terms
Require currency, payment milestones, quotation validity, Incoterm 2020 rule and named place. Identify freight, insurance, duty, importer work, laboratory fees and Responsible Person services that are excluded. Compare first-order cash and reorder economics, not only the nominal unit price.
Convert the selected quote into control
Before deposit, attach the final specification, approved references, tolerances, document schedule, substitution rule, inspection method and non-conformance process. Resolve assumptions in writing. A quotation authorizes pricing; the purchase order and signed specification should authorize exactly what may be produced.
What an RFQ must contain to receive a real price
A quotation is only as specific as the request behind it. Send these and the reply is a price; leave them out and the reply is a range that will move.
| Field | Why the price depends on it |
|---|---|
| Product format and concentration | Decides the formula route, the alcohol or oil base and the transport classification |
| Quantity per fragrance | Minimums apply per fragrance, not per order; three variants meet the label minimum three times |
| Bottle, pump, cap and carton references | The pack often outweighs the concentrate in a finished unit |
| Decoration method | Screen print, hot foil, coating and metallisation carry different minimums and lead times |
| Destination market | Sets the compliance work, the label languages and the document set |
| Incoterm and named place | EXW and DDP are not comparable figures |
| Target date | Determines whether component lead times are feasible or force a substitution |
Ask for the price in layers
A single per-unit figure hides the decisions you can actually change. Request the quotation split into: fragrance concentrate, components, decoration, filling and assembly, packaging materials, documentation and compliance work, and freight. Two suppliers whose totals differ by a few per cent can differ by a third on the component layer — and that is the layer a buyer can act on.
Questions that reveal how a supplier works
- Which of these figures change if I move from 1,000 to 2,500 units, and at what step?
- How many sample revision rounds are included before charges start?
- Which component in this specification has the longest lead time?
- If that component is unavailable, what is the substitution process?
- What is quoted per project rather than listed — development, tooling, sampling?
Development fees, sample charges and tooling for a custom mould are quoted per project here rather than published.
Project checklist
- Destination and channel
- Formula and concentration
- SKU quantities
- Component specifications
- MOQ by layer
- Testing and document scope
- Incoterm and named place
- Payment and approval milestones
Apply this RFQ structure to private label fragrance production in Turkey.