Line, application and shape
The first checklist questions concern line, application and shape. Which of the six lines on this site is wanted, or is a different line wanted, stated plainly? Which of the five application directions does the job touch, naming each direction where more than one is touched? Where shape matters, as with hollow sections, which shape is wanted, square or rectangular? Where a homepage column direction matters, such as structure pipe, casing and tubing or oil and gas line pipe, which direction is wanted, together with the line? A message that answers those questions in its opening lines gives the supplier a job that can be answered, while a message that leaves them out will need a second message before anything else can be discussed.
Those questions should be answered for each part of the enquiry separately, where the enquiry covers more than one line or more than one application. A part-by-part answer allows a part-by-part reply, and allows the buyer to check each part against the order it concerns. Mixing parts into a single list produces a reply that is hard to check, because the buyer cannot tell which answer belongs to which part. The checklist on this page is therefore written part by part, and a buyer who works through it part by part will send a message that can be checked part by part.
Size, quantities, destination and date
The second checklist questions concern size, quantities, destination and date. What size is wanted, in outside diameter terms where a size is known and a range is given for the line? What quantities are wanted, or are quantities not yet fixed, stated plainly where they are not? What is the destination, and where the destination differs from the site where the items will be used, what is that site? By what date are the items needed, where such a date exists? Those four facts, size, quantities, destination and date, turn a general question into a job, and a message that states them together with line and application can be answered directly.
Where any of those facts is not yet fixed, the message should say so plainly and ask what information the supplier needs before that fact can be discussed. Inventing a size, a quantity or a date in order to look complete will produce an answer for items that are not wanted, and the buyer will then need a second message to correct it. Plainly marking unfixed facts is faster than correcting invented ones, and it allows the supplier to answer the missing-fact questions first, in the same reply, rather than in a separate exchange.
Quantity terms, timing, trade terms and payment
The third checklist questions concern quantity terms, timing, trade terms and payment method, asked together, for the same items, in the same message. What quantity terms apply to the items named, at the quantities stated? What timing applies to those items, for the destination stated, by the date stated where a date exists? What trade terms and payment method apply to those items? No quantity, timing, price or payment figure is stated anywhere on this site, and no buyer should read any catalogue wording as stating one. Those points depend on the items, the quantities and the destination, and they are settled in the reply to the enquiry, for the items named.
Those questions should be asked for each part of the enquiry separately, where the enquiry covers more than one line or application, with quantities and sizes under each part. Asking them once for the whole enquiry, where parts differ, produces a reply that cannot be checked part by part. Asking them part by part produces a reply that can be checked as a whole, because each part of the reply can be matched to the part of the enquiry it answers. That matching discipline is the purpose of this checklist, and it is repeated on the enquiry pages in the same order.
Documents and the reply address
The fourth checklist questions concern documents and the reply address. What documents are available for the items named, and what does the supplier need from the buyer before a document can be issued or shared? This site uses only the general wording that certificates are available upon request, and no page names a particular certificate or states that any line carries any particular document. A document question should therefore name the items it concerns, the destination where a destination matters, and any date by which the document is needed, so that the answer can be tied to those items.
The final checklist question concerns the reply address itself. Does the message include a sender name and an email address where the reply will be read, and does it say plainly where the reply should go where that address differs from the sending address? A message without a readable reply address cannot be answered, however complete its order questions are, and a message whose reply address is unclear will be delayed while the supplier asks where to reply. The enquiry form asks for a name, a reply email address and a message, and a buyer who completes all three, following this checklist, will send a message that can be answered directly.
Certificates available upon request. Please confirm the minimum order quantity in your inquiry before placing an order. Please confirm the lead time with the supplier before placing an order. Please confirm the trade terms and payment method before confirming an order.